This list gives an overview of rolling stock that are used on the railways of Poland. Also included are the locomotives of the Polish State Railways and the rolling stock owned by foreign state railways certified for operation in Poland.
Classification system The system was introduced for the steam stock by the Ministry of Railways on 3 November 1922, shortly after Poland regained her independence (1918) when the Polish railroads inherited a variety of German, Austrian and Russian steam locomotives, each with its own type convention.Terczyński, Paweł (2003), Atlas parowozów, Poznań, , p. 30-31 (in Polish) It was put into use in 1923–1926 years. The adopted solution allows telling the locomotive type (passenger/freight/mixed), wheel arrangement, origin and some other information from the type designation. After World War II a similar system was also adapted for diesel and electric locomotives in 1959.
Steam stock Steam locomotives Steam locomotives from the foreign origin were at first classified by its foreign state railways until the introduction of the PKP classification system.
The steam locomotive designation introduced in 1922 consist of:
The class type Serial number
Designation of the individual symbols in the class type
First digit – Intended traffic type
P – Express locomotive () O – Passenger locomotive () T – Freight locomotive ()
Digit between the traffic type and the wheel arrangement – Tank locomotive digit
K – Tank locomotive ()
Second digit – Wheel arrangement type
a – one driving axle, any number of unpowered axles
b – 0-4-0 c – 2-4-0 or 0-4-2 d – 4-4-0 or 0-4-4 e – 2-4-2 f – 4-4-2 or 2-4-4 g – two driving axles, more than three unpowered axles, h – 0-6-0 i – 2-6-0 or 0-6-2 k – 4-6-0 or 0-6-4 l – 2-6-2 m – 4-6-2 n – 2-6-4 o – three driving axles, more than three unpowered axles p – 0-8-0 r – 2-8-0 or 0-8-2 s – 4-8-0 or 0-8-4 t – 2-8-2 u – four driving axles, more than two unpowered axles w – 0-10-0 y – 2-10-0 z – five driving axles, more than one unpowered axle
Third, fourth and fifth digits – Locomotive's origin
1 – 10 – Prussian or German origin from 11 – Austrian origin 100 – different atypical stock acquired after 1945, including former private and industry locomotives from 101 – Foreign origin, acquired by PKP between 1918 and 1939 from 20 – Purchased by PKP, the numbers describe the year of approval for production from the 20th century from 201 – Foreign origin or production, acquired by PKP after 1945
Optional sixth digit – Dash between the class type and the serial number (used only on the front of the locomotive)
Digits after the dash/below the class type – Serial number
During the war, most locomotives received designations by the railways from the occupying countries, or those boards that took them into use (Hungarian railways, Lithuanian railways, etc.). In 1946 the classification system from 1922 was returned, except that the steam locomotives of the pre-war production received new serial numbers.
Although in the number designation of the newly introduced class:
the number range 1 – 10 included all standardized DRG classes, locomotives other than the Prussian railways of the former German countries (for example: Saxon Ok2, TKw3), and also built in Germany for other state railways (for example, OKa1, Tr7); the number designation '100' (for example TKh100) is distinguished by series in which unqualified locomotives have been grouped into existing groups, despite various design features; the number designation beginning from 201 were given to steam locomotives acquired after 1945 from the Allied states (from the demobile and UNRRA mission); the Ty246 class type was given to steam locomotives built in the United States for PKP's order.
Tenders The tender designation consists of
The class type Serial number
Designation of the individual symbols in the tender class type
First and second digits – Water capacity in cubic meters (m3)
Third digit – Number of axles
B – two axles C – three axles D – four axles
Fourth and fifth digits – Tender origin
1 – 10 – Prussian or German origin
from 11 – Austrian origin from 101 – Foreign origin, acquired by PKP between 1918 and 1939 from 20 – Purchased by PKP, the numbers describe the year of approval for production from the 20th century from 201 – Foreign origin or production, acquired by PKP after 1945
Digits below the class type – Serial number
After 1946, tenders built for PKP orders have a two digit numbers describing its origin, this also applied to German tenders (30D43) and built in the USA (32D46). Tenders from German steam locomotives did not have orderly designations (for example, 26D5, 34D44), although in the case of the current origin, the designations weren't often applied on the rolling stock, at first the tenders didn't have serial numbers.
The uniform rules for designating all tenders with a class type and a serial number was introduced in 1972. Tenders rebuilt in the 1950s and equipped with a stoker had a water capacity designation changed to '26', below '27' (for example: 33D48 to 27D48); tenders in the 1970s received reconstructed chassis and new bogies – the origin designation was changed to '24' (for example, 32D29 to 32D74).
Diesel stock
Diesel locomotives In the post-war period, low powered diesel locomotives used in the Polish railway of various origins weren't designated according to the uniform system. Its substitute was designating the first locomotives with an electric transmission delivered to PKP with the letter digit symbols (Lwe55, Lwe58), in which the number marked the year of approval of the design as for the steam locomotives and tenders.
