 |
Locomotives built for War or modified for War use |
Notes on british locomotives on active service.
Locomotive Mag., 1919,
25, 35-6. 5 illustrations
During WW1 about 700 locomotives belonging to the railways of the
United Kingdom were sent overseas to the various areas of operation for the
use of the Railway Operating, Department. Readers on active service sent
us at times notes of various locomotives that had come under their notice,
but, for obvious reasons, the information could not be published. Now that
the various restrictions had been withdrawn, we are able to publish photographs,
taken in France, of some of the engines and also an interesting snapshot
of two Belgian locomotives at Willesden, en route for heavy repairs at Crewe
Works. Practically all the locomotives sent overseas were of the goods or
mixed traffic classes. We have the numbers of 111 L. & N.W.R. engines
in France, eighty-five being of the 0-6-0 type and twenty-six 0-8-0. The
G.W.R. sent about sixty 0-6-0 tender engines, to France, as well as several
to Salonica, and the latter were provided with large cabs and sunshades.
Twelve of the new 2-6-0 mixed traffic engines were despatched as they were
finished off at Swindon (Nos. 5320 up) and were reported to have done excellent
work. Sixteen G.C.R. 0-8-0 and seventeen 0-6-0 were sent out in 1916, and
these were followed by two hundred and ninety-five of the 2-8-0 superheaters,
built to Mr. Robinson's designs by the North British Locomotive Co., Robert
Stephenson & Co., Naysmith, Wilson & Co., and Kitson & Co. The
North Eastern supplied over forty engines mostly of the 0-8-0 type, and we
understand two were sunk in a torpedoed ship. The G.N.R. sent overseas about
a dozen 0-6-0 goods engines and lent a few 0-8-0 mineral engines to the N.E.
Ry. The S.E. & C.R. were the first to send engines to France, these being
five 0-6-0 Kirtley side tanks, which were used for shunting at Boulogne from
the early days of the war. Forty-three goods engines were taken from the
G.E.R. stock, and about seventy or eighty from the Midland. Of the L. and
Y. 0-6-0 goods engines about thirty went to France, but we learn that several
0-8-0 compounds were at Salonica. Several 0-6-2 radial tanks were furnished
by the L.B. & S.C. Ry. for France. Thirty L. & S.W.R. goods engines
(built by Neilson) were sent to Egypt and Palestine, and four of these went
down in the Arabic. A few also were sent to Mesopotamia. Several trains
of North London carriages were in service at Salonica. Amongst the first
engines taken over by the R.O.D. were fifteen of the fine 4-6-4 tanks built
by Beyer, Peacock & Co. for the Dutch State Rys. A few Glasgow-built
4-6-0 tender engines intended for the Transcontinental Ry. of Australia were
diverted for service in France also. Of the Scotch railways the North British
and the Caledonian seem to have been the only lines to have supplied engines,
several 0-6-0 of both lines being reported. The Caledonian sent forty, and
it is worth noting their numbers have been filled up in the C.R. list. The
N.B.R. sent at least a dozen 0-6-0. The Baldwin Co. built seventy 2-8-0 tender
engines,
Aves, William. The Railway Operating Division on the Western Front:
the Royal Engineers in France and Belgium 1915-1919. . Donington: Shaun
Tyas, 2009. 208pp.
Reviewed by Grahame Boyes in
J. Rly Canal Hist. Soc,
2011 (210) [52-3]: This
book fills an important gap by concentrating on the ROD's 'broad' (i.e. standard)
gauge operations, rather than the tactical narrow-gauge lines that have received
most attention. Although the first Railway Company of Royal Engineers landed
in France within days of the onset of war, its role was to repair the railway
infrastructure; operation of the railways was still the responsibility of
the national railways. The ROD, employing largely volunteer professional
railwaymen from Britain and the empire, was not formed until 1915, when it
was agreed that the British army should take over railway operations supporting
the British Expeditionary 52 Force. Part 1 of the book (100 pages) describes
the strategic roles of the standard gauge railways, including the new lines
and operational facilities that had to be built to serve the 120-mile British
front and the variety of traffics and train that they handled. These included
trains of troops and their horses from and to the ports; ambulance trains
and 'sick horse specials'; supply trains of food and equipment; considerable
movements of materials for building and repairing railways and roads and,
under cover of darkness, the deployment of rail-mounted heavy guns and tanks.
Chapters on the ROD's 50 locomotive depots and workshops introduce Part 2,
the 80 pages of which are devoted to the histories of the 1534 ROD engines
that served on this front. The focus on locomotives will appeal to many,
but others will wish for more information on the volumes of traffic and the
intensity of train working. The book is attractively produced, with a very
interesting selection of photos.
Simpson, L.S. Railway operating in France.
J, Instn Loco. Engrs., 1922,
12, 697-728. (Paper No. 128)
Read in Argentina: Author describes how he returned to Britain to
serve during WW1 in the Railway Operating Division. On pp 699 and 700 he
encountered Colonel Cecil Paget who directed him
to repair 35 Belgian locomotives and noted on page 701 that Paget had a precise
knowledge of the French language. The repair work was performed in a sugar
factory (the source of some wonder to the speaker) at Pont d'Ardres, but
work had to be transferred when the beet crop was harvested. Also served
at Candas, Amiens and Hazebrouck. At the last named he experienced a major
ammunition explosion on 21 July 1917 involving 10-12,000 tons of ammunition.
On page 707 he recorded a visit made by
R.E.L.Maunsell and by
C.J. Bowen Cooke. He visited the shops
at Borre with Col. Paget. He worked under Colonel
George T. Glover, then of the NER, but later released to become CME
of the GNR(I) page 718. He was interviewed by Geddes and paper notes
several aspects of his invovement in France. He visited the Gaza Railway
in Palestine with Col. McLellan of Merz & McLellan to report on its state
and at the end of WW1 he was requested to assess damage to railways in Belgium.
Notes on train ferries.
Stanier, W.A. discussion on Burrows, M.G. and Wallace, A.L.
Experience with the steel fireboxes of the Southern Region Pacific
locomotives. J. Instn Loco. Engrs.,
1958, 48, 281-2. (Paper No. 584)
Noted the poor performance of the steel fireboxes fitted to the ROD
locomotives as experienced on the GWR and wondered whether wide fireboxes
were better suited to being constructed from steel.
ROD 2-8-0 (Robinson 8K design for GCR)
Modified with steel fireboxes and Westinghouse in place of steam
brake
Herbert, T.M. Locomotive firebox conditions: gas compositions and
temperatures close to copper plates.
Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs,
1928, 115, 985-1006
Part of a collaborative profamme between LMS, LNER and SR and British
Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association Included tests on ROD 2-8-0s working
from Mexborough with very poor water and another working in
Scotland.
R.S. McNaught. ROD memories.
Rly Wld, 1969, 30,
114-17.
Railway Correspondence and Travel
Society. Locomotives of the LNER. Part 6B. Tender engines—classes
O1 to P2. 1983.
Considers this variant of the Robinson 8K, LNER O4 class as part of
it
Reed, Brian. ROD 2-8-0s.
[Locomotive Profile No. 21]
Pp 193-216 (February 1972): centre spread (col. drawing: s & f
els). 9 tables. illus. selected to be informative rather than decorative.
Densely packed informative text.
J.W.P. Rowledge, The Robinson 2-8-0s. Part 1.
Rly Wld, 1969, 30,
172-6.
J.W.P. Rowledge. The Robinson 2-8-0s. Part 2.
Rly Wld, 1969, 30,
198-205.
The ROD and Robinson 2-8-0s—-a postscript: a selection of readers'
letters amplifying the articles in the March, April and May issues.
Rly Wld, 1969, 30,
368-70
Use by LNWR/LMS
In 1919 the LNWR purchased from the government thirty 2-8-0s which had been ordered for service with the Railway Operating Division on the Western Front during World War I. All except one were built by the North British Locomotive Co. and in fact came to the LNWR as new engines, since the war ended before they could be sent to France. They were classified as 'MM', the name being derived from the Ministry of Munitions which had ordered them, and lead to the adoption of the nickname 'Military Marys' by LNWR enginemen. When the engines were first obtained, they were given numbers in the LNWR ordinary stock list but the purchase was held up and in September 1919 they were numbered in the 2800 series along with 151 other engines of the class on loan. In November 1920 the purchase was completed and they received fresh numbers in the ordinary stock list. The Westinghouse pump provided brake power on the engine and so was in constant use when the engine was working; it was not something for use on the Continent only.
Essery, R.J. and David Jenkinson
An illustrated History of LMS locomotives. Volume One: General review
and locomotive liveries. 1981. page 90.
The ex-ROD engines (LMS 9616-65) were acquired by the LNWR and LMS
before and after the grouping. Of the LNWR acquisitions (9616-45), many did
not enter service until too late to receive their allotted LNWR series numbers.
The LMS did not seem very enthusiastic about these engines, in spite of their
relative newness, and scrapping commenced in 1928. In 1931,28 of the residual
31 survivors were renumbered 9455-82 to avoid clashing with the numbers of
the new Fowler 0-8-0s. All had gone by 1932 and it is interesting to contrast
the fate of these engines on the LMS with their considerable success on the
LNER and GWR systems. To be fair to them, however, they were faced with extensive
LMS route restrictions, being prohibited from virtually the whole of the
ex-L YR and ex-MR lines.
RCTS Locomotives of the Great Western
Railway. Part 10.pp. K269-75.
Covers the Great Western purchases of surplus ROD engines
Talbot, Edward. The London
& North Western Railway eight-coupled goods engines.
Chapter 10 of this excellent book covers the LNWR purchases
Topham, W.L. The
running man's ideal locomotive. J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1946,
36, 3-29. Disc.: 29-91. (Paper No. 456)
Many failures were experienced with GCR ROD type due to lack of belling
and welding in steam pipe connections. The ashpan received specific condemnation
as the trailing coupled axle was completely surrounded..
Twenty six of G class served with ROD: see section on LNWR locomotives (part 3) references to Plates 376/7 (Talbot Illustrated history)
Two Ivatt 0-6-2Ts (Nos. 1587 and 1590) were purchased by the War Office for incorporation into armoured trains formed at Crewe with components from the GWR, CR as well as from the GNR. The locomotives were fitted with armour plating and the trains were known as HMT Norna and HMT Alice. In 1923 the locomotives were sold back to the LNER. Groves (3A) pp. 93-4. Talbot Pictorial tribute to Crewe Works PLATE 114
0-6-0T
L class (from NER)
The RCTS Locomotives of the
LNER Part 8B and Hoole Illustrated history of NER locomotives
(pp. 133-5) No. 544 illustrated is shown as modified (with No. 545) for hauling
large rail-mounted guns during WW1 when fitted with condensing apparatus
and an extra Westinghouse pump for lifting water from streams. According
to the RCTS No. 544 protected the entrance to the Tees from the Middlesbrough
side and No. 545 was at Hartley in Northumberland. Other Hoole illus: No.
