photo: Bohuslav Škoda/ Český rozhlas/https://regiony.rozhlas.cz/ve-stare-vytopne-v-jaromeri-na-nachodsku-uvidite-i-unikatni-akumulatorovou-7442618/Unique Czech locomotive Ringhoffer No. 2 is the only one of its kind. What's her story?
In 1916, Ringhoffer's factory in Smíchov produced two shunting locomotives for its operations. While the first piece lost the battle with an unfortunate fate, the locomotive Ringohoffer No. 2 saw its light at the end of the tunnel.
The year was 1916, when Ringhoffer came up with the idea of two shunting battery locomotives for operating the siding between Smíchov railway station and the factory. The siding moved wagons and trams. Both vehicles had not only bumpers and classic screwdrivers. It also got equipped with a tram coupler.
Nationalization and changes in Ringhoffer's factory brought both locomotives a new owner. Locomotive No. 2 fell into the hands of Východočeské cihelny where they decided to move it to the siding in the brickyard in Dobruška - Pulice, and that is where it has since been operating there. In February 1994, it was freed from the railway underworld by the Jaroměř railway association SŽVJ in exchange for the diesel shunting locomotive T211.0066. Ringhoffer No. 2 then headed for an overhaul to ŽOS Česká Třebová, during which, among other modifications, a completely new wooden cabinet was made due to the awful condition of the original one. On the other hand, the electrical equipment got significantly maintained. The repairs ended on July 12, 1994. Subsequently, this unique piece got pampered for 27 years in Jaroměř, where it got lent by the Výtopna Jaroměř Railway Museum Association. However, Čepro, to which the locomotive belonged, decided to donate it to the National Technical Museum and should now be in the museum's depository in Chomutov.
The older sibling, Ringhoffer No. 1, no longer exists. It probably got destroyed in Prague after the war.
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