By the end of the first decade of this century, train weights had grown far beyond the expectations of most engineers. The only answer was yet another round of locomotive enlargement and development. Belčamin's response to this challenge was the class C13, which marked a return to the de Glehn compound cylinder arrangement and carried the same boiler as the class E1 0-10-0 of 1911. Unlike many 4-6-0s of the period, the C13, with its long, narrow grate, steamed very well. The first few locos were delivered in the early part of the First World War, the remainder of the class of 25 engines following after the end of hostilities. Sadly, Karel Belčamin died in 1919 and these fine locomotives were partially displaced by the 4-6-0s of 1926, but were able to find a niche in the semi-fast traffic of the northern plains, a duty they fulfilled superbly well into the 1950s.

Text and graphics © Norman Clubb 2012