Chapter 39: High Speed Run (II)
(Thursday, July 26th 2012 – 8:20am; Vicarstown Depot)
Having finished her breakfast a little while before, and having just clocked in for the day, Carrie stood with her bag in her hand, and waited to be assigned to the engine she was to be working on for the morning. Looking up into the sky high above, she could see that it was a bright summer morning, with the sun rising into a clear blue sky with no clouds to be seen at all. Feeling eager to get started on another day of work on the railway, she took her place with a dozen other recruits on the apprenticeship scheme with the yard foreman standing in front of them, and awaited to be assigned to her engine for the morning.
Each of the other recruits were assigned to work on different engines, some for the day, with others working on one for the morning only to be told they would be assigned to another engine later on in the day. She saw one of the male recruits being assigned to working on a freight train on the footplate of B.R. Standard 9F 2-10-0 No.92276, as well as one of the other female recruits being assigned to work with S.R. Lord Nelson Class 4-6-0 No.851 Sir Francis Drake, and she saw another male recruit being assigned to work with W.D. Austerity 2-10-0 No.90776. As she waited, she wondered which engine she would be assigned to work on this morning, as well as what kind of train they would be taking a little later on in the morning.
But very soon, her turn to be assigned to an engine came.
"Okay, Carrie…" said the yard foreman, as he looked down at his clipboard, "…you're gonna be working on the footplate of Duchess of Montrose for this morning. But there's no need to rush, as there's still quite a bit of time left to go before you're to go out and collect the morning train. The train that you're due to help take out is due to depart from Vicarstown at 9:30am."
"Thank you, sir. And where is Duchess of Montrose?" Carrie asked.
"Just follow me this way, please." the yard foreman said, as he set off in the direction where Duchess of Montrose was waiting, and Carrie followed along closely behind him.
Going round the corner of one of the large engine sheds and down a short pathway, they soon came face to face with No.6232 Duchess of Montrose, who was a very large locomotive, and a member of the L.M.S. Princess Coronation Class that was built without the streamlined casing fitted. Although Carrie had already seen a number of the L.M.S. Princess Coronation Class engines on Sodor, including the streamlined and non-streamlined versions, she couldn't help but be impressed whenever she saw one of them go past her. But she hadn't had been given the chance to work on the footplate of one of them just yet, and she was very pleased to finally be given the chance today.
At that moment, a number of men were going around Duchess of Montrose and were all helping to get her ready for her day of work ahead; some of them were busy rubbing down and polishing her lined crimson lake livery so that it looked very smart for when she set off later on, as others were polishing down the connecting rods and other parts of the motion, as well as the large 6ft 9in driving wheels.
"You don't mind working with Duchess of Montrose for this morning, Carrie?" asked the yard manager, as he turned to look at Carrie.
"No, not at all, sir. I actually haven't had a chance to work with this class of engine just yet." Carrie said.
"Very good, Carrie. I'll bring you over to the driver and fireman." and they stepped over to where both the driver and fireman were working away on getting their engine ready for the morning run.
"Morning there, you two." the yard foreman said, as he approached the two men.
"Good morning there, sir." the driver said, as he looked up.
"Morning, sir." said the fireman.
"This is Carrie White, you two. And she's the recruit who'll be working with you for this morning." said the yard foreman.
"Hello there, Carrie. Welcome to our crew." the driver said, as he and Carrie shook hands.
"Thank you, sir." Carrie said, as she then shook hands with the fireman.
"Have you been on one of the Duchess's before, Carrie?" the fireman asked.
"No, not yet, and I've very pleased to be finally given the chance to do so today." Carrie said.
"Well, watch and learn, Carrie. We'll show you how we do work on an L.M.S. Duchess Pacific." the driver said.
"Okay, I best get back to the office now. I'll leave you three get to work at getting Duchess of Montrose ready for the morning train." said the yard manager, and then he turned around and headed back to the office.
Stepping up onto the footplate, Carrie put her bag into a cabinet fitted to the front of the tender, and then she turned to where the fireman was standing by the firebox doors.
"Okay, Carrie…let's check the fire and get it built up, so that we'll have enough steam." the fireman said, as he took hold of the shovel and then opened the firehole doors, to reveal the fire burning away inside. Going over to the fall-plate on the front of the tender, the fireman thrust the shovel forward into the coal pile there, and then turned to place the shovelful of coal into the firebox. Stepping over to the backhead of the boiler, Carrie took a look at the main steam pressure gauge; the indicator arrow showed the boiler pressure was currently stable a little over 175psi, though it would climb higher up the gauge as the morning went on.
"Would you like to have a go stoking the boiler, Carrie?" the fireman said, as he offered Carrie the shovel.
"Sure would, sir." Carrie said, as she took the shovel in her hands, and then turned to face the coal plate. Going through the very familiar motions that she knew very well by now, she thrust the shovel forward, she took the load of coal out, turned round, and placed the coal into the firebox, making sure to place the coal into the back right corner. Then she placed another shovel of coal into the back left corner, and then placed another four shovelfuls of coal, making sure to place the fuel along the firebox sides, under the firehole doors, as well as far forward into the firebox as she could thrust the coal.
"I think that should be enough for now, Carrie. Now, let's go and oil up around the motion and top up the mechanical lubricators." the fireman said, as he grabbed an oil can and some rags before he went over to the side of the cab.
"Okay." Carrie said, as she checked the two water gauge glasses fitted in the centre of the boiler backhead; both of them showed that the water level in the boiler was about three-quarters of the way up the glasses. Feeling satisfied that the water level was okay, Carrie stepped off the footplate, and went to help out with oiling up around the motion and all the different moving parts.
Soon, they were going around and oiling up around the coupling rods, the connecting rods, and all the other moving parts of the motion, as well as climbing onto the running plate and filling up the mechanical lubricators there. Not only that, but Carrie pitched in and helped to polish up around while there was time, which including polishing up and cleaning the two nameplates showing the name Duchess of Montrose fitted on the sides of the boiler. As well as using the usual rags and cans of polish for that job, Carrie also used an old toothbrush to really get into the tiny nooks and crannies on the names plates to get the dirt out. The tender sides also had to be thoroughly polished down and cleaned as well, which would be a bit of a difficult job, as the coal space had already been filled up earlier on in the morning by a man driving a J.C.B.
The tender needed a lot of work to get all the coal dust off the top of it, and there were also the letters L.M.S. as well as the maroon-red livery that had to be polished. As the tender was much larger than the tenders the Princess Coronation Class ran with back in L.M.S./B.R. days (it was longer in length and ran on EIGHT wheels instead of SIX), there was a lot more area to polish and clean up before they could go. The coal capacity of the tender was around about 8 tons of coal, and the tank could also carry somewhere between 8,000 and 8,500 gallons of water in it, which was considerably more capacity than what the smaller six-wheeled tenders could have managed back in the day, as their maximum limit was around 4,000 gallons of water.
By the time they were all done, Duchess of Montrose looked much better than she had a little earlier on, with all her paintwork rubbed down and polished, and all her brass parts all looking bright and clean.
"Well then, how do you feel, Duchess of Montrose?" one of the men asked, as he stepped off a ladder along the right-hand-side of the large L.M.S. Duchess.
"I feel much better, sir! I really hope that all the passengers on the platform will admire my paintwork when we arrive there!" Duchess of Montrose said.
"Just be patient there, Duchess of Montrose…" Carrie said, as she stepped onto the footplate, "…there's still some time to go before we can get over to the station."
"She's right, old girl. We just need to top up the water level in your tender before we can leave the depot." said her driver, as he took hold of the rags that he had used to help polish down the paintwork.
"Okay, driver." said Duchess of Montrose, as the driver went round and climbed onto the footplate, followed not long afterwards by the fireman.
After another minute or two, after having put the two headlamps onto the lamp-irons on the front buffer-beam, it was time for them to leave the depot, but first they had to make their way to one of the water towers to fill up the tender tank before they could go off to Vicarstown Station. After giving a blast on the whistle, the driver opened the regulator a little and they set off slowly down the line towards the water tower. As they rolled along, Carrie took a few moments to have a look at the controls in front of her; the driver was sitting on the left-hand side of the footplate, with the regulator close at hand, and the reversing gear and brake controls just in front of him, as well as the whistle controls just above where he was sitting.
Over on the other side of the cab, where the fireman was sitting on his seat, Carrie noticed the damper controls allowing air into the firebox, as well as the various gauges, the two water gauge glasses in the middle of the backhead, with the point the regulator was connected to the boiler in between the two glasses. She also saw the two brass pipes running on both sides of the back head up to the injector controls, as well as all the various gauges, controls, and such. It all looked a little daunting to her, but Carrie knew full well that, as she got more and more experience at working on the railway, she would learn how to master these controls and prove herself to be a very good engineman.
They soon stopped right by the water tower, with the end of the tender coming to a stop in the right place where the crane could be swung over the back of the tender so they could refill the tank with water. The fireman and Carrie stepped off the footplate and walked to the back of the tender, where Carrie climbed up the ladder to the back as the fireman swung the crane arm of the water tower over to her. After opening the lid at the back of the tender, Carrie placed the hose into the tender tank and called out "Water on!" Acknowledging the instruction, the fireman turned the valve open and allowed the water to flow into the tender tank. Considering the tender tank's capacity of well over 8,000 gallons of water, it did take some time before the water space was completely filled up, but as soon as Carrie saw that the water level was getting very close to the top, she called out "Water off!" and the fireman closed the valve, shutting off the flow of water.
With the water space in the tender filled up, Carrie removed the hose from the opening at the back of the tender and, as the driver swung the arm inwards away from the track, Carrie closed the lid over the opening. And with that done, she made her way off the back of the tender down the ladder, and then set foot back on the ground.
A few minutes later, they had left the motive power depot and were making their way to Vicarstown Station to pick up their train. They were rolling in reverse to collect their train, and they were going along smoothly along the line, with the crew and Carrie keeping a close eye out from the cab as they got closer and closer to the station. The driver especially was keeping his hand close to the brake controls, so that they could come to a stop quickly should the need for it arise.
As they rolled along on the line, another train went past them on one of the lines to their right, heading on its way from Vicarstown to Knapford. It was a parcels train, and it was made up of different types of vans as well as a number of specially converted coaches. At the head of the parcels train was No.72009 Clan Stewart, who looked pleased to be taking such an important train on its journey to the other side of the Island of Sodor. Sounding his whistle in greeting to Duchess of Montrose, who sounded her whistle in return, the two engines went past each other.
They soon rolled along the long and wide red-brick bridge that took them to Vicarstown Station, and looking back from the cab, Carrie could see there was different activities taking place within the station, including passengers and staff standing about on some of the platforms, smoke chuffing from engines that were shunting the coaches into place, as well as the sights of luggage trolleys laden with bags being moved about on platforms to certain coaches built for taking luggage, and then the bags being loaded aboard the train.
However, as they got closer and closer to the station, and were switched onto the track that would take them to the platform where their train was waiting for them, which was Platform 1, Carrie saw there was another engine sitting in the station, on the line that ran adjacent to Platform 2. She could see that this engine looked very similar in overall appearances to the L.N.E.R. A4 Pacifics; indeed, this engine had a streamlined front end that was exactly identical to the streamlined front of an L.N.E.R. A4 Pacific, and it was painted in the L.N.E.R. Garter Blue livery. But then, Carrie saw 10000 painted in yellow with red edging on the engine's front buffer-beam, and as they slowed down and came alongside this engine, she saw the nameplate on the front left side of the engine; Pegasus. And then, looking down the rails, Carrie saw this engine wasn't an A4 Pacific as it didn't have a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement, but instead it had a 4-6-4 wheel arrangement. This locomotive was in fact the sole Gresley L.N.E.R. Class 4-6-4 W1 No.10000 Pegasus. (66)
After the driver brought Duchess of Montrose to a stop and as the shunter coupled up the L.M.S. Princess Coronation Pacific to the train, Carrie took a look over Pegasus; his Garter Blue paint was polished and rubbed down to a very high shine, and there didn't seem to be a spec of dirt or a streak anywhere on the paintwork. Looking down to below the cab, Carrie could see the two sets of wheels that supported the weight of the cab and firebox, as well as the actual size of the cab itself, both of which marked out this engine from any of the L.N.E.R. A4 Pacifics on Sodor.
(66): The sole member of the Gresley-designed L.N.E.R. W1 4-6-4 Class, No.10000, was a rather unique locomotive in British railway history as it was the only tender engine to be built in the U.K. with a 4-6-4, or Baltic, wheel arrangement, although several classes of tank engine were built with such a wheel arrangement by various other railway companies in the U.K., including the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, and the Furness Railway.
Famously known as the "Hush Hush" due to the initial secrecy that surrounded the project, the locomotive was designed by Nigel Gresley and was built at Darlington Works in 1929, finally emerging from the works in November of that year. What made this engine particularly unique when it first emerged was its interesting sloping front end with smoke-lifting plates, the unique 4-6-4 wheel arrangement, as well as its boiler, which was a Yarrow water-tube boiler and not a more traditional firetube boiler. Gresley had intended to use a water-tube boiler on one of his locomotive designs as an experiment to see if it could lead to reduced water and coal consumption, particularly after seeing its use on ships.
The water-tube boiler fitted to No.10000 was designed and built at Yarrows in Glasgow and took three years to design. It featured a triangular arrangement of a large central steam drum over two separate water drums, linked by multiple rows of slightly curved tubes. The firebox at the rear was wide and spanned the width of the frames, which placed the water drums at the limit of the loading gauge. Longitudinal superheater elements were placed between the steam generating tubes. A special boiler casing covered the boiler, and was also of a triangular, but curved, appearance
After the boiler was constructed, it was then fitted to the frames of the new engine at Yarrow in Glasgow, which had been rolled over for the job over lines owned by the L.M.S., resulting in the news engine being carefully covered with sheeting to keep it a secret from a rival railway company.
The boiler ran at a very high pressure of 450psi, which meant that a compound expansion system had to be used on No.10000; steam was fed into two high-pressure inside cylinders, which were 12in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, and were then fed into two larger outside low-pressure cylinders, which were 20in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke before being exhausted out through the chimney. The two inside high-pressure cylinders were later reduced in diameter to 10in. With the engine having six driving wheels that were 6ft 8in in diameter, it had an overall tractive effort of 32,000lbf.
No.10000 only used two sets of Walschaerts valve gear, which were paired with the outside cylinders, and Gresley used an ingenious unique system to give independent cut-off to the two high-pressure inside cylinders using the two sets of Walschaerts gear derived from the outside cranks on the Von Borries system, and using an inside half-length expansion link.
After completion at Darlington Works in November 1929 and being paired with a corridor tender that ran on eight wheels, as well as being painted in a lined dark battleship grey livery, No.10000 first moved under her own steam on December 12th, and then underwent six months of trials (including modifications) before she officially entered service with the L.N.E.R. Initially some problems became apparent with the design, which resulted, in April 1930, No.10000 having its superheater elements changed as they had experienced some overheating. The injectors were also found to have been in sufficient at keeping the water level adequate, and they did leak on occasion, and so they were replaced. The diameter of the blastpipe was reduced to 4.75in, and the maximum cut-off for the high-pressure valve gear was increased to 90% with a corresponding increase in the valve travel. After these modifications, No.10000 entered service on 20th June 1930.
During its initial time in service, No.10000 ran along the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh on non-stop express passenger trains. But further problems inevitably showed themselves, and so the engine was sent back into Darlington Works in August 1930 to have them sorted. Among the various modifications undertaken at the works included having an improved regulator valve incorporating a closing spring, fitting a soot-blower so the water tubes could be cleaned at regular intervals, as well as having a new three-part counterbalance fire door fitted. The two inside high-pressure cylinders were reduced in diameter to 10in as well. After these modifications were completed, No.10000 re-entered service in mid-January 1931.
In between January 1931 and late August 1935, No.10000 re-entered Darlington Works on a number of different occasions to have various faults and problems rectified or modified. Many of these fixes had varying degrees of success, but various faults continued to crop up. And so, as a result of the continuous problems that sole W1 4-6-4 had, it was decided by August 1935 that no more positive progress could be made on the design, and so it was felt that No.10000 should be rebuilt with a more conventional fire-tube boiler. And so, in mid-October 1936, No.10000 made its final run in its original form, from Darlington down to Doncaster Works to be rebuilt. By that point, it had run over 90,000 miles since December 1929. Of the 1,888 days since it was built, it had spent 1,105 days inside Darlington Works, leaving just 783 days when it was out on the main line doing revenue-earning work.
Work began to rebuild No.10000 so that it would be fitted with a conventional fire-tube boiler not long after it arrived on Doncaster. The new design for the rebuilt engine also included a conventional three-cylinder layout, and A4-style streamlining fitted at the front. During the rebuild, as much of the original locomotive was kept as possible, including the original frames, which were shortened by 18in. The four trailing wheels under the cab were retained, and Walschaerts valve gear were paired with the outside cylinders while the inside cylinder was driven by Gresley's conjugated valve gear. Side valances were fitted on both sides of the engine, which partially covered the driving wheels. A double chimney which was paired with a Kylchap exhaust system was fitted in the new smokebox
By the time the rebuilt No.10000 emerged from Doncaster Works in November 1937, it was a very different locomotive from how it looked previously; the cab was much larger and offered much better protection for the driver and fireman, and the engine, with its streamlined A4 front end, looked very smart in its L.N.E.R. Garter Blue livery. It was also paired with its original tender, which was also painted in Garter Blue like the locomotive. In its newly rebuilt form, the W1 weighed a little over 107 tons, slightly more than its original weight of slightly more than 103 tons in its original form.
The three cylinders of the rebuilt No.10000 were 20in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke which, combined with its new conventional fire-tube boiler that was fitted with superheating and pressed to 250psi, as well as the original 6ft 8in diameter driving wheels, gave the rebuilt engine a tractive effort of 41,437lbf. The new boiler had a grate area of 50sq feet, much larger than the original grate area of 34.95sq ft, which meant the W1 could burn any kind of fuel used in the firebox. The two outside cylinders used Walschaerts valve gear, while the inside cylinder used Gresley's conjugated valve gear. The new fire-tube boiler that the rebuilt W1 was fitted with was very identical to that which was fitted to P2 Class 2-8-2 No.2006 Wolf of Badenoch.
After being removed from the frames, No.10000's original high-pressure water-tube boiler was returned to Darlington Works, where it was used for pressure experiments as well as for space heating. Ironically, when the boiler was finally cut up for scrap in April 1965, it had lasted for six years longer than the rebuilt W1 had done.
Some feel that Gresley had planned to use the rebuilt W1 Class 4-6-4 as a test-bed for future changes to the A4 Class. Not long after the rebuilt W1 had re-entered traffic, plans were drawn up for the Kylchap blast pipe arrangement, along with a W1-type boiler, to be fitted to the A4 Class. In the event though, the boiler fitted to the W1 was never fitted to the A4 Class, although the Kylchap exhaust system was.
Once rebuilt, the W1 was put back to work on the East Coast Main Line, and was found to be working much better than it had been originally. One fault that was found with it was that the valves for the three cylinders were somewhat undersized, and so that issue did limit the speed at which the engine could go at. Nevertheless, with its very high tractive effort, its ability to haul heavy loads was deeply appreciated by the crews.
No replacement boiler was ever built for the W1. So as a result of this, overhauls of No.10000 tended to take quite a long time while major repairs were carried out on the boiler. There was a proposal at one point to fit the W1 with a boiler design from a Peppercorn Pacific, but this never actually took place.
During its career, No.10000 never carried a name. In its early form, it was known as the "Hush Hush" due to the initial secrecy that surrounded the project, as well as the "Galloping Sausage" as a result of its bulging boiler shape. Plans to name the engine British Enterprise in 1929 were dropped, although the nameplates had already been cast by that point. A plan in 1951 to name the engine Pegasus was also dropped for unknown reasons.
In World War II, the side valances were removed from the W1, a move in common with the L.N.E.R. A4 Class, so as to make maintenance easier. During a works visit in May/June 1948, No.10000 had its corridor tender exchanged for a non-corridor tender, which could carry 9 tons of coal and 5,000 gallons of water. It was repainted into B.R. dark blue livery with white lining, and was renumbered No.60700. In May 1952, the W1 was repainted in B.R. express passenger green livery with orange and black lining.
In September 1955, No.60700 suffered the first and only accident of its career when its front bogie frame broke not long after it had departed from Peterborough, and the locomotive derailed at a speed of 20mph at Westwood Junction. However, it was recovered and repaired.
In June 1959, with the engine becoming uneconomical to run, No.60700 was withdrawn from service and was cut up for scrap later on that same year. However, the corridor tender the W1 was paired with for much of its career did survive into preservation, and is currently paired with preserved L.N.E.R. A4 No.60009 Union of South Africa.
"Morning Pegasus." Duchess of Montrose said, as she was coupled up to her train.
"Good morning, Montrose!" Pegasus said, as he looked towards the L.M.S Princess Coronation Pacific.
"Where are you taking your train this morning?" Duchess of Montrose asked.
"I'm taking them along the northern route. And I've got quite lot of people who want to see all the scenery along that line, including tourists and holiday makers." Pegasus said, as his passengers boarded his train and took their seats in the coaches. He had about 18 coaches behind him, which meant he would have a very heavy to take out of Vicarstown this morning. But he was confident he could manage a train of this length and weight.
"Well, I'm on the morning express from here to Knapford." Duchess of Montrose said. Behind her, there were an identical number of coaches, 18 in all, which were filling up with passengers who were eager to get settled into the coaches so that they could enjoy their journey on their way to their destination.
"And I imagine that you'll be going faster than I will! Most of my passengers this morning are tourists who want to see the sights. And I have to stop at a number of stations on my way to Knapford along the northern route." Pegasus said.
"Oh, I will be! I'm gonna be on a non-stop run all the way to Knapford with this train!" Duchess of Montrose said.
But then suddenly, the conversation between the two was interrupted by a voice. It turned out to be none other than the driver of Pegasus, who was leaning out from the left-hand side of the cab of the L.N.E.R. W1.
"Stop gossiping, you two! We're both gonna be leaving with our trains in a few minutes!" he said.
"Yes, sir!" Duchess of Montrose and Pegasus said.
From the cab of Duchess of Montrose, Carrie leaned out from the left-hand side of the L.M.S. Duchess Pacific and looked back along the platform; she could see the crowds on the platform were slowly thinning out as the passengers were boarding all the coaches coupled behind them. It was then that Carrie noticed just how many coaches were coupled up behind them, and wondered if they would be able to get all these coaches moving when they finally set off from the station.
The minutes ticked by, and soon the clock over the platform showed the time as being 9:30am, which meant it was time for the train coupled to Duchess of Montrose was to set off on its way. The signalman in his signal box set the points and set the signal to show the way was clear for them to depart the station. At the same time, the guard stood out from his compartment at the front of the leading coach, and blew his whistle while he waved his green flag about before he then quickly stepped back into his compartment in the front coach and closed the door behind him.
"Okay, we've got the right away!" Carrie said to the driver.
"Understood! Let's go!" the driver said, as he blew the whistle loudly for a few seconds, and then he opened the regulator a little. With a loud rush of condensed steam from the cylinder drains, as well as the sounds of sharp chuffing from the double chimney and the wheels starting to move round on the steel rails, Duchess of Montrose slowly moved forwards, taking up the weight of her heavy train behind her, one coach at a time.
"I can do it! I can do it!" she said, as her wheels and four cylinders dug in to the task of getting the train moving.
"You're doing well, Duchess of Montrose!" Pegasus called, as he watched Duchess of Montrose move out of the station with her long and heavy train. One coach at a time went past him, slowly picking up a little bit of speed as they did so, with many faces of the passengers looking outside the windows as they went on by. In less than two minutes, the last of the coaches passed him by, rolling out of the station through the complex of point-work, and then onto the main line. As the last coach got further and further away, a silence gradually descended on the station, apart from the sounds of work being done within the station, as well as the sounds of Pegasus simmering away as he waited for the signal so he could leave the station.
(With Duchess of Montrose)
As they went along the long brick viaduct that went through the centre of Vicarstown town and out from Vicarstown Station into the countryside, the driver at the controls of Duchess of Montrose opened the regulator a little more and wound the reversing gear back towards mid-gear so as to use the steam in the boiler more efficiently. As the driver kept an eye on the track ahead, as well as for any signals, Carrie took a go on the shovel with stoking the boiler, as the fireman worked the firehole doors open and shut in between the times when Carrie was putting coal onto the fire, in order to limit the inflow of cold air into the firebox. Due to the size of the grate inside the fire-grate, which was 50sq ft in area, it meant a lot of coal had to placed inside to make the fire burn efficiently and make the necessary steam, and Carrie heaped the shovel high with a lot of coal in order to cover as much of the grate as possible, particularly along the sides and in the back corners.
"Okay Carrie, I think that'll be enough for now." the fireman said, as Carrie placed the sixth shovelful of coal into the firebox.
"All right, I just wanted to make sure there was enough in there to keep us going for a bit longer." Carrie said, as she handed the shovel to the fireman before she then went over and sat on the upholstered seat on the right-hand side of the footplate. Leaning out a little, she watched as they went along the line at a slowly increasing speed, and listened to the even rhythm of the four cylinders as they powered Duchess of Montrose and her long heavy train along the line.
After passing by Vicky Road Station, which was the site of a major rail junction, just a few miles to the west of Vicarstown, they proceeded on down the main line, consisting of three lines, towards Barrowdell Station, which was a very pleasant and well-maintained station with two long platforms stretching along the line, with a fairly large yard with a selection of sidings, engine sheds, and a turntable along one side of the line. The platforms themselves were quite clean with no litter to be seen anywhere, and the benches along the platforms having been painted and varnished fairly recently. Flower baskets with bright coloured flowers also hung over the platforms, and the walls of the main station buildings were very clean, having been given a fresh coat of paint recently, and the fenceposts lining the backs of the platforms also looked to be in good order too, having been cleaned and painted.
Standing on the line at Platform 1, Arthur was coupled to a line of seven coaches, and was waiting for passengers on the platform to board his train so he could take them down the Norramby branch line to the tourist coastal town of Norramby. This was his first train of the day, and he was looking forward to having a good day's work along the line taking tourists and holiday makers back and forth along the line.
As he waited for his passengers to board, he heard the sounds of a whistle from another engine coming from the direction of Crovan's Gate. A moment later, the engine came into view from round the bend along the line; it was B.R. Standard Class 7MT No.70046 Anzac, and he was coming into the station on a stopping service from Knapford to Vicarstown. Behind his tender were a line of ten coaches, each of which filled with people who were on their way to the destinations they wanted to go and visit today.
"Morning, Arthur!" Anzac said, as he slowly came to a halt alongside Platform 2.
"Morning, Anzac!" Arthur said, as the B.R. Britannia came to a stop with a sound of whooshing steam. The doors of the coaches that made up Anzac's train were opened and the passengers who wanted to get off at Barrowdell disembarked.
Then, just as the last passenger on Platform 1 boarded Arthur's train, there came the sounds of a number of deep-toned whistle blasts from somewhere further along the line in the direction of Vicarstown, followed shortly afterwards by the sounds of pistons pumping and the fast exhaust from a chimney getting closer and closer to them. A minute or so later, the source of the noise became apparent; it was Duchess of Montrose passing by on the middle line with her train. She was already going at a fair clip, now that she had fully taken up the heavy load of her long train behind her, and was going along at over 40mph as she went along the line between Anzac and Arthur.
"Hello, you two! Can't stop to chat!" she said, as her driver blew her deep-toned whistle again as they went on by with the sound of the coaches creating a whooshing sound.
"Hello, Duchess of Montrose!" Arthur and Anzac called, as they blew their whistles in greeting and then watched the L.M.S. Princess Coronation Class Pacific go on past with her train. After a few long moments, as the sounds of the last coaches of the express faded into the distance, it was time for Arthur to be on his way with his train down the Norramby Line. The guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag, as the signalman set the signal to clear and switched the points a little further down the line to allow Arthur to head down towards Norramby.
"Time for me to be on my way, Anzac!" Arthur said, as his driver blew the whistle before he opened the regulator. At the same time, the guard on Anzac's train also blew his whistle and waved his green flag.
"And it's time for me to be on my way as well!" Anzac said, as his whistle sounded and he slowly started off from the station. Arthur also pulled out from the station, and for a few moments there was the sounds of chuffing, whistling, and the sounds of coaches moving out from the station. But once the two engines and their coaches had left the station, silence descended upon the platforms, with the only people there being the station staff.
(With Duchess of Montrose)
Now that the train was rolling along at a quick and smooth pace along the main line, Carrie felt herself smile a little more as she leaned out the window on the fireman's side of the cab and looked ahead along the line. They were now coming upon a stretch of line where a two-lane main road ran parallel to the main line for a distance of about three or four miles. Looking to her right, Carrie saw the road running parallel to the line, and it was sitting somewhat lower than the railway lines they were currently going along, by at least 30 feet or so, although that height did vary as the road and railway went parallel together.
Looking down onto the road, Carrie could see a variety of different vehicles, including buses, private cars, a few small lorries, delivery vans, and motorcycles, and they seemed to be going along slowly due to the morning traffic rush. Seeing the road traffic move slowly, Carrie felt herself smile, considering the road vehicles were hardly moving and she was on a steam locomotive that was rushing along the main line at speed with a very long and heavy train while those who were driving along were forced to go slowly along the road.
"I'm very glad we're on this impressive engine rather than being down on that road!" Carrie said to the fireman.
"I know what you mean by that, Carrie! I sometimes feel sorry for those who are stuck on the roads while we're going along the line up here and at speeds like this!" the fireman said, as he took a look over the road as he took a rest from the task of stoking the boiler with fresh coal.
Looking back down towards the road, Carrie watched the traffic on the roads as the train went quickly along. At times, she could clearly see groups of railway enthusiasts with camera standing along the fence on the side of the line, and some of them waved to the train as it went on by. The driver would often reach for the whistle control and blew the whistle loudly in greeting to them, and Duchess of Montrose often called out "Hello!" to the watching groups as she went along, giving those watching an incredible sight to see as they stood and watched the train go on by.
After passing through Crovan's Gate Station, where they had to slow down somewhat as they went on through the station, they proceeded along the Southern Main Line towards Kellsthorpe Junction. Going along, they soon overtook another train that was going along the down line to their left, and which was also heading in the same direction towards Kellsthorpe Junction. This train was a slow freight, and was a mixed freight as it consisted of all different types of freight rolling stock coupled up together. Having just taken a break from stoking the firebox with coal, Carrie went and took a look out from the driver's side of the cab, and watched as they went alongside and then gradually overtook this slower freight train. As they went along, and the clouds of smoke and steam they came upon became more frequent and thicker, Carrie wondered which engine was pulling it.
She found out soon enough; as they approached the front of the freight train, Carrie looked out and saw that it was being hauled by No.42924, who was an example of the L.M.S. Hughes Crab Class 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotives (67). Looking along the length of No.42924 as they went by him and his own train, Carrie could see that the tender was slightly narrower than the locomotive was, and that the tender had coal rails fitted along the top so as to allow more coal to be carried aboard it. She could also see that the paintwork of this engine they were overtaking, though clean, wasn't quite up to the standard that Duchess of Montrose's paintwork had been polished and cleaned. Carrie then saw into the footplate of No.42924; the driver was at the controls and keeping an eye out on the line ahead of them, while the fireman was working away at stoking the firebox with more coal.
(67): The L.M.S. Hughes Crab 5MT 2-6-0 mixed traffic class was designed by George Hughes, who was the C.M.E. of the L.M.S. from its inception in 1923 until 1925. The class was designed for mixed-traffic duties on the L.M.S. system due to the inadequacies of many previous locomotive designs that had been built under the auspices of the Midland Railway, many of which were too small and underpowered for the increasing traffic appearing on the L.M.S.
The inspiration for the new 2-6-0 design came from a new design from the Caledonian Railway around the time of the grouping, however the cylinders were too large in size for most sectors of the L.M.S., especially those within England, where the loading gauge limits wouldn't allow such an engine. So, it meant that Hughes had to adapt the design so it could be more effectively used. The new design incorporated a number new features which were quite an advancement in locomotive engineering for the time, including long travel valve Walschaerts valve gear, compensated brake gear, a new tender design, as well as a new boiler, which was based off the boiler design that had been fitted to Hughes' four-cylinder Baltic Class 4-6-4T tank engine that had been built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.
During the design process, when Henry Fowler had taken over as the C.M.E. of the L.M.S., Fowler tried to incorporate standard Derby components into the design, but by that point the design process had progressed sufficiently enough to prevent the fitment of a smaller Derby boiler design, and the cylinders and motion remained the same as Hughes had designed. The new design was paired with a tender that was slightly narrower than the cab of the locomotive and carried 3,500 gallons of water in the tank. The locomotive was fitted with Standard Midland boiler fittings and brake equipment, and so the new locomotive became something of a hybrid design.
In total, 245 examples of the Hughes Crab 2-6-0 design were built between 1926 and 1932, with 70 being built at Horwich, and the remaining 175 locomotives being built at Crewe. The locomotives had high running plates, with the two outside cylinders being set up very high and at a sharp angle to the footplate. With the cylinders being set up so high, the engines initially earned the nickname of "Spiders", but they later received the more common nickname of "Crabs". Another reason they received the nickname of "Crabs" is that the locomotives produced a sort of a rocking motion from side to side, largely due to their cylinders when the engines were working hard. They also received the nickname of "froth-blowers" due to the fact that they tended to prime easily if the boiler was overfilled with water, or if the feedwater was contaminated.,
The two outside cylinders were 21in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, and were paired with a boiler fitted with superheating and pressed to 180psi and driving wheels that were 5ft 6in in diameter, all of which combined to give Hughes' Crabs a maximum tractive effort of 26,580lbf. The class were initially numbered from No.13000 to No.13244, but under the L.M.S. 1933 renumbering scheme they were renumbered from No.2700 to No.2944. When nationalisation of the railways took place in January 1948, the class was renumbered again by having 40000 added to their numbers, this time becoming No.42700 to No.42944.
In 1931, five examples of the class, No.13118, No.13122, No.13124, No.13125 and No.13129, were fitted with Lentz rotary valve gear and new cylinders as an experiment, but it proved to be of no great advantage over piston valve gear. In 1952-1954, these same five engines were rebuilt with Reidinger poppet valve gear, but also proved to be inferior at steam distribution.
During their working lives on the line, most members of the class were found working on the Midland Region, with many being concentrated in Lancashire. By the end of 1960, 17 examples had been assigned to sheds in the Eastern Region. Those that were based in Scotland could be found at sheds in Perth and Dundee Tay Bridge. They could also be found in Carlisle Kingmoor, as well as Dumfries, Hamilton, and Polmadie.
By the early 1960's, despite the slowly growing lack of maintenance steam locomotives were subjected to at this time, Hughes' 5MT Crabs performed well on all types of traffic they were tasked with pulling. They even gained a good reputation in some area, most notably in Scotland, where they became the preferred locomotive for working heavy, unfitted mineral trains along difficult routes, even after Stanier had introduced his Class 5MT 4-6-0 locomotives or "Black Fives".
In 1961, the first three members of the class, No.42864, No.42893, and No.42930, were withdrawn from service at Sheffield Grimesthorpe and Rotherham Sheds. The rest of the class was phased out over the next six years, with 1962 seeing the highest number of withdrawals when 61 engines were removed from service. In 1967, the final two examples of the class, No.42727 and No.42942, were withdrawn from service.
Thankfully, three examples of the class have survived into preservation. These three engines are;
No.2700; built in Horwich in 1926 and withdrawn from service in March 1966, she spent some time on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway for a while before being moved to East Lancs Railway in the 1990's. In 2010, the engine was repainted into L.M.S. crimson livery and had her original number of No.13000 reinstated. Felt to be in a worn-out condition, which would mean a very expensive overhaul to return her to running order again, No.13000 is currently on static display at the National Railway Museum in York as part of the National Collection.
No.2765; built in Crewe in 1927 and withdrawn from service in 1966, she was sold to Woodham's Yard at Barry, South Wales where it arrived in June 1967 and remained there until April 1978. After being rescued, she was taken to the East Lancs Railway to be restored to running order, after which she ran as No.42765 in black livery until she was withdrawn for an overhaul. She returned to working order as No.13065 and painted in L.M.S. crimson livery in 2014. As of 2023, No.13065 is undergoing another major overhaul at the East Lancs Railway.
No.2859; built in Crewe in 1930 and withdrawn from service in 1966, she was sent to Woodham's Yard in Barry, where she remained until 1986 when she was removed from the yard for restoration. As of 2023, No.2859 is in a dismantled condition and awaiting an overhaul. This will also include the construction of a brand-new boiler as the one it had when it was rescued was considered to be beyond economic repair.
As they overtook No.42924, the driver sitting at the controls of Duchess of Montrose blew the whistle in greeting as the Princess Coronation Pacific called out "Hello!" to the smaller Crab 2-6-0 that was going along with his own train. In return, the driver of the smaller mixed traffic 5MT 2-6-0 also blew his own whistle in reply, as No.42924 also called out "Good morning, Duchess of Montrose!" as he watched the larger express passenger engine go on quickly past him with her long and heavy train, as he went along at a slower pace with his own train.
It wasn't long before Duchess of Montrose reached Kellsthorpe Junction, and, slowing down so as to go safely through the junction, they went on over the series of points and over the junction and onto the line that would take them directly towards Knapford. As Carrie took another go at stoking the large firebox with the shovel, the fireman looked out from his side of the cab and looked back at the train as the coaches came over the junction and onto the line behind them.
"All the coaches are following along smoothly behind us!" the fireman called to the driver, as he turned to look towards the driver.
"All right! I guess we can pick up some more speed!" the driver said, as he opened the regulator a little more and wound the reversing gear back towards mid-gear. In between them, having just placed the sixth or seventh shovelful of coal into the firebox, Carrie closed the firebox doors most of the way, leaving only a narrow gap so as to allow additional air into the firebox to help combust the fuel, and then she handed the shovel back to the fireman and went to sit down on the fireman's side of the cab.
Passing through Kellsthorpe Station, where L.N.E.R. A3 Class No.60102 Sir Frederick Banbury, who just liked to be called Frederick, was seen standing at one of the other platforms with his train and picking up more passengers. As she approached and then went through the station, Duchess of Montrose blew her whistle in greeting to her former L.N.E.R. rival, who blew his whistle back in reply, the L.M.S. Pacific rushed on through the station with her train following smoothly behind her. A little way on down the line, there was a bridge that carried a single track over the main line and, as Duchess of Montrose approached and then passed beneath the bridge, Carrie, who had been leaning out from the fireman's side of the cab, looked up and saw another train passing over the bridge; it was a freight train made up of a number of different box vans being hauled by B.R. Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.80020, and he was taking the train along the line that went along the bridge down to Kirk Ronan Station, which served the town of Kirk Ronan, a settlement situated along the southside of an estuary leading out into the waters of the Irish Sea.
Inside the coaches, all the passengers had settled down in their seats and were relaxing and chatting with each other, or working away on their laptops, playing small board games they had with them, or sat back and read their books. At the same time, the stewards and stewardesses were going through the train with their serving trolleys and serving out a selection of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, and snacks to the passengers, while the two kitchen cars on the train were also serving out hot food to passengers who wanted to have hot food, including full English breakfasts.
Many of the passengers were already enjoying trip along the main line, especially as the coaches were riding along very smoothly on well-maintained rails, and they were already feeling quite comfortable. Many of them looked outside the windows at the landscape passing by outside, and every now and then they saw things that would catch their attention go by before they would disappear from view.
Passing through the station at Rossington Junction, where G.W.R. 43XX 2-6-0 No.4320 was seen standing at one of the bay platforms with a short train of six coaches behind him, Duchess of Montrose went on through the station, with many people who were standing on the platforms waving in greeting to the L.M.S. Pacific as she passed through with her long and heavy train. From the footplate, Carrie stood along the driver's side just behind where the driver was sitting, having just had another go at stoking the firebox with the shovel, and looked over some of the controls the driver was using, as well as some of the various gauges before them, as they went along. Looking towards the speedometer, she saw they were going along at just about 75mph, which was the maximum speed allowed for trains to go along when they were travelling on the Southern Main Line
Looking up a bit, Carrie saw the steam chest pressure gauge, and the indicator arrow moving about inside it as the steam pressure constantly went back and forth through the boiler and down into the cylinders. Looking towards the brake control gauge, she saw the two indicator arrows for the brakes on both the locomotive and tender were between 21 and 25 on the gauge, and then looking over towards the main boiler pressure gauge on the fireman's side of the footplate, Carrie saw the indicator arrow within the gauge showed the boiler pressure was just below the maximum pressure of 250psi. It was clear that her efforts of keeping the firebox filled with coal were paying off handsomely, and it made her smile somewhat.
Then the driver reached up, and grabbed the whistle cord before pulling it, sounding the whistle loud and long.
"What's happening?" Carrie asked the driver, as the sounds of the deep-toned whistle went everywhere.
"We're just coming upon the next station…Killdane-upon-Barn." the driver said, as he then pulled on the whistle cord again. As the loud familiar sounds spread out, Carrie stood behind where the driver was sitting and looked out ahead as they quickly approached the station. Keeping one hand firmly on her cap so that it wouldn't blow away, as well as keeping the other firmly along the side of the cab, Carrie leaned out a little and wondered what they'd see when they passed through Killdane-upon-Barn. The driver had already shut the regulator by some way and reached for the brake controls, due to the fact there was a speed limit of about 40mph going through the station.
As they gradually and gently slowed down, the fireman took the chance to turn on the injectors to top up the boiler with more water, and the sound of hissing soon filled the cab as the boiler slowly filled up with more water with the fireman keeping a close eye on the two water gauge glasses in front of him so as not to overfill the boiler.
Going round the last bend before the station, they were going along at about 40mph, which was a much safer speed when they had to go through the station, and they went through Killdane-upon-Barn. As they were going at a slower speed, Carrie was able to see a lot more things going on than she would have normally been able to if they were going along at a higher speed of 75mph.
Carrie could see members of station staff standing on the platform and working away at various jobs, including water flowers in the hanging baskets, sweeping the platform, emptying some of the litter bins, as well as moving things about on hand trucks. Some of the station staff even paused from whatever jobs they were doing and waved at Duchess of Montrose as she went on by with her train. Looking into the yards that were by the station, Carrie could see different trucks parked in some of the different sidings, as well as a number of box vans sitting at a loading platform and which were being loaded up with a number of different boxes and packages that were sitting on the loading platform.
Then, as the turntable and the small engine depot in the yard came into view, Carrie saw another locomotive sitting on the turntable and being turned around. Getting closer and closer to it, Carrie saw that the engine was painted in an unlined plain black livery with the letters L.N.E.R. painted on its tender in bright yellow paint with red edging, and had a 2-8-0 wheel arrangement with small driving wheels. In fact, that locomotive Carrie had just seen was a Great Central Railway Class 8K / L.N.E.R Class O4 2-8-0 heavy freight engine (68), and it was No.3611, with the numbers painted onto the side of the cab in bright yellow paint with red edging. There was a thin column of grey smoke rising from the O4s chimney, which meant that the fire was burning nicely and making steam within the boiler.
(68): The Great Central Railway's Class 8K 2-8-0 heavy freight locomotive was designed by John G. Robinson, who was the Chief Mechanical Engineer (C.M.E.) of the Great Central Railway between 1900 and 1922. The class was intended to haul heavy coal traffic on the G.C.R. to the docks at Immingham, and would emerge as one of the most successful classes of steam locomotives of the 20th century. Built at Gorton Locomotive Works in Manchester, the very first example of the class, No.966, emerged from the works in September 1911. The new 8K Class was based on Robinson's existing Q4 Class 0-8-0, but it was larger so as to give a much greater haulage capacity.
The 8K Class were fitted with a boiler that was fitted with superheating and pressed to 180psi, and was paired with driving wheels that were 4ft 8in in diameter and two large outside cylinders that were 21in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke. All these combined to give the 8K Class a maximum tractive effort of 31,325lbf. The original slide valve in the cylinders of the Q4 were replaced with piston valves that were 10in in diameter and positioned between the frames.
The new class quickly proved themselves to be very popular with their crews, and by the end of June 1914 six batches, totalling 126 locomotives built up to that time, were in traffic on the G.C.R.
During the First World War, the Railway Operating Division (R.O.D.) of the Royal Engineers of the British Army commenced operations in France in 1916. Due to the lack of French and Belgian locomotives, which were being kept well away from the front line, British locomotives were brought over to help move supplies, troops, and equipment up to the front line, and they included the G.C.R.'s 8K 2-8-0 design, which was eventually chosen as the standard design for the R.O.D. The first orders for 223 examples of the new engine were placed between February and June 1917, with a second batch of orders for 100 engines being placed February and August 1918.
In total, 521 examples of the R.O.D. 2-8-0 were built for war service, and they were built in a variety of different works within the U.K. These works included;
The North British Locomotive Company, which built 369 locomotives.
Robert Stephenson and Company, which built 82 examples.
Nasmyth Wilson and Company, which built 32 engines.
Kitson and Company, which constructed 32 locomotives.
The G.C.R. Gorton Works, which built 6.
Of the initial order for 323 locomotives, 311 were shipped across the Channel to France for war service, where they mainly worked at hauling military traffic, including supplies, troops, and equipment up to near the front line, as well as some civilian services well away from the front line. After the Armistice of November 1918, most of the class were returned to the U.K., but some were used on through-trains from Cologne to Calais.
After the war came to an end, many of the R.O.D. 2-8-0s were loaned out to various British Railway companies between 1919 and 1921 in order to cover freight traffic while the various companies overhauled and repaired their war-weary locomotive fleets. After being put into storage for a while, the engines were then sold to the following railway companies.
The Great Central Railway: bought 3 engines, and these were numbered No.1, No.3 and No.8. They were later absorbed into the L.N.E.R. locomotive fleet.
The Great Western Railway: bought 100 locomotives, 20 in 1919 and the remaining 80 in 1925, where they became the G.W.R.'s 30XX Class and were numbered from No.3000 to No.3099. During their time on the G.W.R., they were used on heavy freight trains, with the boilers being pressed to 185psi, with the tractive effort increasing to 32,197lbf. They also acquired Swindon fittings, including top feed and brass safety valve casings, and they were also painted in G.W.R. green. The first withdrawals were made in 1927, but 45 examples of the class survived to become part of B.R.'s Western Region fleet upon nationalisation in January 1948, but by October 1958 the final three examples in service, No.3011, No.3014 and No.3024, were withdrawn from service. None of the G.W.R. 30XX Class have survived into preservation.
The London and North Eastern Railway: bought 273 examples of the class between 1923 and 1927 in order to supplement the 131 existing G.C.R. Class 8K engines, and the 17 similar 8M Class engines, it already had, thus becoming the largest purchaser of ex-R.O.D. 2-8-0's, with well over 420 engines. This large fleet of O4s served widely throughout the L.N.E.R. system, and many were modified over the years in order to prolong their useful life.
The London and North Western Railway: bought 30 examples in 1920. When the grouping took place in 1923, these 30 engines became part of the locomotive fleet of the L.M.S.
The London Midland and Scottish Railway: after taking in the 30 examples bought by the L.N.W.R., the L.M.S. bought a further 75 examples of the class in 1927. However, the amount of work the ex-R.O.D. 2-8-0's could do on the L.M.S. was severely restricted by its high axle-loading. Withdrawals of the class began in 1928, and the last of them was withdrawn in 1932. However, about 30 examples were sold to China without their tenders, where they became the China Railway KD4.
In the 1920's, 13 R.O.D.s were purchased directly from the War Department by J&A Brown between March 1925 and March 1927, and were shipped down to Australia, where they were used on the privately owned Richmond Vale Railway in New South Wales. Although the line bought 13 engines, not all of them were in service on the line at any one time, with the maximum number in service at any one time usually being around 10 engines. The last of the 13 engines was withdrawn from service on that line in June 1973.
The O4s that were owned by the L.N.E.R. were modified in various different ways during their working lives, including having chimneys of slightly lower heights being fitted, having new boilers with round-topped fireboxes fitted in preference to their original boilers that were fitted with Belpaire fireboxes, as well as having brand-new cabs with side windows amongst others.
In total, there were eight sub classes of the O4 Class. These included;
O4/1: introduced in 1911; had Robinson G.C.R. boiler with Belpaire firebox, steam and vacuum brakes, and a water scoop on the tenders, which could carry 4,000 gallons of water.
O4/2: introduced in 1925; they were Class O4/3 with cab roofs and boiler mountings reduced in height so as to fit the Scottish loading gauge. From 1925 onwards, they were converted. They were initially paired with tenders that could carry 3,250 gallons of water, but they were later paired with tenders that could carry 4,000 gallons of water. In 1946, they were reclassified at O4/1.
O4/3: introduced in 1917; these were R.O.D. locomotives with no water scoops on their tenders, and only had steam brakes fitted in the cabs. They were reclassified at O4/1 in 1947.
O4/4: rebuilt with a Class O2 boiler, had the rear frames extended, and side-window cabs fitted. The last of these were converted to O4/8 in 1947. The last of these engines were converted to O4/8 in 1947.
O4/5: rebuilt with a shortened Class O2 boiler, and retained the G.C.R.-style cab. The boilers had round-top fireboxes and the smokeboxes sat on a saddle.
O4/6: introduced in 1924; rebuilt from O5 and retained a higher cab, with No.63914 to No.63920 having side-window cabs fitted. All cabs were eventually reduced in height.
O4/7: introduced in 1939; rebuilt with a shortened Class O2 boiler with round-top fireboxes, and retained the original G.C.R. smokeboxes.
O4/8: introduced in 1944; rebuilt with Class B1 boilers, and B1-style side-window cabs, but they kept the original valve gear and cylinders. A total of 99 were built between 1944 and 1948.
Between 1944 and 1949, 58 examples of the O4 Class were withdrawn by Edward Thompson and were rebuilt at Gorton Works, being fitted with a brand new 100A boiler pressed to 225psi, new cylinders that were 20in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, and Walschaerts valve gear. These re-built O4s were reclassified as O1s, and looked quite modern locomotives, being a 2-8-0 version of Thompson's B1 Class 4-6-0 mixed traffic engine.
During the Second World War, the War Department needed heavy freight engines for war work, and so requisitioned 92 L.N.E.R. O4s. Of these, 61 were R.O.D.s that had seen service in the First World War, and 31 were original G.C.R. Class 8K engines. These engines were shipped off to Egypt and the Middle East, where they worked on the Egyptian State Railways, Palestine Railways, as well as on the Haifa, Beirut, and Tripoli Railway between Palestine and Lebanon, as well as in Syria and Iraq. The railways in Iraq received 6 examples which were designated as Class RD. In March 1967, at least one example was in storage and awaiting disposal at the Shalchiyah works outside Baghdad. None of the 92 L.N.E.R. O4s acquired by the War Department ever returned to Britain after the war.
After the war, in 1952, the U.K. shipped a further five R.O.D.s, which had been converted to burn oil, out to the Middle East, where they worked within the Suez Canal zone until 1955, and then passed into the ownership of the Egyptian State Railways until they were withdrawn in 1961.
After the war, the remaining 329 L.N.E.R. O4s, including those rebuilt by Thompson as Class O1s, passed into British Railways ownership, and they were renumbered as No.63570 to No.63920. For the rest of their working lives, the class worked away on heavy freight trains widely throughout B.R.'s Eastern and North Eastern Regions, and without attracting too much attention. Many also worked on heavy coal trains from collieries in South Yorkshire. Many were allocated to depots in Gorton, Mexborough, Annesley, Retford, Sheffield, and Immingham.
Withdrawals of the class began in December 1958, and continued on until April 1966, when the final four Class O4/8s were removed from service. The last O4 with an original Belpaire boiler was withdrawn from regular service in February 1966.
Thankfully, four examples of the G.C.R. Class 8K / L.N.E.R Class O4 have survived into preservation. Three of the R.O.D.s that were shipped down to Australia in the 1920s have survived. These three engines are ex-R.O.D. No.1984, ex-R.O.D. No.2004, and ex-R.O.D. No.2003. Both No.1984 and No.2003 are currently on display at the Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum, while No.2004 is on public display at the Richmond Vale Railway Museum. The two engines on display at Dorrigo had served in France during the First World War.
The fourth example to have survived is Class O4 No.63601, and she's a part of the National Collection, and is on permanent loan to the preserved Great Central Railway, a line which saw many examples of the 8K/O4 Classes travel along it back in the days of steam. After having sat largely unrestored for many years after she was withdrawn, restoration work began in late 1996, with a lot of work begin done to repair and overhaul everything on the engine, which was completely stripped down. By 2000, the work was completed, and No.63601 moved under her own power for the first time in 36 years. During her time in preservation, No.63601 has also travelled to other heritage railways throughout the U.K., including the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, as well as to the National Railway Museum in York.
As Carrie watched this engine being turned on the turntable as they went on by the yard, the driver sitting in his driver's seat blew the whistle in greeting to the L.N.E.R. Class O4 2-8-0, and the driver of the 2-8-0 also blew his own whistle in greeting to the larger L.M.S. Pacific as she went on by with her heavy passenger train. It wasn't too long before Duchess of Montrose had gone by with her train, with her picking up some more speed as she headed along the main line towards Knapford,
On the footplate of Duchess of Montrose, the fireman placed the shovel back into the coal space at the front of the tender, and then he turned and reached for the white insulated container sitting on the warming plate over the firehole doors.
"Anyone fancy a cup of tea while its nice and hot?" he asked, as he opened the container.
"I wouldn't mind one." Carrie said.
"Me too!" the driver said, as he opened the regulator and adjusted the reversing gear before him. And so, the fireman filled up three white enamel mugs with steaming hot tea, being careful not to pour too much in, and then handed one mug each to Carrie and the driver, before he took the third mug and replaced the cap on top of the container, before he then placed the container back onto the warming plate over the firebox doors.
As she sat on the upholstered bucket seat on the fireman's side, Carrie sipped on her tea while she watched everything going by on the side of the line she was seeing. At one point, as she took a long sip of tea, another engine went on past them on the other line, with its whistle blowing loudly and the sound of its train creating loud noises as it went on by. Carrie took a look out and saw it was a freight train, but it was just a bit too late to see which engine was pulling it. After a few more seconds, the end of the freight train went on by them, and Carrie finished off her tea, and then stood up to take another go at stoking the boiler.
After she finished, she handed the shovel back to the fireman.
"Hey, Carrie...let me show you how to work the coal pusher in the tender." the fireman said, as he put the shovel into the coal space and then went to a lever, with a plaque with "Coal Pusher" behind it, fitted on the front of the tender.
"How does it work?" Carrie asked.
"Just pull this lever like this." the fireman said, as he pulled the lever. With a hissing sound, the coal pusher came to life and pushed the coal from the back of the coal space in the tender further forward to the part where it was shovelled off. The coal made a loud clattering noise as it was pushed forward. Then the fireman released the lever, and the coal pusher stopped pushing down and retracted back up to where it had been before.
"Now that's a great little idea." Carrie said, genuinely impressed by such a thing as coal pusher.
"It is, isn't it? It really makes a massive difference in being able to move large quantities of coal from the back of the tender down to the fall plate where you shovel it into the firebox." the fireman said.
"Do many of the tender engines on Sodor have this fitted to them?" Carrie asked.
"Quite a few do, but not all. On the smaller tender engines particularly, there's no need to have coal pushers fitted in the tenders." the fireman said, as he took hold of the shovel again. Carrie went over to the fireman's seat and sat back down before looking out ahead again.
(A little later on)
After continuing on up they lined, where they passed through Killdane, Cronk, and Maron Stations without any incident, they came upon Gordon's Hill and so they had to slow down quite considerably while they were descending the hill. Going up the gentle-sloping eastern side of the hill, the driver had already closed the regulator most of the way and had put the brakes on, slowing the train down to about 25mph, just below the maximum speed allowed for a passenger train to go down Gordon's Hill.
"I reckon the water level shall be okay as we go down the hill." the fireman said, having double-checked the two water gauge glasses.
"All right, I just hope we can get this long train down the hill okay." the driver said, as he acknowledged what the fireman had said before he looked forward along the line towards the crest of the hill.
From where she was sitting on the fireman's seat, Carrie also looked forward along the line and looked out for the signal box at the crest of Gordon's Hill. Having just finished taking another go at stoking the boiler a few moments before, she was taking a moment to rest the muscles in her arms before she took the shovel in her hands again.
Then, as they went along the level stretch before the crest of Gordon's Hill, she saw the signal box ahead of them.
"There's the signal box!" she said, while she pointed out ahead.
"Okay, Carrie!" the driver said, as he reached up and grabbed the whistle cord. With Duchess of Montrose sounding her whistle loudly, they approached the signal box and then went over the crest and down the western side of Gordon's Hill. With the driver keeping one hand on the regulator and the other on the brake controls, they made a steady descent of the hill. Taking a quick look back as they descended the hill, Carrie could see the coaches were descended along steadily behind the tender as they topped the crest of the hill one by one. As she felt herself smile, Carrie turned back to look ahead as they descended the hill.
A few moments later, a column of dark-grey smoke came into view from round the corner at the bottom of the hill, and a second later the cause of it was seen; it was none other than B.R. Standard Class 8P No.71002 Duke of Norfolk, and he was on a routine journey along the Southern Main Line from Knapford to Vicarstown with a mid-morning express, which today consisted of 16 Pullman coaches coupled up behind him. The coaches had been polished and cleaned down so they looked very smart for the passengers they were carrying. As Duke of Norfolk started climbing the hill with his train, Duchess of Montrose came closer and closer towards him on the line she was on. Seeing the B.R. Standard Class 8P approach her on the other line, Duchess of Montrose blew her whistle in greeting, to which Duke of Norfolk replied by blowing his whistle in response.
"Morning, Duke of Norfolk!" the L.M.S. Duchess said, as she went on down the hill past him.
"Good morning to you too, Duchess of Montrose!" Duke of Norfolk said, as he climbed the hill with all his might. But he was helped out in that regard due to the fact he had a pair of bankers pushing hard at the back of the train; these two bankers were G.W.R. Hawksworth Pannier Class 0-6-0T tank engines No.9406 and No.8450, and they were pushing as hard as they could to help get the train up Gordon's Hill. They were pushing so hard in fact that the exhausts from their chimneys were forcing columns of grey-white smoke and steam very high into the air. The noise echoed everywhere, and anyone who was standing very close to the side of the line would have had to cover their ears when the train came very close to them.
In the meantime, Duchess of Montrose soon reached the curve at the bottom of Gordon's Hill and went round it to the right before the train then turned round the curve to the left and passed under the red-brick road bridge before they made their way towards Wellsworth Station not too far away. They passed by the junction leading down to Brendam Docks and over the level crossing immediately adjacent to it, where Bertie the Bus was seen waiting behind the gates on the north side of the crossing, before heading along the last stretch of line that led towards Wellsworth Station.
Standing at Platform 2 at Wellsworth, Edward was coupled to a line of coaches and picking up passengers to take down to Brendam Docks. As he waited to set off, he heard the sounds of a deep-toned whistle in the distance leading towards Gordon's Hill.
"I wonder who this engine is?" Edward said quietly, as he knew there were a number of L.M.S. engines on Sodor who had that kind of whistle. He found out soon enough, as after a few moments Duchess of Montrose came round the slight bend and under the bridge before going through the station.
"Hello, Edward!" Duchess of Montrose said, as she approached and then went on by with her long train.
"Good morning, Duchess of Montrose!" Edward said, as he blew his own whistle in reply. He watched as 18 coaches went by him in a swirling cloud of smoke and steam, and he was very impressed by how long the train was, and how many people he could see in it.
"I'm impressed to see a train like that being hauled along behind such an impressive engine." said Edward's driver, as he had also seen the train go by.
"I know I certainly could never manage a train like that." Edward said.
"And that's why you never should, old boy. You should only take whatever trains you can manage." the driver said.
"I know that." Edward said, with a smile.
(With Duchess of Montrose)
After passing over the viaduct, the long and heavy train continued on down the line towards Crosby Station, now going along at around 65mph and steadily building up as they went along the line. At that moment, Carrie was taking another go with the shovel at stoking the boiler, and had placed one load into the area beneath the firehole door, before she then turned round and refilled the shovel with more coal from the coal space in the tender.
Turning round with laden shovel in her hands, she had to do what she could to keep her balance as she moved the coal from the tender into the firebox, particularly as there was the possibility of the cab rocking from side to side at times as they went along. Yet, despite the speed they were going at, as well as the fact the cab did rock back and forth a little at times, Carrie was able to keep her feet as she stoked the boiler.
After placing seven shovelfuls of coal into the firebox, where she placed the coal to where it was needed to help burn efficiently and make steam in the boiler, she straightened up and handed the shovel back to the fireman.
"Don't push yourself too hard, Carrie. After all, we don't want you to wear yourself out, or even pull a muscle or anything like that." the fireman said, as he watched Carrie place her hands on her lower back and rub her lower back muscles while pushing her waist forward a little.
"I'll try not to, sir. But I don't want us to run out of steam on the main line." Carrie said, as she then went over to sit down for a bit.
"I know that, but we only need to put into the firebox as much coal as the fire can handle." the fireman said, as he went and checked the boiler pressure gauge. The indicator arrow showed the pressure in the boiler just a little below the maximum pressure of 250psi, which meant they would have maximum power to keep the train moving along.
"But, even so, you seem to have done a good job with stoking the boiler, Carrie. We're just slightly below the maximum point on the gauge." the fireman said.
"Thanks." Carrie said, as she gave a small smile.
After continuing down the main line, where they went through Henry's Tunnel and past a stretch of line known as the Forest Run-by, they finally approached the final stretch of line before Knapford Station. Passing under the road bridge before the station, they went by the bus depot and junction that led to the Farquhar Branch Line, and then round the gentle bend to the left with Knapford Station coming into view a short way ahead of them. Looking out from the fireman's side of the cab as they slowed down, Carrie was pleased to see that it was the end of the morning journey and that they had arrived safely.
From Platform 1 at Knapford, a passenger train was just departing from the station, and it was being hauled by Henry, who appeared to be in a good mood this morning, judging from the smile on his face.
"Morning, Duchess of Montrose!" Henry said, blowing his whistle in greeting as he went by on his way out of the station with his train.
"Good morning, Henry!" Duchess of Montrose said, as she slowly rolled into the station on the line adjacent to Platform 2, where there were a number of station staff on duty, waiting to help any passengers who needed assistance, including with luggage trolleys and a few wheelchair ramps.
With a gentle squealing sound from the brakes, hissing clouds of white steam, as well as some sighs of relief from her crew, Duchess of Montrose came to a gentle stop at the end of Platform 2.
"And there we are…we've arrived safe and sound!" she said, as she smiled and let off some more steam from her cylinders drain valves.
"Well done, old girl! Great work at getting this very heavy train here!" her driver said, as he patted the side of the cab.
Along the train, the doors were opened and the passengers disembarked, before making their way along the platform to the footbridge. As a few of them went by the L.M.S. Princess Coronation Pacific standing at the end of the platform, many couldn't help but admire Duchess of Montrose and be impressed by her size and how she seemed to exude a sense of power and might.
As the passengers made their way out from the station, a shunter got between the tender and first coach of the train and uncoupled them, as well as disconnecting the brake pipes. After he finished, he made his way out and up to the fireman's side of the cab.
"Okay, you're all uncoupled back here!" he called up to the cab.
"Thanks very much!" the fireman called down to the shunter.
"Okay, let's get back to Tidmouth Sheds!" the driver said, as he reached for the regulator. After giving a quick blast on the whistle, as well as having been given the "all clear" to leave, they slowly rolled out from the station and back up the line to the Tidmouth Motive Power Depot. Once they got there, Carrie could put her things into a locker until she got back later in the day and would then be assigned to a new engine to work on, while the crew of Duchess of Montrose could help with getting their engine ready for her next duties a little later in the day.
(Soon, at Tidmouth Sheds)
Once Duchess of Montrose had arrived and had been turned on the turntable, she reversed into one of the berths in the shed where she could be looked over and be made ready for her other work later on. As work began, Carrie went over to the crew building to place her bag into a locker, and then, once she had locked it away and had the key in place from its chain around her neck, she stepped back outside to be assigned to her next engine for the rest of the day. She saw the yard foreman was waiting for her, a clipboard in his hands.
"So, are you ready to be assigned to your next engine for today, miss?" he asked, as he saw Carrie approach.
"Yes, sir. I am." Carrie said.
"Very well, follow me please. This way." the yard foreman said, as he turned and walked off with Carrie following closely behind him.
Following behind the yard foreman, Carrie wondered which engine she would be assigned to work on for the rest of the day. Even though it was fairly late in the morning, she wasn't feeling tired at all and was looking forward to getting back to work for the rest of the day on whatever engine she was assigned to.
"And here we are, miss. This is the engine you're gonna be working on for the rest of the day." the yard foreman said, as he stopped and indicated to the engine before him. Looking up, Carrie could see a black locomotive standing on the siding before her with an 0-6-0 wheel arrangement, and he was being readied for his work. Men were oiling up the motion, cleaning and wiping down the wheels, paintwork on the tender, cab, and boiler, as well as filling up the tender tank with more coal and water. Smoke was rising from the engine's chimney, which indicated the fire was burning nicely inside the firebox and making steam in the boiler.
This locomotive was No.539, and he was a member of the Southern Railway's Q Class (69), and he seemed to be eager to get started on his work for today. Painted on both sides of his tender were the words SOUTHERN in bright Sunshine Yellow, while the rest of him was painted in a very simple unlined black livery, just like Donald and Douglas were.
(69): The Southern Railway's Q Class 0-6-0 locomotives were designed by Richard Maunsell and were built to be used on heavy medium-distance freight and mineral trains throughout the Southern network. Although the Southern Railway was mainly a passenger-carrying company, it still needed freight locomotives to help move large quantities of goods as well as mixed traffic trains around the various lines.
By the mid to late 1930's, the Southern was adequately served by a variety of mixed-traffic locomotive classes, including the S15 4-6-0 Class, and the N and N1 2-6-0 Classes, but there was till the need for a smaller freight locomotive design that had a high route availability that could undertake secondary duties and light passenger duties on branch lines as well. This role had usually been done by the ex-L.S.W.R. A12 "Jubilee" Class 0-4-2 locomotives, but these engines had been introduced between 1887 and 1895, and so by the mid-1930's they were approaching the end of their useful lives.
In his last years as the Southern's C.M.E., Richard Maunsell decided that an 0-6-0 design with inside cylinders would be suitable for the job of taking freight and light passenger trains, thus replacing the older and worn-out A12 Class. The new class would be known as the Q Class. Although the class was designed in 1937, Maunsell was forced to retire as C.M.E. before the end of that year due to increasingly ill-health. And so, the new design was the final one of Maunsell's career, and it was also the very last Southern design to be built before the onset of the Second World War. The class was built at Eastleigh Works under Maunsell's successor, Oliver Bulleid.
For a brand-new design that came about in the 1930's, the Q Class looked relatively old-fashioned, almost being Victorian in their appearance. Oliver Bulleid was said to have found the class rather uninspiring, and would have cancelled the design if he had become the C.M.E. of the Southern earlier on. But the class did have some modern features fitted, including Belpaire fireboxes, superheaters, and side-window cabs.
In total, 20 examples of the class were built at Eastleigh between January 1938 and September 1939, and they were numbered from No.530 to No.549. Engines from No.530 to No.540 were built in 1938, with No.541 to No.549 being built in 1939. The class had two inside cylinders that were 19in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke which, combined with driving wheels that were 5ft 1in in diameter, and a boiler pressed to 200psi, gave the class a maximum tractive effort of 26,160lbf. This power gave the Q Class the power classification of 4F under British Railways. The class were paired with tenders that could carry up to 5 tons of coal and between 3,500 and 4,000 gallons of water. Due to their light weight, the Q Class could work over around 93% of the Southern's network. They were fitted with vacuum brakes, steam heating for working on passenger trains in winter months, and with their 5ft 1in driving wheels they could relied on for sprightly running.
During the early part of their careers, the locomotives of the Q Class proved to be quite adequate reliable on secondary services, the reliability of the class being a common trait with most Maunsell designs. Their light weight and steady handling also made them perfectly adequate with what they had to do. However, there were some issues with poor steaming when they were used on the main line, something they had never been designed for. So, in 1940, Bulleid fitted one example of the class with a Lemaitre multiple-jet blastpipe in an attempt to improve both efficiency and steaming. This modification proved to be successful, and the rest of the class was fitted with this new blastpipe between 1946 and 1949.
During the 1950's, another modification was made to the class; this was the fitment of a B.R. Standard Class 4 plain blastpipe and small stovepipe chimney to No.30549, which resulted in further improvements in efficiency and coal consumption. Six more members of the class were fitted with the same blastpipe and chimney arrangement between 1958 and 1961.
Withdrawals of the class began in 1962 when the first three engines were removed from service; these three engines being No.30534, No.30537, and No.30540. Withdrawals of the class continued up until 1965, when the final three examples in service, No.30535, No.30545, and No.30548 were removed.
Thankfully, one example has survived into preservation; this is No.541 (B.R. No.30541), and she spent some years sitting in Woodham's yard in Barry until she was rescued in 1973. Moved to the Bluebell Railway in 1978, where restoration work began not long after she arrived, she returned to working order in 1983, with a B.R. Standard Class 4MT exhaust system fitted in her smokebox. She worked on the line pulling trains until she was withdrawn for an overhaul in 1993. For much of her preservation career, No.30541 has worked on the Bluebell Railway, but has occasionally ventured to other preserved lines, including the Mid Hants Railway.
As of late 2023, No.30541 is currently undergoing another major overhaul, including to fix problems with some failed firebox stays. She's expected to return to service on the Bluebell sometime in 2025.
"You don't mind working with No.539 and his crew for the rest of the day, do you?" the yard foreman asked Carrie
"No, not at all, sir. I think after this morning's high-speed run from Vicarstown, it'll be nice to do some slower running with an engine like this." Carrie said.
"Very good, Carrie. Now, let's introduce you to the crew and assign you the jobs for this afternoon." and they stepped forward to meet with No.539 and his crew. After the introductions, where Carrie and No.539 as well as his crew exchanged pleasantries and spoke with each other for a few moments, they were assigned their jobs for the rest of the day. Once they had gotten ready to leave the yard, they were to go straight to Knapford Yards and collect a long line of empty trucks sitting in one of the sidings there and take them along Thomas' branch line to the quarry near to Farquhar, and then, once they had delivered the trucks, they were to help out with whatever other jobs that needed to be done on the stretch of line between Farquhar and Ulfstead for the rest of the day.
"And are you all okay with that?" the yard foreman asked.
"Yes, sir. I've no problem with that." No.539 said.
"Yes, sir, I think we can manage whatever is given to us up there today." the driver said, as he wiped a rag against one of the coupling rods.
"Okay, that's settled then. Now, you'd better get going as soon as you can. After all, the quarry is expecting those trucks to arrive there by midday. There's a big order of stone being prepared up there that needs to be delivered in the near future." the yard foreman said.
"Yes, sir. We'll get those trucks up there as fast as we can." Carrie said, as she turned and climbed aboard the footplate of No.539.
"And if we're up there in time, we can get down to Ulfstead in time for lunch!" the fireman added.
"Okay, I'll leave you lot to get ready and then to be on your way!" the yard foreman said, as he turned round and made his way back to the office.
After another five minutes, with the last preparations made, it was soon time for No.539, his crew, as well as Carrie to be off on their way to Knapford Yards.
"Okay, so are we all ready to go?" the driver asked, as he took up his position and placed one hand on the regulator handle.
"Ready to go!" the fireman said.
"All ready when you are!" Carrie said, as she took the coal shovel, ready to stoke the boiler as soon as they were underway.
"Okay, we're all clear to depart. Let's get going!" and the driver, after blowing the whistle, opened the regulator. With a wheesh of steam shooting out in front, No.539 slowly rolled out of the siding and along the line that led out from the depot. Looking out from the cab, Carrie watched the different activity taking place around her, with engines being readied for other jobs later on in the day, while a few others were just waiting around, with thin clouds of smoke rising from their chimneys.
After a few moments, Carrie turned back to the cab of No.539 and watched as they rolled along the line, and then out onto the main line, whereupon they set off down the line towards the yards at Knapford.
And there we are! Another chapter finished up! The next chapter I plan to upload will be on the evening of the day depicted in this chapter, but I don't wanna say anymore than that just yet! Until next time.