By the turn of the century, the RSR was noticing a lack of modern powerful shunting locomotives. Earlier engines, relegated from main line duty, often did not have the acceleration or tractive effort required for moving long lines of goods wagons in the marshalling yards at Martihpe and Dämenova. As if anticipating the later direction of his work, Belčamin designed this chunky little tank engine just before he left for France in 1905. A total of thirty-one were built (out of fifty actually planned) and soon made themselves at home in their new place of work, displacing in the process some forty-five older engines. The laying out of hump-marshalling yards after the First World War, however, put these little 0-6-0Ts at something of a disadvantage and they had to make way for Šahlmeti's more powerful 0-6-0 tender locomotives of 1921. A number were retained as works shunters at Akohniçe, where they soldiered on well into the 1960s. A conspicuous feature of their appearance was their black livery and red motion; they were the only Belčamin locomotives not turned out in forest green.

Text and graphics © Norman Clubb 2012