The locomotive designation introduced in 1959 consist of:
The class type Serial number
Designation of the individual symbols in the class type
First digit – Traction type
S – diesel locomotive ()
Second digit – Intended traffic type
P – passenger traffic () T – freight traffic () U – mixed traffic () M – shunting traffic ()
Third and fourth digits – Transmission type and multiple unit control
01 – 09 – Mechanical transmission without multiple unit control 10 – 14 – Mechanical transmission with multiple unit control 15 – 24 – Hydraulic transmission or hydrau-mechanical transmission without multiple unit control 25 – 29 – Hydraulic transmission or hydrau-mechanical transmission with multiple unit control 30 – 39 – Electric transmission without multiple unit control 40 – 49 – Electric transmission with multiple unit control
Fifth digit – Dash between the class type and the serial number
Digits after the dash – Serial number
In each group, the individual designs were determined by numbers according to the order of entry into service (for example, number range from 30 to 39: SM30, SM31, SP32). Especially for the SM42 and SP42 class, representing two different types used the same number “42” due to the same traction characteristics and the same basic components.
Locomotives with the same class received the next serial numbers starting from 01, when it was predicted a large number of examples, they received the serial numbers starting from 001. Separate ranges were highlighted by locomotives with the different design features, for example:
ST44 starting from 001 – basic class ST44 starting from 2001 – intended for broad gauge
In the later years, some locomotives were undergoing modernization, initially in the scope of the train heating system. Locomotives SM30, SM42, SP45 received a new designation classified SP30, SU42 and SU45, remaining the unchanged serial numbers. The modernizations were later associated not only with the modification of the class, but also receiving a new serial number, for example:
SP42 after the modernization was classified SU42 and renumbered starting from 501 SU45 after the modernization was classified ST45 and renumbered starting from 01
Diesel railcars
1959 classification Railcars were designated according to the system applicable to passenger wagons. Railcar serial numbers were given starting from 90 001, for passenger cars were given starting from 93 001. The letter digit of the class containing basic information about the design features of the railcar wasn't related to the number designation.
The locomotive designation introduced in 1959 consist of:
The class type Serial number
Designation of the individual symbols in the class type
First digit – Traction type
S – diesel railcar ()
Second digit – Intended traffic type
D – long-range traffic () N – local traffic () R – special purpose (mobile workshops, emergency use, etc.)
Third and fourth digits – Transmission type and multiple unit control
51 – 59 – Mechanical transmission without multiple unit control 60 – 69 – Mechanical transmission with multiple unit control 70 – 79 – Hydraulic transmission or hydrau-mechanical transmission without multiple unit control 80 – 89 – Hydraulic transmission or hydrau-mechanical transmission with multiple unit control 90 – 94 – Electric transmission without multiple unit control 95 – 99 – Electric transmission with multiple unit control
Optional Fifth digit – Dash between the class type and the serial number
Digits after the dash/next to the class type – Serial number
In each group the individual designs were designated with numbers according to the order of entry into service (for example, number range from 69 to 69: SN60, SN61) The two digit number shouldn't be repeated when designating railcars of different intended traffic types, however this rule was broken by giving the designations SN51 and SN52 together with SR51 and SR52 (the standard provided the differentiation of the designation for the railcars).
Railcars with the same class received next serial numbers starting from 01 or 001. Similarly to the locomotives, separate ranges were highlighted by railcars with the different design features, for example:
SN61 starting from 01 – basic class SN61 starting from 500 – railcars with the new powertrain
Passenger cars for the Polish State Railway railcars meant being accepted for the railcars according to the rules.
Classification before 1939
Rules for designating railcars from PKP were set out in the Regulations on marking and numbering of M37 railcars. Railcars were designated according to the rules laid down for passenger wagons for passenger transport, where in the first digit of the class, a large letter was placed specifying the power type:
P – railcar with a steam engine S – railcar with a diesel engine E – railcar with a battery electric engine
Next digits were given according to the rules applicable for railcars and passenger wagons. Large letters defined the type of travel class:
A – 1st class B – 2nd class BC – 2nd/3rd class CD – 3rd/4th class
Small letters arranged in the alphabetical order meant the design features:
g – mail compartment i – seats placed on both sides of inner gangway y – 3 axle railcar x – 4 axle railcar
4th class was only found in the former areas of the Prussian State Railways distribution, until the withdrawal in 1934.
Class designations in the railcar classes serving only MtE trains were only formally assigned, as the trains had a special single tariff, slightly higher than an express train in the 3rd class. Therefore the above-mentioned railcars didn't applied the class designation using numbers. The class designation in the class type standardly corresponded to the 2nd class, except the railcars by Austro-Daimler, which were the first to have only four seats on the wagon width (2+2) providing a higher standard of travel.
The designated number group in the range of 90 000 to 90 499 was applied to the railcars, originally without division into a separation of the group of numbers for each type of the railcar. The numbering was given in the following order according to the allocation of individual distributions: