Seven L.N.E.R. class V2 2-6-2s were named from new, they were:-
60800… “Green Arrow”
60809… “The Snapper, The East Yorkshire Regiment, The Duke of York’s Own”
60835…“The Green Howard, Alexandra, Princess of Wales’ Own Yorkshire Regiment”
60847…“St. Peter’s School, York, A.D. 627”
60860…“Durham School”
60872…“King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry”
60873…“Coldstreamer”
Another V2 60964 was named “The Durham Light Infantry” in 1958.
60800… “Green Arrow” is preserved in the National Collection at York Railway Museum and is still used occasionally.
The engine numbers quoted above are the post 1948 British Railways numbers and not the original L.N.E.R. numbers.
Some of the above names must rank as amongst the longest ever given to locomotives.
The only locomotive that I know of named “Green Goddess” is a 15" gauge pacific on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway in Kent. (Well worth a visit).
Two small three cylinder class V4 2-6-2s were built in 1941, only the first one was officially named “Bantam ****”, the other one was never named but was always known unofficially as “Bantam Hen”. Sir Nigel Gresley died soon after these two locos were built and his successor, Edward Thompson did not like three cylinder engines and no more were built.
Thanks Malc,
I must have been having a’senior moment’, you are quite correct. I was looking at a 1964 ABC. most steamers had gone by then.
I’m closer to the Ratty (Stockport Greater Manchester), but my endurance is not up to the journey.
Anyone know about the spooks on the WCML?
John B.
There will always be unused paths on a railway, the UIC reccommend25% unused paths spread eveny throuout the day. This is to reduce the knock on effect of a delayed train. Railtrack did not initially understand this and many lines were run with more than 90% of paths used. Of course if one train was delayed it threw the whole network into chaos, and it colud take hours to recover. This was bad for the company that caused the initial delay as they’d have to pay out for delay minutes to other trains.
GNER were using 3 or 4 of the North of London (NoL) Eurostar sets until last year, when Eurostar took them back. These 7 sets sets differ from the standard 30 Eurostar sets in that they only have 14 pasenger cars instead of the usual 18.
It was suggested that the NoL sets could be used on the domestic (ie Kent Coast) Channel Tunnel Rail Link services but instead they’re buing new Japanese units for these services. What the NoL sets are being used for I dont know. Perhaps if they were to put them on the Brussels services they’d have enough sets to increase the Paris service to half hourly frequency,
The GWR Pacific No 111 “the Great Bear” was named after a constellation of stars, based on the fact that the preceding four cylinder 4-6-0s were named after stars. Other names in this series might be “The Big Dipper” “the Southern Cross” or the constellations used as astrological symbols, “Leo”, “Virgo” and so on.
The LNER 2-6-0 name being sought is “The Great Marquess” which was originally carried by a Gresley K4.
The US Camelback/Mother Hubbard type was imported and tried by (among others) the Lancashire and Yorkshire, but clearance problems lead to their early demise.
On some, communication between driver and fireman was via a speaking tube a.k.a.
ships (see Loco Profiles No9). Maybe this was utilised on the Leaders?
John B.
Just looking at a picture of a US Camelback/Mother Hubbard type should have been enough evidense to believe there would be clearance problems in Britain.[;)] From the photos, they look 20 feet tall![:0]
I must admit I’d not heard about this Camelback loco working in Britain. Mind you, the Lancashire & Yorkshire did have a more genrous loading gauge than most lines in Britain so it could have happened.
After WW1, the Great Central Railway (which built its main lines to the European loading gauge) considered buying some ex-US Army 2-10-2’s.
One of the earliest examples of American built locos working in Britain were the Norris 4-2-0’s used by the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway in the early 1840’s. I think its reason for buying them were that they were the most powerful locos available at the time and the B & G needed them for the Lickey Incline - the steepest section of main line in Britain (2.7% for 2 miles).
Long before Class 92’s worked on charter trains one of my friends modelled one, posed it on his layout on passenger stock and sent the photo to Pathfinder Tours.
They touched up the photo and printed it in a tour brochure as an April Fool.
Several people subsequently claimed to have been on the train!
The real class 80 was in fact the former MetroVick A1A - A1A Gas Turbine loco #18100 ordered by the GWR and delivered in 1952. At the time its 3,500hp made it the most powerful loco running in Britain. But it was less reliable than the Swiss built gas turbine and could not run on diesel fuel; it had to be run on aircraft fuel hence its nickname “Kerosene Castle”. IT was rebuilt as an AC electric loco and renumbered E2001. It was retired in 1968, having become the sole member of Cl 80. On the London Midland Region it became nicknamed “Black Bessie” because it retained its black livery, in contrast to the sky blue colour of the new AC electric locos. It was dumped in a siding at Rugby for some years before finally going to the breakers.
A Wootten firebox 4-2-2, originally used by the Reading Railroad, with a “Camelback” cab was purchased by the “Eames” vacuum brake company and named “Lovatt Eames” after the proprietor. It demonstrated in the USA and was later moved to the UK, where, with a somewhat cut down cab which made it look even more odd (a camelback 4-2-2 qualifies as odd to start with!) it demonstrated the Eames vacuum brake. It may have moved to the continent or it may have been scrapped, but I don’t think it ever returned to the USA.
The only application of Eames vacuum brakes I know of was in Sydney, Australia where the Baldwin 0-4-0 Steam Tram Motors used this system. From the description, it was a direct acting brake, not an automatic system, so the vacuum ejector was turned on to apply the brakes.
I think the Eames system may have been used in Ireland. There was an accident there in the 19th century were a train had been divided but the rear portion ran away down a hil (the train had stalled on a hill and the crew had tried splitting it) and crashed into another, following train. It came out at the enquiry that as the type of vacuum brakes used required a vacuum to be created to apply the brakes. Thus the detached portion had no way of applying brakes once it was disconnected from the loco.
As a result of that accident all railways in Britain and Ireland were required to use automatic vacuum or air brakes for passenger trains (but not freighte, most of which remained without continuous brakes up till the 1960s!).