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Steam Locomotives of the North British Railway (NBR)[Inhalt]
North British class C
London & North Eastern classes J36 and J32
Great Britain | 1888
200 produced
Mike Priestley's Railway Heritage Blog

Between 1888 and 1901, Matthew Holmes had 168 0-6-0 goods locomotives built for the North British which were designated class C. 138 of these had been built at the NBR's own Cowlairs works, while 15 each came from Neilson & Co. and from Sharp, Stewart & Co. In general they were of a standard design with five foot wheels, inside cylinders and Stephenson valve gear. But the cylinders had a relatively huge diameter of 18 inches.

There had already been another similar class C designed by Drummond and built 32 times in 1876 and 1877. Holmes took these and rebuilt them to the same standard as his own class C between 1898 and 1903. Between 1913 and 1923, all 200 locomotives were fitted with a new boiler with a pressure of 165 instead of 150 psi and a larger cab.

drawing of the original state
drawing of the original state
Locomotive Magazine, February 1944

The LNER designated all original Holmes locomotives as J36 and all rebuilt Drummond locomotives as J32. 213 were taken over by British Railways in 1948. The last ones were withdrawn in 1967, being the last steam locomotives in service in Scotland. No. 673 „Maude” was the only one preserved, currently being on static display.

General
Built1888-1903
ManufacturerCowlairs, Neilson & Co., Sharp, Stewart & Co.
Axle config0-6-0 (Six-coupled) 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length49 ft 0 1/2 in
Service weight91,055 lbs
Adhesive weight91,055 lbs
Total weight162,736 lbs
Axle load34,496 lbs
Water capacity3,603 us gal
Fuel capacity12,320 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area17 sq ft
Firebox area104.7 sq ft
Tube heating area1,140.3 sq ft
Evaporative heating area1,245 sq ft
Total heating area1,245 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter60 in
Boiler pressure150 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 18 x 26 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power500 hp (373 kW)
Optimal speed18 mph
Starting effort17,901 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
freight
Matthew Holmes
last changed: 06/2024
North British class J “Scott”
London & North Eastern classes D29 and D30
Great Britain | 1909
43 produced
LNER Class D30 as British Railways No. 62427 “Dumbiedykes” in September 1957 at Inverkeithing
LNER Class D30 as British Railways No. 62427 “Dumbiedykes” in September 1957 at Inverkeithing
Ben Brooksbank / Inverkeithing Station, with Stirling - Edinburgh train

Based on the K class for mixed traffic, Reid commissioned the J class for express service. Like the first series of the K class, the J had a wheel diameter of six feet six inches. The dimensions of the cylinders were also the same. In order to be able to run the line from Edinburgh to Carlisle non-stop, they received a larger tender and a smaller boiler. From the original design, which was designated as D29 by the LNER from 1923, six were made in 1909 and another ten in 1911. They were named after characters from Sir Walter Scott's stories, which is why they were also known as the “Scott Class”.

Also in 1911, two more machines were built with a superheater of the Schmidt type, which were later designated as the D30/1. For operation with superheated steam, adjustments were made to the arrangement of the piston valves, which led to a higher position of the boiler. Between 1914 and 1920, further 25 production machines were built, this time with superheaters of the Robinson type. These became the D30/2 at the LNER.

No. 896 “Dandie Dinmont”
No. 896 “Dandie Dinmont”
Locomotive Magazine, September 1909

As early as the 1920s, the D29s were increasingly being used for stopping services, fish trains and as pilots, while the D30s continued to be used for express trains. Nothing changed when most D29s got superheaters between 1925 and 1936. After that, the rebuilt ones were called D29/2 and the non-rebuilt ones D29/1. In the 1930s they were increasingly relocated to more rural regions. When British Railways was founded in 1948, a total of 35 class J locomotives were taken over. The last D29s were retired as early as 1952 and the D30 only between 1957 and 1960.