553 Gateshead official; No. 551 in green livery; and No. 544 at Ferryhill
on 23 March 1923 after removal of condensing apparatus and one Westinghouse
pump.
0-4-0ST
Hatcher p. 64
states that a Manning Wardle 0-4-0ST was used to haul
an armoured train on the Marsden Railway during WW1.
Narrow gauge railways
Extensive use was made of tramways (light railways) which used troops,
horse and mules to haul munitions to forward positions. The French had developed
locomotive worked light railways to serve their fixed artillery firing sites
and these systems developed into complex networks of lines which were even
capable of coping in th later stages of the War with a more mobile form of
warfare. They are mainly associated with the Western Front, but were also
exploted to a lesser extent in Italy, Salonika, Egypt and Palestine.
Davies, W.J.K. Light railways
of the First World War: a history of tactical rail communication on the British
Fronts, 1914-18. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1966. 196pp.
58 illus. on plates, 35 diagrs (including many maps).
"At their greatest extent, during the months immediately preceding
the German offensive of March 1918, the light railways were operating, on
average, over 745 miles of 60cm-gauge track and carrying about 186,750 tons
a week, besides large numbers of troops." Main locomotive types described
were: Hudson outside-cylinder 0-6-0WTs supplied by
R. Hudson Ltd and manufactured
by Hudswell Clarke. The locomotives were known as "Hudsons". Twenty five
similar locomotives were supplied by Andrew Barclay (order placed in August
1916. These types were considered as "shunting locomotives", but were followed
by "main-line" locomotives supplied by Hunslet: 4-6-0Ts with outside-cylinders
and valve gear.These were 2ft 6in gauge. Davies considers that these were
popular with their crews and "were strongly-built, powerful, reliable and
comparatively stable". A total of 155 were supplied. The Baldwin 4-6-0Ts
of class 10-12-D were the most numerous: 495 being supplied to British War
Office orders. These were supplied very quickly, but were crudely built.
Davies argues that these were not pannier tanks. Later locomotives had flangeless
centre driving wheels with wide treads and built-in traversing jacks to assist
rerailing. Finally, 100 2-6-2Ts were ordered from ALCO and supplied from
the Cooke Locomotive Works, leading to the type being known as "Cookes".
The Baldwins tended to operate chimney-first, which called for triangles
for turning, whereas the 2-6-2Ta could operate in reverse. Davies also considers
two types of French military equipment which were sometimes operated by British
troops. These were the 60cm articulated 0-4-4-0Ts of the Pêchot-Bourdon
type. 100 locomotives were supplied by the North British Locomotive Co.,
plus a further 280 from Baldwin. Kerr Stuart supplied 100 0-6-0Ts which were
broadly similar to Decauville products and it is probable that these were
constructed to French drawings. Davies includes diagrams (side and front
elevations) for all the types mentioned excluding the French
designs. Reviewed by HS in
Rly Wld, 1967, 28, 357.
Narrow gauge military railway locomotives on the Western Front. Loco.
Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1920, 26, 120-2.
Hunslet 4-6-0Ts for 60cm lines. Built with condensing apparatus. Supplied
to design of Rendel, Palmer & Tritton.
1939-1945
This section includes four distinct categories of locomotive, namely:
Kalla-Bishop, P.M.
Locomotives at war: army reminiscences of the Second World War. [1980].
Military railways at Martin Mill (serving artillery for Cross-Channel
shelling), Longmoor, Melbourne, Shropshire & Montgomeryshire, and briefly
service in Northern Ireland, and lengthier service in North Africa and in
Italy. Many observations on USA 0-6-0Ts, S160 2-8-0s and on Dean Goods.
Coincidentally, the writer describes some extraordinary motive power employed
on the Shropshire & Montgomeryshre Railway including LNWR 0-4-0STs Nos.
3014 and 3015, and 2-4-2Ts Nos. 6632 and 6691 which were highly unsuitable
for working permanent way trains (but maybe this was deliberate on a training
railway). J15 Nos. 7835 and 7541 (ex-film stars at Denham Studios) were also
in service). Dean Goods treated
separately..
Locomotives for war service overseas..
Locomotive
Mag., 1945, 51,
32
By the end of March 1945 the last 200 of well over 1,000 British and
American heavy freight locomotives will be withdrawn from service on British
railways and sent overseas. The withdrawal of engines from the railways commenced
early in the war, when a considerable number were shipped to France in support
of the first British Expeditionary Force. Many of these were lost after Dunkirk.
A further- 143 were later sent to the Near East, where they are operating
in Syria and Persia. Others have gone to Palestine and North Africa. The
first engine to enter El Alamein after its recapture was of L.M.S. design,
whilst G.W.R. locomotives have been seen hauling supplies along the North
African railways to Tunis. LNER. engines were working in Egypt and on the
Haifa-Beirut-Tripoli line. Military requirements in the Middle East in 1941/2
called for a number of diesel-electric locomotives, 16 of which were supplied
by the LMS. In all, 23 LMS. diesel engines had gone overseas. The latest
available figures show that 138 locomotives, including eight diesels, had
been lost overseas. In 1942 400 American 2-8-0 heavy freight engines were
loaned to the British railways to deal with the enormous quantities of additional
traffic consequent upon the US. Army being stationed in this country. These
engines, which were made ready at Eastleigh and Ebbw Vale works, have now
all been withdrawn and were in service on the Continent. Spare parts which
accompanied them ran into thousands. Towards the end of 1942 the War Office
agreed to lend the railways 450 specially designed 2-8-0 Austerity locomotives,
the first of which went into service in January, 1943. Others followed in
fairly rapid succession as they were completed by manufacturers, Progress.
of the Allied Armies in Europe made it imperative that these engines too
should be withdrawn from service in this country and, sent overseas, and
already 250 had been released by the railways and shipped to France and Belgium;
100 more were sent overseas during February and the remaining 100 are to
go during March. Arrangements were made for these to reach the ports for
shipment at the rate of over 20 a week. Prior to going abroad the whole of
the "Austerity" locomotives have undergone extensive overhaul in British
railway works, where they have been refitted and reconditioned to ensure
their running at least 25,000 miles trouble free. These final preparations
have been carried out in the railway workshops at Ashford , Cowlairs, Crewe,
Darlington, Derby, Doncaster, Eastleigh, Gorton and Stratford.
Ministry of Supply locomotives
Two tender designs were built under the direction of
R.A. Riddles.
2-10-0: 1944
This design incorporated a wide firebox. A few of the class were acquired
for use on the Scottish Region (mainly in the Motherwell and Grangemouth
areas), and the design had considerable bearing on the selection of
the 2-10-0 type by British Railways. Several
have been preserved, and having a light axle-load are useful on "preserved
railways", such as the North Norfolk Railway, where the type provides a
magnificent spectacle, especially with express headlamps: "90775" produces
a delightful amount of smoke and noises which can be heard far and wide across
the Sheringham area..
British-built Austerity 2-10-0 locomotive. Rly Gaz., 1944,
80, 468-70. illus., diagr. (s. el.), 3 tables.
BRITISH-BUILT Austerity 2-10-0 locomotive. Rly Gaz., 1944, 81,
597-602 + folding plate. 7 illus., 3 diagrs. (incl. s. el.), plan.
Includes sectionalized diagrams.
BRITISH-BUILT Austerity 2-10-0 locomotive. Rly Mag., 1944, 90,
222-5. 2 illus., diagr. (s. el.), table.
Cook, A.F. Ministry of Supply Austerity 2-10-0 engines. J. Stephenson
Loco. Soc., 1944, 20, 47. illus. (line drawing : s. el.)
MINISTRY of Supply 2-10-0 locomotive. Engineering, 1944. 158,
4; 10. 4 illus., diagr. (s. el.)
TEN-COUPLED locomotives again. Rly Gaz., 1944, 80, 461.
Editorial comment.
The 2-10-0 Austerity locomotive. Engineer. 1944, 177, 367.
2 illus.
Testing
1948 exchange trials.
Allen, C.J.. The locomotive exchanges, 1870-1948. [1950].
British Railways efficiency tests
British Railways. War Department 2-10-0 and 2-8-0 freight locomotives London, British Transport Commission, 1953. [5], 7, [55] sheets. 6 illus., 71 diagrs. (incl. 2 s. & f. els.), 3 tables. (Performance and efficiency tests with live steam injector. Bulletin No. 7),
Retrospective and critical
Bond, R.C. discussion on Burrows, M.G. and Wallace, A.L.
Experience with the steel fireboxes of the Southern Region Pacific
locomotives. J. Instn Loco. Engrs.,
1958, 48, 282-3. (Paper No. 584)
Noted the importance of water quality and treatment. The 25 WD
2-10-0s in Scotland had arch tubes and had given very satisfactory service,
but the Class 5 4-6-0s fitted with steel fireboxes had not been entirely
satisafctory.
British ten-coupled locomotives Rly Gaz., 1944, 81,
592-3.
Comment on good service in operation on the LMS.
Fairless, T. Recent locomotive designs a comparison between the
British-built Austerity 2-10-0, American-built Austerity 2-8-0 and proposed
2-10-0 locomotive for the Central Uruguay Railway. Rly Gaz., 1945,
83, 241+. 2 diagrs., table.
Harvey, D.W. Bill Harvey's
60 years of steam. 1986.
Pages 108-9: noted that the Flanery flexible stays initialy caused
confusion as one fitter thought that the dull thud when struck indicated
failure. The rubbing blocks between engine and tender tended to collapse
from impacts from heavy loose-coupled trains.
Pollock, D.R. and White, D.E.,
compilers. The 2-8-0 & 2-10-0 locomotives of the War Department,
1939-1945: Stanier L.M.S. type 2-8-0; British Austerity 2-8-0; British Austerity
2-10-0; Robinson L.N.E.R. class O4 2-8-0. Rly Obsr., 1946, 16
Supplement No.5.
In addition to describing the design, this work notes the war time
activities of the locomotives, in detail.
Poultney, E.C. British Railways freight locomotive tests. Rly
Gaz., 1954, 101, 346-8; 374-6. 2 illus., 19 diagrs., 5 tables.
An analysis of the official test bulletin (see above).
Railway Correspondence and Travel
Society. Locomotives of the LNER. Part 6B. Tender engines—classes
O1 to P2. 1983.
