Wirral Railway 4-4-4 Locomotives in Great_Britain


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 11 (Locobase 3653)

The first engine of this wheel arrangement in England, this engine's bogies were not symmetrically disposed under the boiler, notes Ahrons (1927). Some data from Data from [] (accessed 8 April 2005). The rear bogie, though of the same wheelbase (5 1/2 ft) as the front, was much closer to the drivers.

The Wirral didn't keep this locomotive until grouping as it did most of the others that came into service in the same period, but scrapped it in 1919.


Class 14 (Locobase 6476)

Data from [] (accessed 8 April 2005). This pair followed the 11 (Locobase 3653) into Wirral service 7 years later. The design had grown slightly and the round-top firebox exchanged for a Belpaire type of only slightly greater heating surface. Like the 11, its rear bogie was positioned closer to the drivers than the front.

Writing in Railway Magazine in 1954, W A Tuplin briefly summarized his feelings about the locomotives he'd grown up watching. Of the 14s he said: "Some strange instinct inclined me to disfavour the 4-4-4 tanks; now I should say that an engine with such a small proportion of its total weight on the driving wheels is not ideal for stop-and-start work."

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class1114
Locobase ID3653 6476
RailroadWirral RailwayWirral Railway
CountryGreat BritainGreat Britain
Whyte4-4-4T4-4-4T
Number in Class12
Road Numbers1114-15
GaugeStdStd
Number Built12
BuilderBeyer, PeacockBeyer, Peacock
Year18961903
Valve GearStephensonStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) 7.50 / 2.29
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)30.17 / 9.20
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.25
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)34,216 / 15,520
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)68,096 / 30,88868,320 / 30,989
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)134,008 / 60,785134,848 / 61,166
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)134,008 / 60,785134,848 / 61,166
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)2280 / 8.642280 / 8.64
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) 3.90 / 4 3.90 / 4
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)57 / 28.5057 / 28.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)62 / 157563 / 1600
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)160 / 11160 / 11
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)17" x 24" / 432x61017" x 24" / 432x610
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)15,214 / 6900.9614,973 / 6791.65
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.48 4.56
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)93 / 8.6496 / 8.92
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)17.80 / 1.6517.70 / 1.64
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1021 / 94.891052 / 97.77
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1021 / 94.891052 / 97.77
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume161.93166.85
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation28482832
Same as above plus superheater percentage28482832
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area14,88015,360
Power L138974082
Power MT252.33263.44

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