VariantD29D30/1D30/2
General
Built1909-191119121914-1920
ManufacturerNorth British, Cowlairs
Axle config4-4-0 (American) 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Wheelbase23 ft 7 in
Rigid wheelbase9 ft 6 in
Total wheelbase46 ft 8 1/2 in
Service weight122,752 lbs128,324 lbs129,472 lbs
Adhesive weight81,536 lbs84,812 lbs84,784 lbs
Total weight225,792 lbs231,364 lbs233,968 lbs
Axle load41,216 lbs44,072 lbs43,456 lbs
Water capacity4,230 us gal
Fuel capacity15,456 lbs (coal)coal
Boiler
Grate area21.1 sq ft
Firebox area139.8 sq ft139.7 sq ft
Tube heating area1,478.2 sq ft1,166.9 sq ft1,013.4 sq ft
Evaporative heating area1,618 sq ft1,306.6 sq ft1,153.1 sq ft
Superheater area266.4 sq ft192.9 sq ft
Total heating area1,618 sq ft1,573 sq ft1,346 sq ft
VariantD29D30/1D30/2
Power Plant
Driver diameter78 in
Boiler pressure190 psi170 psi165 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 19 x 26 intwo, 20 x 26 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power900 hp (671 kW)1,000 hp (746 kW)950 hp (708 kW)
Optimal speed30 mph33 mph32 mph
Starting effort19,434 lbf19,267 lbf18,700 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
express
William Paton Reid
last changed: 01/2023
North British class M 4-4-0
London & North Eastern classes D27, D28 and D31
Great Britain | 1877
60 produced
D27 No. 479
D27 No. 479
flickr/Historical Railway Images

Dugald Drummond undertook the first trials with a powerful 4-4-0 express locomotive of the North British Railway in the 1870s. These twelve examples were from Neilson & Co. and from North British's own workshops and were delivered from 1877 onwards. They were also known as the Abbotsford class after one of the examples, or the Waverley class, named after the Edinburgh train station from which they departed.

From 1884, a total of 48 similar locomotives were built in several batches, which were designed by William P. Reid. The cylinders and the coupled wheels had the same dimensions, but the boiler was larger and worked at a higher pressure. In 1902 and 1904, the older types were also rebuilt to resemble the newer locomotives.

With the introduction of the new class scheme at North British in 1913, all were assigned to Class M, which also included other locos. Five machines of the first type were retired before 1923, all others came with the London & North Eastern group. Due to their different origins, the LNER classified the locomotives in different classes. Engines built from 1884 became the D31, those converted in 1902 became the D27 and those converted in 1904 became the D28. While the converted ones were retired by 1926, the last example of the D31 even survived the founding of British Railways and was in service until 1953.

VariantD27, D28D31
General
Built1877-18791884, 1890-1895, 1898-1899
ManufacturerNeilson & Co., CowlairsCowlairs
Axle config4-4-0 (American) 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length42 ft 9 in43 ft 4 in
Length loco22 ft 1 in
Wheelbase22 ft 1 in
Rigid wheelbase9 ft
Service weight104,384 lbs102,816 lbs
Adhesive weight66,080 lbs68,880 lbs
Total weight176,065 lbs174,496 lbs
Axle load33,041 lbs34,944 lbs
Water capacity3,603 us gal
Fuel capacity12,320 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area21 sq ft20 sq ft
Firebox area102.7 sq ft118 sq ft
Tube heating area978.3 sq ft1,148 sq ft
Evaporative heating area1,081 sq ft1,266 sq ft
Total heating area1,081 sq ft1,266 sq ft
VariantD27, D28D31
Power Plant
Driver diameter78 in
Boiler pressure140 psi150 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 18 x 26 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power500 hp (373 kW)550 hp (410 kW)
Optimal speed25 mph
Starting effort12,852 lbf13,770 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
express
Dugald Drummond
last changed: 06/2022
North British class D
London & North Eastern class J83
Great Britain | 1900
40 produced
Locomotive Magazine, July 1901

In 1900, the North British Railway received 20 0-6-0 tank locomotives from Neilson, which were intended for shunting services and local freight trains. 20 more from Sharp followed in 1901. They were in service throughout the North British network and all came to the LNER in 1923 as class J83. Only one locomotive was retired prior to the formation of British Railways, in 1947. The rest were retired by 1962. 37 of the 40 locomotives reached the one million mile mark within their service life, and one even managed two millions.