Pp. 147-51 includes some information relevant to the work of the 2-10-0
type on LNER lines during WW2. They did not receive an LNER classification.
Rowledge better known for his work on LMS and Irish locomotives contributed
to this Part.
Rogers, H.C.B. Last steam
locomotive engineer: R.A. Riddles, C.B.E. 1970.
This source is important as it appears that Rogers had the full
cooperation of Riddles: herewith the relevant section (page
The War Office were extremely pleased with the new engine, so much
so that they asked Riddles to produce a locomotive which should have the
same tractive effort as the Austerity but with only 13½ ton axle load
instead of 15½. This was a problem. Riddles first thought of a 2-8-2,
but he felt that he would lose adhesion and decided that a 2-10-0 was the
right answer, and that it should have a bigger boiler with a wide firebox.
To enable it to run through a 4½ chain curve, he decided that the centre
coupled wheels should be flangeless and those on each side have flanges of
reduced thickness. This caused some trepidation at the North British Locomotive
Company, but Riddles insisted. He had curves laid out and calculated that
with a wider wheel tread all would be well. The first of the engines to be
turned out was taken to St Rollox shed, and was just about to go through
a sharp curve when a ganger, who happened to be there, ran up waving his
arms and protesting that the engine could not go through as the curve was
much too sharp. But it went through all right without even the usual 'grind'
of a 2-8-0. Riddles says that they had got, in effect, the equivalent of
an articulated engine, because, with the slight flexing of the frames, the
2-10-0 was very easy on curves.
After the War, when the LMS was asked to take over some of these 2-10-0s,
the Civil Engineers objected to using them until they could test the 'throw-over'
on a 1 in 8 curve at a station platform. The argument about this went on
for some time, and Riddles believes that there was difficulty in finding
such a condition. He got tired of waiting and telephoned General McMullen
and asked him if he would make a test at Longmoor, where he knew there was
a 1 in 8 crossing in the station. This was a Saturday morning, and by the
Monday he had received a highly satisfactory chart of the complete test.
He presented this to the Chief Engineer, who then agreed to the engines being
used.
The demand for the 2-10-0 arose because the 2-8-0 was not considered suitable
for the haulage of very long and heavy trains over light, improvised, or
imperfect track. As compared with the 2-8-0, the 2-10-0 had a considerably
longer boiler and with the wide firebox the grate area was increased to 40
square feet. A rocking grate was provided. Riddles decided on a more orthodox
lagging of the boiler because of the extremes of temperature to which it
might be subjected. Underneath the steel clothing plates were asbestos
mattresses, laid against the boiler barrel and firebox.
Riddles' 2-10-0 class, the first of which was completed by the North British
Locomotive Company in June 1944, was undoubtedly one of the masterpieces
of British locomotive engineering. Major General D.J. McMullen, Director
of Transportation, wrote to Riddles on February 15, 1945 saying that he had
just come back from a visit to the British Liberation Army and had to let
him know how excellently the Austerities and 2-10-0s were doing. 'Everyone',
he wrote, 'loves the 2-10-0. It is quite the best freight engine ever turned
out in Great Britain and does well on even Belgian "duff", which is more
like porridge than coal. The 2-8-0s have trouble for steaming on this muck
alone, but if they can get 25 per cent of Dutch lump coal mixed with it they
do all right'. He added that it was amazing to trundle along on a 2-8-0 Austerity
only three miles from the German front line. In Nijmegen station the shell
bursts in the battle area could be seen from the footplate, 'So your products
are well up into the fighting area, often ahead of the medium artillery
positions'. On January 4, 1946 McMullen wrote again to Riddles saying, 'I
have yet to see in Europe anything to touch your 2-10-0, weight for weight'.
A total of 150 of these engines were built, all by the North British Locomotive
Company.
Riddles had returned to the L M S by the time the first of the 2-10-0s began
to appear. Stanier was still CME (though he retired early in 1944), and one
Saturday he walked into Riddles' office. 'Bad luck, Robert,' he said. Riddles
was at that moment being told by Walters, from the Ministry, that seven or
eight of the 2-10-0s had been stopped at Peterborough with broken stays in
the firebox. He asked Stanier how he knew as he had only just got the information
himself. Stanier replied that it had been given out over the 'tin can'. This
was the name given to the daily telephone conference, held under the authority
of the then Railway Executive, between operating officers of all railways
and at which were reported and discussed arrangements for traffic control,
untoward incidences, etc. Riddles says:
'Stanier was not malicious—in fact I do not think he could be but I
knew that many others did not like my having produced new designs. I replied
lightheartedly (without, of course, intending it unkindly), "It reminds me
of the crisis with the Class Fives and their broken stays". We said no more,
but, in spite of my assumed lightheartedness, I was very worried. It was
a Saturday, so I was back early at my home in Watford and immediately got
out my car and drove off to Peterborough. Just as I arrived at Peterborough
station, to enquire the whereabouts of the running shed, I saw coming round
the corner Tom Lawson, the North British Works Superintendent. He had a broad
grin on his face when he saw me. "What is it Tom?" I asked. "The bloody fools
have been tapping the flexible stays!" he replied. I breathed a sigh of relief,
and how we both enjoyed it! But no correction was announced over the "tin
can"!' (Normally, when stays are tapped with a hammer they give a ring if
they are sound and a dull thud if they are not. But flexible stays, being
linked together, also respond to a tap with a dull thud.) The Directorate
of Royal Engineer Equipment controlled all locomotive manufacture, and this
included Beyer Garratt locomotives for Commonwealth countries, Colonial
territories, and the lines of communication of the forces operating in Assam
and Burma. Many other requirements were met by using or adapting existing
types of, for instance, both steam and diesel shunters.
Rowledge, J.W.P. Austerity 2-8-0s & 2-10-0s. London:
Ian Allan, 1987. 144pp.
Author is extremely reliable and contributed to RCTS work (above).
The 2-10-0s were all built by North British Locomotive Company and had a
more limited sphere of activity, both overseas and in Britain. Before the
end of WW2 they were used quite extensively on the LNER both in Scotland
and in East Anglia. prior to most going to Europe. On p. 43 there is an evocative
picture of No. 73704 on a leave train consisting of LNER coaches at Breda
on 11 July 1945. This type had a long association with the Longmoor Military
Railway. The type worked in Syria and in Greece where they lasted for a long
time after WW2. Some worked in Holland and in Germany. On page 36 it is noted
that the tenders were prone to derail when running tender-first. On British
Railways they were mainly asociuated with workings from Motherwell, Kingmoor,
and to a more limited extent from Grangemouth..
Rowledge, J.W.P. Heavy goods engines of the War Department. Vol.
3 Austerity 2-8-0 and 2-10-0. Poole: Springmead, 1978. 64pp.
Ottley 10491
Thomson, W. Discussion on
Burrows, M.G. and Wallace, A.L. Experience with the steel fireboxes
of the Southern Region Pacific locomotives. J. Instn Loco. Engrs,
1958, 48, 297-8. (Paper No. 584)
The steel fireboxes fitted to the WD 2-10-0s were remarkably free from trouble
and that the firebox stays lasted for fifteen years.
Tourret, R. War Department locomotives. Abingdon: Author. 1976.
82pp.
Ottley 10488
Vaughan, Adrian. The heart
of the Great Western. Peterborough: Silver Link, 1994.
Relates how Charlie Turner (page 56) found these to be "fine engines",
when they were enountered during WW2 in France and Germany.
Whalley, P.S. The work of their
craft. J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1946, 36, 401-29. 28 illus., 8
diagrs., map (Presidential Address).
Includes some comments on the British Austerity designs, but it is
mainly concerned with the United States "Liberation" type.
Numbers and names
NORTH British 2-10-0 locomotives Rly Gaz., 1945, 83, 278.
The last engine to be built was named North
British.
Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. British Railways renumbering
of class 8 2-8-0 and 2-10-0 W.D. locomotives. Rly Obsr, 1949,
19, Supplement No. 3. 6 p.
2-8-0:1942
In its original form this design was simple to the point of crudeness.
All refinements were eliminated to ensure reliability under military operating
conditions.
The "AUSTERITY" locomotives. Engineer, 1942, 174, 448. diagr.
(s. el.)
BRITISH "Austerity" locomotives. Rly Gaz., 1943, 78.101.2 illus.
Handing over ceremony at the North British Locomotive Co.
BRITISH-BUILT "Austerity" 2-8-0 type tender locomotive. Rly Gaz.,
1943, 79, 253-8 + folding plate. 7 illus., diagrs., 5 tables.
Includes sectionalized diagrams.
Cook, A.F. Ministry of Supply "Austerity" 2-8-0 locomotive. J.
Stephenson Loco. Soc., 1944, 20, 35-7. illus. (line drawing: s.el.)
Ministry of Supply "Austerity" locomotive.
Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon
Rev., 1942, 48, 202. diagr.
(s. el.)
Ministry of Supply 2-8-0 tender locomotive.
Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev.,
1944, 50, 9. illus.
No. 7199 supplied by North British Locomotive Co.
Ministry of Supply "Austerity" locomotives. Rly Gaz., 1942, 77,
492-3. illus., diagr. (s. el.)
NEW locomotives for War work. Rly Mag., 1943, 89, 44-5. illus.
diagr. (s. el.)
[WAR Department 2-8-0] . Rly Gaz., 1943, 78, 116. illus., diagr.
(s. el.).
Testing
1948 exchange trials.
Allen, C.J.. The locomotive
exchanges, 1870-1948. [1950].
British Railways efficiency tests
British Railways. War Department 2-10-0 and 2-8-0 freight locomotives London, British Transport Commission, 1953. [5], 7, [55] sheets. 6 illus., 71 diagrs. (incl. 2 s. & f. els.), 3 tables. (Performance and efficiency tests with live steam injector. Bulletin No. 7),
Retrospective and critical
Beavor, E.S. Steam was my calling. 1974 pp. 83-4.
Slipping: describes how at Staveley in 1952, the examining fitter
there came to him with the expression of a man who has just seen a flying
saucer, and announced "You'll hardly believe this, but I've found an 'Austerity'
with a set of flanges on the outside of the coupled wheels as well as on
the inside". Normally this would have gone well beyond the limits of my
credulity, but examiner Walt Airey was a serious, long-service type, .whose
remarks were in no way inclined to imagination. So I went along with him
to investigate. Sure enough this WD 2-8-0 had been slipping to such an extent,
in trying to drag a heavy train out of a colliery yard, that it had produced
the equivalent of some years of normal wear on the wheel treads. Evidently
the driver had been using sand continuously on wet, greasy rails, and this
had acted as a very effective grinding paste. As a result, all the coupled
wheels had a crude kind of 'flange', between ¼in and ½in deep on
the outside of the treads, in addition to the normal flanges being cut
correspondingly deep.
