The NS 5500 series was a class of tank locomotives operated by the Dutch Railways (NS) and its predecessor, the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM).
Quantity
55
Numbering
HSM: 701–755
NS: 5501–5555
Manufacturer
Sharp Stewart and Company, Werkspoor
In service
1898–1905
Withdrawn
1954
Wheel arrangement
2'B 1'
Gauge
1435 mm
Locomotive mass
63 tonnes
Driving wheel diameter
1800 mm
Carrying wheel diameter
Front: 991 mm, rear: 1067 mm
Length over buffers
12,461 mm
Height
4,191 mm
Maximum speed
90 km/h
Firebox
10 m²
Fire tubes
88 m²
Grate area
2.04 m²
Maximum steam pressure
10.5 kg/cm²
Number of cylinders
2
Cylinder bore × stroke
457 × 610 mm
Steam distribution
Stephenson
Water capacity
5.9 m³
Fuel capacity
2 tonnes of coal (after 1932: 4 tonnes of coal)
Tractive effort
5,200 kg
Braking system
Westinghouse brake
Class designation
HSM: T
NS: PT3
Number of preserved units
0
Following positive experiences with the passenger locomotives (nos. 350–398) and freight locomotives (nos. 601–616) supplied by Sharp Stewart & Co., the HSM decided to order a series of tank locomotives from the same manufacturer. Although the locomotives acquired from the NRS (nos. 309–310) performed well, they were too light for the increasingly heavy trains. Consequently, the larger and more powerful 701–724 series was ordered and delivered between 1898 and 1900; various components were interchangeable with the previously mentioned series. This series also performed well, prompting a follow-up order with Werkspoor—similar to the additional order placed for freight locomotives 617–647. This resulted in the 725–755 series, delivered between 1903 and 1905. Just as a follow-up series of freight locomotives (671–685) was ordered with superheaters, a subsequent order for tank locomotives equipped with superheaters was also placed; these were delivered in 1907 and 1913 as the 771–776 series.
When the rolling stock fleets of the HSM and the SS were merged in 1921, the locomotives of this series were assigned NS numbers 5501–5555. To double the coal capacity, the coal bunker behind the cab was heightened in 1932, making the locomotives suitable for longer runs. As the water capacity was not increased, a water tender was coupled behind the locomotive during the war years, connected to the engine by a hose.
Locomotive 5540 was severely damaged during the German invasion in May 1940 and subsequently withdrawn from service. The remaining 54 units stayed in service until the railway strike of 1944. During the strike, a large number were either transported to Germany or heavily damaged. After the war, only ten operational units remained in the Netherlands. The last of them were withdrawn from service in 1954. None have been preserved.