Brief history of the class

Around 1920 the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (Company of Exploitation of State Railways), colloquially abridged to the then unsuspected S.S. place an order for five locomotives of the 0-10-0 wheel arrangement at Hohenzollern in Germany. It generally assumed that the design was largely based on the Prussian T16/T16¹. Much of the parts were standardised with Staatsspoorwegen practises so they obtained a distinct "State" appearance.

Before they entered service the SS and the HIJSM formed the NS (Dutch Railways) joint venture and the loco's were designated the 9500 class in the new numbering scheme. They were originally intended for heavy duty shunting and hump service in the coal area of the Netherlands. As such they were stationed in Heerlen during the 1920s and 1930s.

NS 9502 shunts a rake of coal cars on the yard of the Oranje Nassau mine in Heerlen 18-08-1938
(Photo: image collection NVBS no NEG171-063)

They were soon seen in local goods services and there is photographic evidence that they were in banking service as well. The class remained the only ever ten-coupler of original Dutch design. They worked side by side with the 6200 class, often assigned similar duties. They had the second highest tractive effort of all Dutch steam locomotives, only surpassed by the 6300 class.

When the south of the country was liberated in 1944 no 9501 was one of the very operable steam locomotives. 9502 had turned "east" and later returned from Germany. 9503-9505 were destroyed by the retreating German troops in Heerlen depot.

The unfortunate no 9504 reduced to scrap by retreating German troops, here seen in Rotterdam and already destined for the scrapper's torch, 31-07-1947. (Photo: image collection NVBS no NEG1598-0394)

Only one could be repaired and so the already small class was reduced to only three engines in 1947. In 1951 they spent some time at the hump yard at Watergraafsmeer / Amsterdam. They were withdrawn as soon as the motive power situation allowed. None survived.

Main dimensions

For comparison I also include the dimensions of the 6200 and 6300 with which they worked so close together.