Blundell, J. communication on Topham's The running man's ideal locomotive.
J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1946,
36, 68-71
The water valve control of some W.D. locomotives was so designed
that the whole rodding up to the actual handle bracket had to be stripped
to change the plug cock which was seized owing to being bulged by frost.
Dismounting alone took a fitter forty minutes.
Bond, R.C. Organisation and control
of locomotive repairs on British Railways. J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1953,
43, 175-216. Disc. : 217-65. (Paper No. 520).
Quotes mileages achieved between repairs.
Bulleid, O.V.S. discussion on
Shields, T.H.: The evolution
of locomotive valve gears. J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1943, 33,
368. (Paper No. 443).
Pp. 454-6: "As a matter of interest, he had compared the valve events
of the first "austerity" engine built on the Southern Railway with those
of the second "austerity" locomotive, produced by the Ministry of Supply.
The Southern Railway engine used the Stephenson gear; the Ministry of Supply
used the Walschaerts. When one looked at the figures, one had to admit that
it was quite immaterial whether one used the one or the other; the events'
were both good, both engines did the work for which they were designed, and
both stood up to their job. The Stephenson gear did not cause any trouble
with lubrication. It was piston ring trouble rather than gear trouble which
was generally experienced.
Cox, E.S. British Railways
standard steam locomotives. 1966.
Page 24 et seq. Cox summarises the background activities which
led up to the Austerity 2-8-0 design.
Essery, Bob. LMS Garratts.
Steam Wld, 2009 (263),
28-39.
Annual mileage statistics quoted for LMR Austrities for 1950: 19,121
miles.
Hardy, R.H.N. Steam in the
blood
Again I decided to see for myself and one evening set off with White
for Neasden on the 6.4spm from Woodford. Again I did the hard work and there
was no doubt that 3188, our engine on this trip, would not steam in the best
of conditions. The oscillation between engine and tender at speed brought
a constant stream of coal on to the footplate, making it impossible to keep
things clean, and I was tired out when eventually I got back home at about
four in the morning. I was even more so when I set out for the depot after
breakfast to sort things out with Joe Goode and Bill Jeynes, respectively
chargeman fitter and boilermaker, who came to see me each morning at nine
o'clock and stood in front of my desk like Tweedledum and Tweedledee answering
questions that I hoped sounded more confident and incisive than I felt they
were. And thus began the battle of the "jimmies".
Some of the WD engines still had their original numbers, such as No 785I4,
while those that had been through the Faverdale shops had received new
numbers—63186, 63188, and 90046. Generally speaking those which had
passed through the shops had a large blastpipe top, of either
51/8in or 5¼in diameter. Whatever the size, however,
the steaming was very bad. On the other hand, some of the older engines with
the WD numbers were fitted with a form of "jimmy", three studs fixed to a
ring which in turn was fitted to the blastpipe top. The studs restricted
the blastpipe orifice and sharpened the blast so that the boiler steamed
freely. Now it was expressly forbidden to fit any such device, and so I was
faced with a difficult situation. Time was being lost day after day on the
Neasden service through shortage of steam. I knew perfectly that to obtain
authority to alter the design would take months, and I decided that the only
quick solution-for we were there to run trains to time-was to make and fit
a razor across the blastpipe of the engines with the large tops, bolting
it securely in place. As a result, time- keeping became exemplary, but our
boilermaker chargeman went about with a long face, feeling that the boilers
were being forced and tube leakage accentuated. On the contrary, I felt very
strongly that if the blastpipe tops were too large, the "jimmy" simply had
the effect of making the boiler do its stuff.
However, our firemen never liked the WD flame-scoop, and the firehole mouthpiece
that fell into the fire at the slightest touch. Bill Jeynes had plenty to
say, too, about cold air on his tubeplates, so we devised a method of fixing
the mouthpieces and altering the set of the flame-scoop. I could stand in
my office and look across the front of the shed and if I saw a WD 2-8-0 about
to go out without a flame-scoop in place, I would dive out of the front door
and up on to the footplate to remonstrate (to put it mildly) with the crew.
Maybe they cursed me, but we got those old "carts" to steam, to do their
work, and to run to time, and we eased the terrible leaking of the tubes
that was a constant worry to all concerned. And provided we took the "jimmies"
out when the engines went to the works for overhaul, everybody was happy.
Certainly we reduced the number of discarded flame-scoops dumped at
the far end of the triangle and in the station yard, and that in itself was
a major triumph.
Pollock, D.R. and White, D.E.,
compilers. The 2-8-0 & 2-10-0 locomotives of the War Department,
1939-1945: Stanier L.M.S. type 2-8-0; British Austerity 2-8-0; British Austerity
2-10-0; Robinson L.N.E.R. class O4 2-8-0. Rly Obsr., 1946, 16 Supplement
No.5.
Powell, A.J. Living with London Midland
locomotives. 1977.
Chapter 10: The strong pull:
Any review of freight locomotive power would be singularly incomplete without
some mention of the WD 2-8-0s, or 'Austerities'. I make no apology for mentioning
these engines in the company of LMS designs, because apart from the features
introduced by Mr Riddles to facilitate production under wartime conditions
they were as LMS-bred as anything from the Derby drawing-boards. In fact,
a number of LMS draughtsmen were seconded to North British for the design
work. The starting point was, of course, the Stanier 2-8-0, with as many
castings as possible eliminated, with coupled wheels designed to be suitable
for cast iron (though in practice iron was abandoned quite early in favour
of cast steel) and a round-top firebox on a parallel boiler barrel. Mechanical
lubrication was eliminated in the interests of economy, and another feature
introduced with this in mind was the absence of a smoke box ring to the barrel,
resulting in a smokebox smaller in diameter than the boiler clothing. In
a number of respects the design improved on the LMS model. The Midland brake
valve was discarded for a 'Dreadnought' valve with separate graduable steam
brake valve. The exhaust steam injector and Midland live steam injector were
replaced by two 'Monitor' injectors — really first-class devices. The
LMS reversing rod from the cab a flat-section rod with a lot of 'whip', which
needed a steadying bracket, was passed over for a stiff tubular rod. They
were built for a short life and a gay one during the war, but that life was
so short under wartime conditions, and there was so much sound potential
in them, that there was no thought of scrapping them after hostilities ceased.
Altogether some 733 2-8-0s and 25 2-10-0s were bought by the LNER and BR
on behalf of several Regions, and put into heavy freight service after overhaul,
enabling scrapping of much old power to be undertaken.
During 1949, while I was at Railway Executive headquarters at 222 Marylebone
Road, the first distillation of experience with the 'Austerities' took place,
and this led to a lengthy list of proposed modifications. Some arose from
complaints through trade union channels, some were based on (bitter) maintenance
experience and a few from other sources. They were of various degrees of
priority: some were done at next works repair, while some never did get done
because a satisfactory solution to the problem could not be devised within
acceptable cost limits. The top priority jobs included the fitting of sliding
side windows and gangway doors to the somewhat spartan cabs, the restaying
of the smokebox tubeplate and firebox doorplate in the upper areas to eliminate
the original plate gusset stays which gave trouble, and the replacement of
the water gauges by either LM or BR standard fittings. The original water
gauges were absolute fiends: if the left-hand glass broke, it was almost
impossible to shut off the cocks unless you were wearing asbestos gloves,
so badly were the handles placed close to hot stea.m pipes, etc. In addition,
the crosshead gudgeon pins had a nasty habit of falling out — they were
not nutted, but held in by a triangular plate secured by three very inadequate
studs. As they were shopped the crossheads were bored out and fitted with
LM-type gudgeon pins, fitted in the body of the cross head on two seatings
of a continuous taper, and nutted. and cottered on the outside — which
stopped that little game. Other items need to be outlined. Enginemen had
some surprises (and maybe a few injured legs) when, under certain conditions
of curvature and cant, the cab fall-plates could dig into the corners of
the steel tender platform and then fly up under pressure. Nasty! All the
platform corners had to be reprofiled to stop this happening. The tender,
too, was distinctly prone to derailment. The four axles were equalised in
two pairs, but the equalising beam pins soon became seized and the weight
distribution went all to pot. Various palliatives were tried, but the problem
was never fully bottomed and cured. It was such a regular occurrence that,
for instance, when they were taken into Crewe Works from the South shed,
the tenders were solemnly filled with water before starting and emptied on
arrival in the works.
Being built for an austerity age, the mechanical lubricators of the Stanier
engines were replaced by oil boxes to feed the axleboxes (via a telescopic
pipe arrangement that was nearly as crude as on the LNW engines) and a sight
feed lubricator for cylinders and valves. There was a degree of hot box trouble
as a result of displacement and fracture of the oil pipes, and on occasion
the oil boxes themselves did not get the attention they warranted (there
were four quite big ones on each side for the coupled boxes). The real answer
was to fit mechanical lubricators delivering straight into the underkeeps,
but the cost was reckoned to be prohibitive. A few were fitted with a small
Wakefield 'Fountain' type lubricator in the cab for the boxes, but this was
only partly successful. Consideration was given latterly to putting hoses
from the original oilboxes to the underkeeps, but I do not think this ever
came to fruition. There was a stupid little difficulty on the 'Detroit' cylinder
lubricator, too. The filling plug was screwed into a renewable seating, the
idea being that its constant use should not wear or strip the threads in
the main body prematurely. Fine in theory; but in practice the seating always
unscrewed with the plug. We tried all sorts of ways of fixing that seating
— set screws, brazing, the lot — but it always came out with the
plug after a few days.
On the credit side there was quite a lot to be said in their favour. Unkempt
they generally looked, but they were rugged and reliable. The steaming was
satisfactory from the start, but after a visit to the Rugby test plant which
led to the fitting of slightly smaller blastpipe caps it was as near perfect
as could be. There were two really good live steam injectors on them, very
reliable at all times. The Laird crossheads, with bolted-on slipper, were
a joy for the maintenance staff —they could have the slipper out, remetal
it and have it back, without need for machining if they had the proper chills,
in an hour. And while the tender, with its narrow bunker, did not give the
same degree of cab protection as the Stanier 4,000 gallon design, the bunker
was perhaps a little better at feeding coal when part-empty, thanks to the
steeper inclination at the sides. Also the 5,000 gallon capacity (with no
scoop) could be a godsend. But, once again, they experienced all the shuttling
trouble from total absence of reciprocating balance. It seemed particularly
bad on the 'Austerities', to the point that the engine and tender drag-boxes
behind the intermediate buffing blocks distorted quite seriously, and had
to be stiffened up with additional gussets. We also tried to stiffen up the
intermediate buffers by was he ring up the springs, but this was of strictly
limited effectiveness. But on some of the Central Division banks, such as
coming down from Copy Pit, I think if you could have fitted a straight Image
chute from shovelling plate to fire hole the engine would have fired itself!