General
Built1900-1901
ManufacturerNeilson & Co., Sharp, Stewart & Co.
Axle config0-6-0ST (Six-coupled) 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Wheelbase15 ft 6 in
Rigid wheelbase15 ft 6 in
Service weight103,376 lbs
Adhesive weight103,376 lbs
Axle load34,459 lbs
Water capacity961 us gal
Fuel capacity3,360 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area17 sq ft
Firebox area100 sq ft
Tube heating area959 sq ft
Evaporative heating area1,059 sq ft
Total heating area1,059 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter54 in
Boiler pressure150 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 17 x 26 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power500 hp (373 kW)
Optimal speed18 mph
Starting effort17,741 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
switcher
freight
tank locomotive
Matthew Holmes
last changed: 04/2023
North British class H
London & North Eastern classes C10 and C11
Great Britain | 1906
22 produced
No. 903 “Highland Chief” on a Stephenson works photo
No. 903 “Highland Chief” on a Stephenson works photo
flickr/Historical Railway Images

When the North British Railway needed new express locomotives which were much more powerful than the existing 4-4-0, William Reid developed the Atlantic that was later called class H. It was the only five-axle tender locomotive of this railway and also the most powerful one. The decision not to design a ten-wheeler and to use only two driving axles may have been influenced by the tight curves in the NBR network.

The first batch of 14 was built by the North British Locomotive Co. in 1906. Although they initially had problems with mass balancing and were too long for the existing turntables, they quickly became the flagship of the NBR. When it was realized that there was the need for more of these powerful locomotives, six more were built by Robert Stephenson & Co. in 1911. Two additional locomotives were built in 1925 by North British, which were equipped with superheaters

All remaining locomotives were superheated starting in 1915. To distinguish them, the non-superheated locomotives were renamed to class I and renamed back to H when the superheater was installed. This process took until 1926, so even the LNER used a similar approach by calling the last non-superheated ones class C10 while the others were class C11.

After the introduction of the LNER Pacifics, the Atlantics were used for less important trains. They were finally withdrawn between 1933 and 1937. The “Midlothian” was selected for preservation, but since the order to preserve it came too late, it was already partially scrapped. Although it was rebuilt, the steel shortage in World War II sealed its fate. So it was cut up and the material was used for the production of aircraft.

Variantas builtrebuilt C11
General
Built1906, 1911, 19211915-1925
ManufacturerNorth British, Robert Stephenson & Co.
Axle config4-4-2 (Atlantic) 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length59 ft
Wheelbase27 ft 9 1/2 in
Rigid wheelbase7 ft 4 in
Total wheelbase53 ft 2 in
Empty weight150,304 lbs
Service weight166,656 lbs167,552 lbs
Adhesive weight89,600 lbs
Total weight268,352 lbs269,248 lbs
Axle load44,800 lbs
Water capacity5,092 us gal
Fuel capacity15,680 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area28.5 sq ft
Firebox area187.8 sq ft184.8 sq ft
Tube heating area2,068.2 sq ft1,619.2 sq ft
Evaporative heating area2,256 sq ft1,804 sq ft
Superheater area263 sq ft
Total heating area2,256 sq ft2,067 sq ft
Variantas builtrebuilt C11
Power Plant
Driver diameter81 in
Boiler pressure200 psi180 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 20 x 28 intwo, 21 x 28 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power1,200 hp (895 kW)1,300 hp (969 kW)
Optimal speed33 mph36 mph
Starting effort23,506 lbf23,324 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
express
William Paton Reid
last changed: 04/2024
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