...
There was just one engine of the class that did not suffer this shuttling
malady - No 90527, which had been experimentally modified, by riveting steel
plates on the outside of the cast balance weights, to balance 40% of the
reciprocating masses — the maximum that clearances would permit. I rode
on her throughout one night on the 10.40pm Class E freight (not less than
four wagons vacuum-braked) from Aintree to Copley Hill, a test if ever there
was one — 7miles down from Todmorden, and 3miles down from Morley Tunnel
(steep), as well as all sorts of short bits between. But on none of these
banks, even at speeds up to 45mph, and using the graduable steam brake valve
to steady the train rather than get assistance from the fitted head, could
we get her to shuttle. The various engine men involved were quite incredulous,
thinking that something wonderful had been done to the intermediate drawgear
to effect such an improvement (in fact, nothing had been done to it at all).
She was completely cured, but it took a long time to persuade the CME that
he should do anything more. Finally, he took No 90527 on some official,
instrumented tests. And the finding? She was no better than other Austerities
and it had not really mitigated her shuttling. We were utterly dismayed -
it could only have happened by getting the wrong engine by mistake. So nothing
more was heard of it and they shuttled into Valhalla. They will be remembered
for their chunky bark, the gentle knock of their motion, and the many times
one or two pairs of tender wheels were disengaged from the ballast.
Poultney, E.C. British Railways freight locomotive tests. Rly
Gaz., 1954, 101, 346-8; 374-6. 2 iflus., 19 diagrs., 5 tables.
An examination of British Railways Bulletin No. 7 (see
above).
Railway Correspondence and Travel
Society. Locomotives of the LNER. Part 6B. Tender engines—classes
O1 to P2. 1983.
The type was classified as O7 by the LNER and considerable numbers
were purchased by the Company prior to Nationalization. The boilers, especially
the fireboxes were considered to be below standard by Darlington and were
subject to extensive modification.
Riddles, R.A. discussion on Koffman, J.L. Dynamic braking of
steam, diesel and gas turbine locomotives.
J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1951, 41, 490-536. Disc.: 537. (Paper
505)
Explained Sillcox’s trouble (the paper had opened with an extensive
quotation from L.K. Sillcox's Mastering momentum. New York, 1940).
It had little to do with the heavy braking found with heavy stock in America;
but was primarily due to the the American use of chilled cast iron wheels.
When working for the Ministry of Supply he thought that if chilled cast iron
wheels could be used successfully with the heavy rolling stock in America
Britain could probably take advantage of the rapid production achievable
with chilled cast iron wheels, and they were fitted to the tenders
of the “austerity" locomotives only to find that although he reduced
the brake percentage to make sure that they were not applied too hard, the
practice was to put the brake on by the steam brake, screw the hand brake
down, release the steam brake and run down the gradients with the hand brake
not only screwed on but put on with the steam pressure, and they had all
the trouble of cracks and galls on the tyres. This to such an extent that
they changed all the wheels to steel, after which there had been no further
trouble.
Rogers, H.C.B. Last
steam locomotive engineer: R.A. Riddles, C.B.E. 1970.
This source is important as it appears that Rogers had the full
cooperation of Riddles: herewith the relevant section (page 118 et seq):
Now Riddles was to attempt another rush job in conjunction with the North
British Locomotive Company and again to assay a locomotive straight off the
drawing board (refers back to Royal Scot)... The Chairman of the North British
Locomotive Company, with whom Riddles was to deal so much, was W. Lorimer,
the son of Sir William. Each week for many weeks on end Riddles travelled
to Glasgow on the Friday night. There he spent Saturday in the North British
Locomotive Company Drawing Office and Sunday with James Black the Technical
Director. He says that he drew the Drawing Office staff and the Works together
in a manner never experienced, even in the North British Locomotive Company.
If a component was designed which was difficult to manufacture the design
was altered.
The Austerity engine had some relation to the LMS 2-8-0 because the outline
scheme had been got out by F.G. Carrier, a draughtsman who was section leader
in the development and design branch of the Derby drawing office. (Carrier
was, indeed, largely responsible for what Stanier's and Riddles' engines
looked like.) For ease of manufacture Riddles had chosen a parallel boiler
with a round top firebox, rather than the intricate and expensive Churchward
pattern of taper boiler with Belpaire firebox. He almost eliminated steel
castings, cutting down the 22 tons needed for the LMS 2-8-0 to only 2½.
Cast iron replaced steel castings for all except the driving wheel centres.
The leading truck wheels were rolled in one piece, and the tender wheels
were chilled cast iron. But here Riddles slipped up. He had seen heavy freight
wagons in the USA with these sort of wheels and observed how badly they behaved
when over-braked. He had arranged for the percentage of brake leverage to
be lowered on the tender to avoid this, but he had not allowed for the prevalent
practice of drivers, when descending, a bank with loose-coupled stock, to
apply the steam brake fully, screw down the tender hand brake, and then release
the steam brake. This had most unfortunate results, for the tender wheels
were badly damaged. Fortunately this happened in the early days and there
was time to substitute rolled forged wheels. (He heard afterwards that the
Chairman of one of the Railway Companies had said that the leading truck
wheels were cast iron!) Another trouble was that a slight 'fore-and-aft'
movement caused the built-up draw bar buffer between engine and tender to
collapse, but stronger control springs remedied this. It was apparent that
hostile and critical eyes were watching his engine, but he did not bother
too much because he was sure that he was on the right lines.
With vivid memories of the trouble he had experienced with crossheads on
the LMS Pacifics, Riddles chose the Laird pattern with twin bars above the
piston rod (which were also much cheaper to manufacture). As stated earlier,
he dispensed with boiler lagging and used air insulation only between the
boiler and steel clothing sheets. There were two outside cylinders, 19 inches
by 28 inches, driving the third pair of coupled wheels, which were 4 feet
8½ inches... The valve gear was Walschaerts and, of course, outside.
The boiler pressure was 225 lbs. per square inch, the grate area was 28.6
square feet, and the weight of the engine in working order was 72 tons, of
which 62 tons were available for adhesion. Cab and footplate arrangements
were simplified as far as possible.
Riddles never approved of undue emphasis on thermal efficiency. The basis
of his engines was a boiler which would meet all the demands made of it.
He says, 'Whether or not they would burn a pound or two more a mile than
a more sophisticated engine, I regarded as the unrealistic preoccupation
of the theorist, because in practice a good driver and fireman could save
pounds if given a free-steaming engine.'
Riddles anticipated a great deal of criticism of the Austerities and he
remembered that his old friend Charles S. Lake, Editor of The Railway
Engineer, had once said to him that the first thing that anybody noticed
about an engine was the chimney. If, therefore, one wished to deflect criticism,
the best way to do it was to design a ridiculous chimney. The critics would
then concentrate on that and forget about the rest of the engine. So Riddles
put an absurdly small dumpy chimney on his engine which was three inches
lower than the rest of the boiler mountings. In diverting criticism from
the more controversial points of the design, the results were highly gratifying.
Nevertheless, he was too much of an artist for the chimney to be really ugly,
and the Austerity, unlike Bulleid's dreadful looking 0-6-0 for the Southern
Railway, was a handsome engine. (This chimney had an unexpected bonus because
when Riddles designed the later and larger 2-10-0s for the War Department
it was just right for the most exacting restrictions of the British loading
gauge.)
Riddles awaited the appearance of the Austerity locomotive with a certain
natural anxiety. On November 23, 1942 he wrote toW. Lorimer, Chairman of
the North British Locomotive Company, asking him to do all in his power to
get the first engine out by the end of the year at the latest and if possible
before Christmas. He added:
'I think you are aware of the antagonism of the Chief Mechanical Engineers
to this engine, and our one hope of getting it running on the British Railways
is to produce it at a time when they are desperately in need of power and
will be forced to take it in hand. When this has been done, I am quite sure
that the locomotive itself will prove so effective in service that all their
criticisms will be overriden and it should be accepted with joy by the
operators'. He went on to say that the first American locomotive was arriving
in a few days and there was a big 'poohbah' to greet it, in which he was
joining, mainly as a return for the welcome given to the 'Coronation Scot'.
But he did not want the shade of its arrival to last too long and obscure
the impact of the home-made Austerity.
Lorimer replied on November 25th, saying that since he had received. Riddles'
letter he had been in discussion with those of his staff concerned in the
matter; but he did not think there was any possibility of steaming the first
Austerity engine that year. He said that there had been difficulties over
supplies, material, labour, and existing contracts.
But it was not long after the end of the year, because the first of the Austerity
2-8-0 locomotives was handed over at the North British Locomotive Company's
Works on Saturday January 16, 1943. It was inspected by Sir Andrew Duncan,
Minister of Supply, and among those present were Sir William Douglas, Permanent
Secretary Ministry of Supply, Sir Geoffrey Burton, Director General of Mechanical
Equipment, Riddles, W. Lorimer, and J. Black. The engine had been built in
five months from the date of placing the order, and after all the parts had
been delivered it had been assembled in ten days. The speed with which it
was built was, in fact, a record for the North British Locomotive Company.
The previous record had been five months from the time the designs had been
received. According to the Glasgow Herald, William M'Pherson, the
driver, said, 'This is the first time I have had a cushioned seat for my
work, and altogether I have never handled a better engine'.
Production of the Austerities was rapid, because, owing to the simplicity
of the design and the use of more readily available materials, thousands
of man-hours were saved and time lost waiting for parts was drastically cut.
Whereas the LMS 2-8-0s were being built at the rate of two to two and a half
a week, the Austerities were turned out more than twice as fast, for from
five to six were produced each week, and with the help of other manufacturers
this rate eventually rose to seven. And, as a result of Riddles' visits,
week-end after week-end, to Glasgow, and although the engines were produced
straight off the drawing board, there were no teething troubles, apart from
the quickly remedied errors over the tender wheels and draw bar buffer. It
is only necessary to remember the Royal Scots to appreciate what a triumph
of design this was. But it was an anxious time, fol' the engines to be built
without prototypes or trial were eventually to number, not 70 like the Royal
Scots, but no less than 935—second only to Ramsbottom's DX goods as
the largest class of British locomotives ever built. 'The decision to do
this', Riddles says, 'required courage, because there were so many critics
of my policy who were only awaiting a chance to "pounce".' (Of the 935, 545
were built by the North British Locomotive Company and 390 by the Vulcan
Foundry.) Since these engines were turned out in advance of military needs,
no less than 450 were lent to the Railway Companies, and did excellent service
before they were withdrawn for shipment from October 1944 onwards. Of these
350 ran on the LNER, 50 on the LMSR, and 50 on the SR. The LNER got their
first engine in February 1943, and it made its first run from a Glasgow goods
yard on a freight train on the West Highland line.
Rowledge, J.W.P. Austerity 2-8-0s & 2-10-0s. London:
Ian Allan, 1987. 144pp.
Author is extremely reliable and contributed to RCTS work (above):
covers design, development, builders (NBL and Vulcan); loans to mainline
companies during WW2; notably the LNER, but all four companies had some allocated
(even the Southern Railway), military service in France, the Netherlands
and Belgium, the Middle East, notably Syria, and the Far East, Hong Kong.
Locomotives were acquired by both the Netherlands where modifications in
the form of smoke deflectors and taller chimneys were made, and in Sweden,
In the Netherlands they were known as Dakotas. In Sweden the locomotives
were fitted with totally enclosed cabs and cut-back tenders with only six
wheels. On page 36 it is noted that the tenders were prone to derail when
running tender-first. Locomotives returned to Britain: some were sold to
the LNER and became class O7 where some received numbers beginning 3000 and
some had the British Railways prefix 6 added. Many ran for a long time with
their 77XXX numbers. Rowledge does not attempt to list all the variations,
but the photographs illustrate some of the variety: for instance No. 3165
with WD on tender and 21st Army shield at Neasden on 14 August 1947 and in
E3119 in Scotland. No. 3152 is shown as fitted for oil-burning in 1947; 63077
at Wormit on 4 June 1949 and 63118 near Hitchin on 28 May 1949.. Many ran
for a time with their air compressors still in place.
Rowledge, J.W.P. Heavy goods engines of the War Department. Vol.
3 Austerity 2-8-0 and 2-10-0. Poole: Springmead, 1978. 64pp.
Ottley 10491
Taylor, Charles. Fore & aft: balanced running trials for the 'WD'
2-8-0s. Steam Wld, 1991
(54), 6-11.
Running trials on scheduled freight workings between Aintree and Leeds
via Rose Grove and Copy Pit using No. 90527 which had been modified to give
40% balance in an endeavour to reduce the severe oscillation which limited
their use. The writer worked at Crewe and the experimental modification of
1951 was Experiment M/C/L/1413. Footplate observations showed that the experiment
was a success, but this did not lead to further locomotives being
modified.
Tourret, R. War Department locomotives. Abingdon: Author. 1976.
82pp.
Ottley 10488
Vaughan, Adrian. The heart
of the Great Western. Peterborough: Silver Link, 1994.
Relates how Charlie Turner (page 56) found these to be crude and
uncomfortable when encountered in France and Germany and were not tolerated
by US WW2 drivers.
Venning, Roger. Taunton
in January 1947. Gt Western Rly J., 2004, 7, 52-3.
Illus. of 70843 and 77161 both with air compressors, latter with smoke
deflector in front of chimney.
Whalley, P.S. The work of their
craft. J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1946, 36, 401-29. 28 illus., 8
diagrs., map (Presidential Address).
0-6-0ST:1943
This design was based on a standard Hunslet industrial locomotive.
The LNER purchased 75 engines at the end of the war (classified
them as J94) and the National Coal Board adopted it for colliery
working.
AUSTERITY tank locomotive: Ministry of Supply. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon
Rev., 1943, 49, 34-5. illus.
Cook, A.F. Ministry of Supply "Austerity" 0-6-0 saddle tank locomotives.
J. Stephenson Loco. Soc., 1944, 20, 28. illus. (line drawing
: s. el.)
0-6-0 saddle-tank. "Austerity" locomotive. Engineering, 1943,
155, 155. illus.
SADDLE-TANK "Austerity" locomotive. Rly Gaz., 1943, 78, 146.
illus.
A VALUABLE locomotive spare parts list the Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd. has prepared
an unusually comprehensive brochure covering details of its 0-6-0 saddle-tank
shunting locomotive. Rly Gaz., 1944, 80, 186-9. illus., 5 diagrs.,
plan, 2 tables.
Extracts from it.
Austerity 0-6-0 saddle tank, B.R.
Loco, Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1952,
58, 147. illus.
Describes them as J94 class which is not strictly true as built for
National Coal Board by Hunslet Engine Co. to same dimensions, but with better
quality fittings. Order for twelve locomotives in hand and order for further
37 placed by NCB at cost of £350,000. See also
feature in Locomotive October 1950.
Retrospective and critical
The AUSTERITY tanks-their origin and operation.
Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1950,
56, 161-4. 3 illus., diagr. (s. & f. els.), 3 tables.
A very complete account, which includes the origin of the design,
performance in service and a stock list.
Railway Correspondence and Travel
Society. Locomotives of the LNER. Part 8B. Tank engines—classes
J71 to J94. 1971.
Although there was a second impression of this part in 1983 Part 8B
is far less developed than Part 6B dealing with the 2-8-0 classes which served
in WW2 and the section on the J94 is really quite thin considering that it
became an LNER "standard class".
Rogers, H.C.B. Last steam
locomotive engineer: R.A. Riddles, C.B.E. 1970. page 124
In response to a War Office request for steam shunting locomotives
of the same capacity as the LMS Class 3 Freight 0-6-0 shunting tank engine,
Riddles chose the Hunslet standard shunter, a very fine little 0-6-0 saddle
tank and much better than the LMS engine cited. But, as in the manufacture
of the Austerities, the materials available and the nature of its employment
would necessitate extensive modification before it would be suitable for
mass war construction. Steel castings and forgings, for instance, would have
to be replaced by fabricated parts, the wheels would have to be of cast iron
and increased in size, coal and water capacity would have to be increased,
brass tubes would have to be replaced by steel, etc. Riddles asked Mr Edgar
Alcock, Chairman of the Hunslet Engine Company, to come and see him. This
meeting was followed by discussions between the Directorate and Hunslet and
Riddles went himself to Leeds to visit the firm. Delivery
of the modified locomotives which resulted began at about the same time as
the first of the Austerity 2-8-0s made their appearance. Eventually 377 of
these shunting engines were built by six different firms.
Tourret, R.and Latham, J.B. The locomotives of the War Department
and United States Army. Part No. 31. The standard 0-6-0ST-W.D. numbers
1437-56/62-1536; 5000-5199; 5250-5331. Rly Obsr, 1959, 29,
78-80; 120-2. 5 tables.
Main-line stock acquired for military duties
The principal classes involved were the LMS 8F 2-8-0s, which were the standard military locomotives until the Austerity designs superseded them, and the LNER 04 class and GWR Dean Goods (both of which had served in a similar role during WW1).
8F:1935: Stanier:
The design is considered in greater
depth in the section on Stanier's locomotives. Locomotives were constructed
within the workshops of the other mainline companies, including Swindon and
Brighton.
BRITISH locomotives for the Middle East. Rly Mag., 1942, 88,
20.2 illus.
Modifications for overseas service.
BRITISH rolling stock for service overseas : details of the 240 locomotives
and 10,000 covered wagons ordered by the Ministry of Supply for use with
the British Expeditionary Force. Rly Gaz., 1940, 72, 83-5.
illus., 2 diagrs. (incl. s. el.)
[CAB and front-end illustrations of class 8F as modified for Middle Eastern
conditions]. Rly Mag., 1942, 88, 114. 2 illus.
[CLASS 8F : 240 constructed for service in France]. Rly Gaz., 1940,
72, 777. illus., diagr. (s. el.)
Ikeson, W.C. Development of the oil-fired locomotive.
J. Instn Loco. Engrs., 1952,
42, 425-75. Disc.: 475-515. (Paper 516)
Operation of 8F class on the Iraqi State Railways where the Author
was CME.
ROLLING stock for the B.E.F.. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1940,
46, 144-5. illus., diagr. (s. el.)
Modifications for French conditions.
Retrospective
Chacksfield, J.E..Ron
Jarvis: from Midland Compound to the HST. 2004. .
A great deal of this excellent biography (with one serious reservation)
covers (1) Jarvis's interesting WW2 exploits in bringing into service 8F
locomotives exported from the United Kingdom for service in neutral Turkey
(this work clearly brought together engineering and dipolmatic skills of
the highest order: subsequently . He was assisted by Fred Soden, an artisan
forman from Crewe. Jarvis's fluency in French was a significatnt attribute;
(2) Jarvis was responsible from bringing back 8F locomotives from the Middle
East in April/May 1948 (including dangerous Palestine) via the Suez Canal
Zone for further service on the LMS/LMR. Interesting illus of SS Belnov
with 11o
list.
Copsey, John. Swindon's '8Fs'. Great
Western Rly J., 2004, 7, (51)165-76.
Those locomotives built at Swindon and used briefly on the GWR before
being passed onto the LMS. The locomotive men were not altogether happy with
these modern locomotives.
Notes on Stanier "8F" 2-8-0 engines. J. Stephenson Loco. Soc.,
1956, 32, 84-8. illus., table.
Pollock, D.R. and White, D.E.,
compilers. The 2-8-0 & 2-10-0 locomotives of the War Department,
1939-1945: Stanier L.M.S. type 2-8-0; British Austerity 2-8-0; British Austerity
2-10-0; Robinson L.N.E.R. class O4 2-8-0. Rly Obsr., 1946, 16
Supplement No.5.
WAR Department Stanier 2-8-0s. Rly Obsr, 1948, 18, 204-5.
table.
Notes on locomotives returned to the United Kingdom.
Railway Correspondence and Travel
Society. Locomotives of the LNER. Part 6B. Tender engines—classes
O1 to P2. 1983.
Locomotives built at Darlington were classified as LNER class O6 and
"LNER" was applied to the tenders. They were handed over to the LMS at the
end of WW2.
Rowledge, J.W.P. Heavy goods engines of the War Department. Vol.
2. Stanier 8F 2-8-0. Poole: Springmead, 1977. 64pp.
Ottley 10491
Whalley, P.S. The work of their
craft. J. Instn Loco. Engrs, 1946, 36, 401-29. 28 illus., 8
diagrs., map (Presidential Address).
Considers the 8F class in relation to war service.
O4/3: 1917: Robinson
During the First World War the Robinson GCR 1911 design was selected
and built as the standard Railway Operating Division's design. A few of the
class were re-called for service in the Second World War.
BRITISH locomotives for the Middle East. Rly Mag., 1942, 88,
20. 2 illus.
L.N.E.R. locomotives for overseas. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1941,
47, 256. illus.
Retrospective and critical
McNaught, R.S. The Robinson "R.O.D." 2-8-0s. Trains ill., 1957,
10, 432-8. 10 illus., table.
Pollock, D.R. and White, D.E.,
compilers. The 2-8-0 & 2-10-0 locomotives of the War Department,
1939-1945: Stanier L.M.S. type 2-8-0; British Austerity 2-8-0; British Austerity
2-10-0; Robinson L.N.E.R. class O4 2-8-0. Rly Obsr., 1946, 16
Supplement No.5.
Postscript on the Robinson 2-8-0s. Trains ill., 1958,
11, 148-51. 4 illus., table.
A summary of the material received as correspondence in response to
McNaught's article (above).
Railway Correspondence and Travel
Society. Locomotives of the LNER. Part 6B. Tender engines—classes
O1 to P2. 1983.
Includes their lesser role during WW2: they had a major role in
WW1.
Sherrington, C.E.R. Locomotives of the Railway Operating Division,
Royal Engineers, 1916-1919. Part 4. Ministry of Munitions locomotives. Rly
Mag., 1932, 71, 425-30. 3 illus.
The Robinson 2-8-0s.
Rowledge, J.W.P. Heavy goods engines of the War Department. Vol.
1. The R.O.D. 2-8-0 and 2-10-0. Poole: Springmead, 1977. 72pp.
Ottley 10491
0-6-0
Dean Goods
Kalla-Bishop, P.M.
Locomotives at war: army reminiscences of the Second World War. [1980].
Encountered by author on the Martin Mill Railway where the condensing
modified locomotives were set the task of propelling the guns used for
Cross-Channel shelling, on the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire where the
livery (p. 91) normally considered to be "desert sand" or near khaki had
been replaced by a dark green or near camouflage colour. Type was also
encountered in Tunisia (WD No. 171).
Vaughan, Adrian. The heart
of the Great Western. Peterborough: Silver Link, 1994.
Relates (pp. 53 et seq) how Charlie Turner worked on Dean Goods
during WW2 hauling rail-mounted guns on the Kent & East Sussex Railway
and on the Elham Valley line.
0-6-0T
Chacksfield, J.E..Ron
Jarvis: from Midland Compound to the HST. 2004. .
Jarvis is increasingly known for his WW2 exploits with the 8F class
and for returning locomotives from the Canal Zone. He also "found" some of
the missing 3F 0-6-0Ts which had gone out with the BEF. Following WW2 these
were discovered at Savenay in France and returned to Britain
Tourret, R. The locomotives of the War Department and United States
Army. Part No. 10. L.M.S. standard class 3F 0-6-0Ts: W.D. 8-5. Rly Obsr,
1951, 21, 47. table.
J69:1902 : J. Holden (GER/LNER)
Kalla-Bishop, P.M.
Locomotives at war: army reminiscences of the Second World War. [1980].
Nos. 7041 (J68) and J69 Nos. 7054, 7056, 7088, 7271, 7344, 7362 and
7388 were at Longmoor in March 1940, but were sent elsewhere from May 1942.:
they were renumbered WD 84-91.
Railway Correspondence and
Travel Society. Locomotives of the LNER. Part 8A. Tank
engines—classes J50 to J70. 1970.
Classes J69 (thirteen locomotives) and a single J68 were used as shunters
mainly at Faslane and Cairnryan. They were not handed back to the LNER at
the end of WW2.
Tourret, R. The locomotives of the War Department and United States
Army. Part No. 17. Ex. L.N.E.R. class J69 0-6-0T's: W.D. 78-91. Rly Obsr,
1953, 23, 24-5. table.
4-4-2T
I2: 1900: Marsh (LBSCR/SR)
Tourret, R. The locomotives of the War Department and United States
Army. Part No.
9. Ex. L.B. & S.C.R. Atlantic tanks W.D. 2400/1. Rly Obsr, 1951,
21, 46-7.
2-4-2T
F4: 1884.: T.W.Wordsell/F5:l9ll: S.D. Holden
(GER/LNER)
Locomotives of these classes were fitted with armour plating and used
on armoured trains for coastal defence work. Following WW2 the locomotives
carried brass plates to recognize these duties. If any of the plaques remain
it might be a good idea to construct a locomotive to go with such for service
on the NNR and to operate services in conjunction with the Muckleburgh
Collection. It might even be possible to machine gun Santa on his way to
Weybourne.
Railway Correspondence and Travel
Society. Locomotives of the LNER. Part 7. Tank engines—classes
A5 to H2. 1964.
Classes F4 (fifteen locomotives) and a single F5 were fitted with
armour plating and used for coastal defence work.
Tourret, R. The locomotives of the War Department and United States
Army. Part No.
5. L.N.E.R. armoured 2-4-2T's : W.D. A-M (and spares). Rly Obsr, 1950,
20, 47. table. Addenda p.273
Modifications of main-line locomotives (to cope
with war conditions)
Most references relate to Southern Railway locomotives due to the
proximity of the railway to German-occupied France, but several of the LNER
B12/3 class were modified slightly to haul ambulance trains throughout Britain.
This was because of their air brakes and their light axle-loading..
4-6-0
Railway Correspondence and Travel
Society. Locomotives of the LNER. Part 2B. Tender engines—classes
B1 to B19. 1975.
See page 63.
N15:
Bulleid equipped one locomotive with three chimneys to aid smoke
dispersion and avoid detection by enemy aircraft.
Anwell, B.W. An "Arthur" with three chimneys. Trains ill., 1952, 5, 103. illus.
V (Schools):
One of this class was fitted with a tender cab to prevent firebox
glare.
Riley, R.C. Locomotive A.R.P. Trains ill., 1952, 5,
322-3. 4 illus.
0-4-2T
D1:
Some of these Stroudley locomotives were equipped with firefighting
apparatus. Others were fitted with vacuum brake apparatus for working in
Scotland.
[Former L.B. & S.C.R. 0-4-2Ts fitted with vacuum brake gear for loan to the L.M.S.R. for use in Scotland]. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1941, 47,162.
A LOCOMOTIVE fire engine. Engineer, 1941, 171, 421. illus.
SOUTHERN Railway fire-fighting locomotives. Rly Gaz., 1941,75,
170; 174. 4 illus.
United States locomotives
2-8-0 (S160 sometimes known as Boleros)
American Austerity locomotives for Great Britain. Rly Gaz.,
1942, 77, 631. 3 illus.
Handing over ceremony.
American-built "Austerity" locomotives. Rly Gaz., 1942,
77, 580-1. illus., diagr. (s., f. & r. els.)
American-built "Austerity" locomotives. Rly Gaz., 1943,
78, 159; 169. illus., diagr. (s. el.)
American-built "Austerity" locomotives. Rly Mag., 1943,
89, 112. table.
American built 2-8-0 locomotives for Europe. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon
Rev., 1943, 49, 2. illus.
Images
Contemporary photographs of them in service in Britain are fairly rare.
USATC (S160) 2-8-0 No. 2138 pulling out of Up Refuge Loop at Hatton with
H class freight on 24 July 1943.
Locomotive Mag., 2015, 12,
473.
V.R. Webster photograph taken whilst he was on military service in
Warwickshire
 |
 |
Retrospective and critical
Fairless, T. Recent locomotive designs a comparison between the
British-built Austerity 2-10-0, American-built Austerity 2-8-0 and proposed
2-10-0 locomotive for the Central Uruguay Railway. Rly Gaz., 1945,
83, 241+. 2 diagrs., table.
Harvey, D.W. Bill Harvey's
60 years of steam. 1986.
Chapter 9 (p. 100 et seq): very significant observations, including
noted on the positive features: the rocking grate and self-cleaning firebox
which led to a smaller and more secoure smokebox door. Includes a report
made by the Author to G.A. Musgrave on 22 January 1944? which noted problems
with bulged arch tubes, te SkatOskalO descaling machine, and the welded boiler
tubes, and the Nathan double seatedf type water gauge drain and test cocks.
Problems were also encountered with the chilled cast iron wheels on the double
bogie tenders due to them overheating when woeking unbraked freight trains
in Britain. He also notes the three boiler explosions: one at Honeybourne
on the GWR, anoth at Bury St Edmunds in January 1944 and the one in Sudbury
Hill Tunnel on 30 Auigust 1944. He inspected the locomotive involved in the
last-mentioned and stated: "The view through the firehole of No. 1707 was
awe-inspiring. Looking around and upwards the eye was met with a forest of
roof and side stay bolts from which the red-hot crown sheet had been wrenched
when it could be longer sustain the pressure. The ferocity of the ensuing
explosion had then torn it apart,at all four corners, forcing it downwards
into a bowl shape at grate level; in appearance it resembled the inside of
a gigantic colander. Strangely enough the screw threads in the stay holes
had not been stripped, as might have been expected, due perhaps to the plastic
condition of the red-hot plate. Another interesting fact that emerged as
the plate became polished by the footwear of those making an examination
of the firebox, was the appearance of ripples or undulations on its surface,
clearly showing that tearing had been momentarily arrested each time a row
of stays was encountered". Includes diagrams of the effects of the explosion,
and of the cab in is normal state.
Hewison, Christian H.
Locomotive boiler explosions. Newton Abbot: David & Charles,
1983.
Includes the problems encountered with gauging water levels in the
boilers which led to several serious explosions whilst working in
Britain.
Horne, G.F. discussion on Sanford, D.W. The relationship between
smokebox and boiler proportions (Paper 451).
J. Instn Loco.
Engrs, 1945, 35, 72.
Noted that the US 2-8-0s combined good smokebox vacuum with soft
exhaust
Jenkins, David Fraser. John Piper: the forties. London: Philip Watson.
2000. 144pp.
Piper was an Official War Artist; American locomotives awaiting
trans-shipment on the fore-shore at Cardiff. Mixed media 1944: original Ferens
Art Gallery. Hull City Museums & Art Galleries (thumb-nail
above)
Kalla-Bishop, P.M.. Locomotives
at war: army reminiscences of the Second World War. [1980].
This extract shows how the Royal Engineers coped with the American
locomotives: "Water softening was done in the tenders of the U.S. army 2-8-0s,
[by] so many scoops of soda ash and balls of compound per thousand gallons
of water. At each water stop the boiler was blown down to clear suspended
matter inside the boiler. Valves at the bottom of the two sides of the firebox
were opened in turn and steam and water shot out horizontally to a distance
of thirty yards or more. A modification to the locomotives was a nipple in
the injector delivery pipes to the boiler. In conjunction with boiler stop
valves these nipples allowed an effective hot water washout to be given by
the injector of one locomotive to a locomotive standing alongside, suitable
flexible hose being connected to the nipples. During my time at Mastouta
we had injector trouble due to water starvation on occasion. If one softens
water in tenders a precipitate collects at the bottom of the tender tank.
When I remarked on this as a possible cause of our injector troubles I earned
some unpopularity no doubt. Men had to enter the tender tanks and shovel
out a foot or so of goo that had been deposited and that was blocking the
feed pipes to the injectors.
Another of our troubles with the U.S. army 2~8-0s was that the driving
wheel tyres showed a distressing tendency to come off sideways. By performing
acrobatic feats on the cab steps one could watch the wheels as they revolved
in running; should a tyre be coming off it looked just as if the wheel concerned
had developed a violent wobble. On locomotives built for internal use in
the United States (and of course on those built for the 'use of the United
States army) the tyres were shrunk on to the wheel centres without any retaining
ring or means of fastening such as would be provided in European practice.
Apparently this was a hangover from the days of railway operation in the
wild west. Should a driver (or engineer as he was called) suffer a cracked
or loosened tyre in those days he was expected to remove the tyre and work
back to civilisation with such wheels as he had left. In later United States
practice the train air brake worked on all wheels except those of the locomotive,
or it was arranged to work less effectively on the locomotive wheels. The
U.S. army 2-8-0 was provided with air brakes for the train and a steam brake
for the engine and tender. An American driver would know that he must use
the steam brake as little as possible out on the road and rely on the air
brake.
Well and good, except that in North Africa fifteen per cent only of
the rolling stock was fitted with a continuous brake. To compound this, Algeria
and Morocco were air brake territories, while Tunisia favoured the vacuum
brake. Trains were made up so that every fifth wagon had a hand brake, with
an attendant brakesman on a little platform that might have a shelter if
he was lucky. As an aside, this was why the sapper's trade was brakesman
rather than guard, although in Tunisia he ducked that particular duty and
left it to the Tunisians. Two blasts on the whistle and the brakesman screwed
on the brake, one blast and he took it off again. Under these conditions
the engine's steam brake had a lot of work to do and the driving wheel tyres
tended to get hot and sometimes overheated sufficiently to be loosened and
knocked sideways on the wheel centres. The sapper drivers pointed to the
heat of the Tunisian summer sun as an additional factor.
The Americans were approached about this loose tyre problem and they
gave the ignorant British the benefit of their know-how. An offending wheel
was jacked up off the rail slightly, the axle supported and the wheel surrounded
by a circular gas pipe pierced with holes every two or three inches. When
lit the gas flame played on the tyre tread and brought it up to red heat,
the tyre then expanding in relation to the wheel centre. The gas pipe was
removed and the offending tyre was forced back into position, the result
then being left to cool. The operation was carried out in Tunisia with the
locomotive even in steam. This gas pipe carry-on was standard practice in
many United States roundhouse backshops, we learnt, where they went so far
as to remove the red hot tyre altogether to put a shim round the wheel centre
before replacing the tyre. The practice explains perhaps the American
predilection for tyreless solid steel wheels such as.were fitted to the tenders
of the U.S. army 2-8-0s. All the same, the vertical wheel rim faces of these
latter wheels suffered bits of metal spalling off.
Not to worry, said the Americans, or some such phrase, so we did not
worry and we got quite used to apparently moth-eaten tender wheel rims.
The U.S. army 2-8-0 was in trouble twice when running in Great Britain
because a firebox crown sheet collapsed unexpectedly. There was a similar
incident in Tunisia in which a sapper was killed. It was maintained in Great
Britain that two valve controls looked alike where they were mounted in the
obscurity of the cab roof and that the wrong one was closed in error to shut
off the top steam supply to the boiler water gauge. The water gauge then
indicated plenty of water in the boiler instead of showing that it was falling
to the danger level. Consequently the uncovering of the crown sheet led to
its collapse. Influenced by these British reports, the crown sheet collapse
in Tunisia was put down to the same cause, that is confusion of valve
controls.
Later, 243 of the U.S. army 2-8-0s were handed over to the Italian
State Railways. In 1946 and 1947 some twenty more or less explosive crown
sheet collapses were suffered in Italy and several men were killed. A fullscale
investigation was mounted in consequence. The conclusion was reached that
the screw thread of the crown sheet roof stays was too coarse. This resulted
in insufficient of the threads engaging with the crown ~heet thickness.
Furthermor~ it was shown that the greater part of the stress was suffered
by the turn of the engaged screw thread closest to the water space. Deposit
of scale round a stay where it entered the crown sheet led to overheating
and if this scale was thick enough the temperature rose to such a height
that the screw thread deformed and stripped, leading to the stripping of
the rest of the threads plus those of adjacent stays. Unsupported by one
or more stays, the crown sheet collapsed.
The failures were accentuated in Italy, where the locomotives were
oil-fired, with consequent higher temperatures for certain areas of the crown
sheet. Maybe the findings of the British and North African incidents could
be revised, and certainly we were very lucky not to have more trouble in
Tunisia, given the rapidity with which scale formed in the boilers. In Italy
the boiler stays used were given a finer screw thread, the boiler pressure
was dropped ten per cent or so, extra washout plugs were fitted, and so
on.
The above difficulties with the U.S. army 2-8-0s were matters concerning
the running sheds principally. The railway met the traffic demands upon it
and trains ran as needed with only a few isolated cases of failure out on
the line. Other matters led to train running difficulties from time to time
as well, often quite foolish incidents. A large coal dump was established
near the quays at Bizerta, on a limestone base. When the machine shovels
got to the bottom of the dump they scooped up blackened lumps of limestone.
One night I was expecting a U.S. army 2-8-0 and train at Mastouta at 20.00
hours. The train had not arrived by 21.30 hours and I went to bed. Next morning
I got up and as I was going to breakfast was surprised to see the train just
running into the station. At Oued Zarga, the previous station to the east,
the locomotive's fire had all but gone out. When the crew set about clearing
the accumulated clinker, some had broken to reveal white stone. The driver
and fireman had spent the night sorting through the coal in the tender and
rejecting the great majority of lumps that turned out to be limestone. The
driver remarked to me cheerfully that through all that he had not allowed
the locomotive to go off the boil.
There were some minor lubrication troubles with these same 2-8-0s.
A lubricator for the crosshead tended to add dust and dirt to the oil. A
circular tin which once held fifty cigarettes was just the thing to put over
this for protection. On the road the locomotives performed well and the crews
appreciated the labour-saving rocking grate and ashpan dumper. All the same,
over-enthusiastic use of the rocking grate to shake up the fire led to a
greater fire in the ashpan than in the firebox. Dumping the ashpan fire burnt
the sleepers if it was done just anywhere, as the C.F.T. authorities had
occasion to point out crossly. When driving 1760 for my own amusement I was
leaning out of the cab at Medjez el Bab waiting for the right away. The chef
de train (a Frenchman) came right up to the cab, blew his silly little whistle
in my face, and in his best English said to me '------ off.' So I blew the
locomotive whistie, released the brake and opened the regulator, for it seemed
hardly the time or place to point out to the chef de train that, whereas
he had made his meaning perfectly clear, he was astray sadly in idiom and
polite usage.
Railway Correspondence and Travel
Society. Locomotives of the LNER. Part 6B. Tender engines—classes
O1 to P2. 1983.
Pp. 98-107: includes some information relevant to work on GWR as well
as extensive inormation about behaviour on LNER.
Tourret, R. United States Transportation Corps locomotives.
Abingdon: Author. 1977. 82pp.
Ottley 10492
Vaughan, Adrian. The heart
of the Great Western. Peterborough: Silver Link, 1994.
Relates how Charlie Turner (page 56) found these to be "fine engines"
and greatly liked the Westinghouse brake when working in France and
Geramny.
Wirkworth, D.W. Difficulties with
'Bolero' engines. Backtrack, 1995, 9, 180-2.
Largely concerned with the specific difficulties encountered with
operating the military 2-8-0s supplied from the USA during WW2 on British
Railways at that time. The locomotives had only one water gauge and the fusible
plugs tended to be of inferior quality. There were several serious accidents
due to footplate staff failing to ensure that water levels were maintained
in the boiler. See letter by Walker reinforcing writer's comments
(page 397). illus.: Four USA 2-8-0s at an SR depot;
No 2403 at Swindon Junction; No 2339 passing Reading West junction; No 2054
at Christchurch; The cab of a 'Bolero';
0-6-0T
USA class
Some of these locomotives became the standard shunting engine for
Southampton Docks and some have been preserved.
American-built 0-6-0 type tank locomotives for use in Great Britain. Rly
Gaz., 1942, 77, 418-20. 3 diagrs.(s., f. & r. els.)
American-built 0-6-0 tank loco. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1946,
52, 175. illus.
American-built 0-6-0T shunting engines. J. Stephenson Loco. Soc.,
1951, 27, 274-5. illus. p.258.
Retrospective & critical
Baker, S.W. 60 years of Southampton Docks tanks. Rly Wld,
1952,13, 255-6; 273-5 :1953, 14, 17-18; 32-3+. 12 illus., table.
Some of the surplus locomotives were purchased by the Southern Railway
for use in Southampton Docks.
Kalla-Bishop, P.M. American-built 0-6-0T shunting engines.
J. Stephenson Loco. Soc., 1952, 28, 104-7.
Experience gained when operating the class on the Melbourne Military
Railway.
Kalla-Bishop, P.M. Locomotives at war: army
reminiscences of the Second World War. [1980].
Pp. 79 et seq: claimed that there was evidence of hasty erection,
especially in the locomotives supplied by H.K. Porter. Many locomotives showed
ingress of salt water during shipment. The cylinder cocks had to be renewed
partly to be capable of dealing with priming. The rear cab spectackes
needed to be raised. The steel footplate was found to be slippery and was
covered with timber. The angle-iron guard irons needed to be modified to
bring to the correct height above rail level. There were problems with
lubrication especially to the large end which had been intended for grease
lubrication.
Southampton Docks locomotives. Rly Mag., 1951, 97,
139.
Sprenger, Howard, Kevin Robertson and Clare Sprenger. The Story
of the Southern USA Tanks. Southampton: Kestrel Books.
Recent (post 1951)
Hateley, R.K. Locomotives of the Ministry of Defence. London:
Industrial Railway Society, 1992. 150pp + 48 plates.
Begins with the renumbering of 1952. "scholarly work"; "highly
recommended. Review in Br. Rly J. 1992, (42) 126. It should be noted
that the bulk of booklet concerns non-steam motive power..
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