Data from "Four-Coupled Bogie Express Engine for the Dublin, Wicklow & Wexford Railway.," The Locomotive & Railway Carriage & Wagon Review, Vol III (January 1898), p. 9. Works numbers were 1448-1449 (delivered in September-October 1895) and 1455-1456 (February 1896).
Locobase likes the flow of this railway's name when incorporated in 1846: Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow & Dublin Railway Company. The article giving the specifications says little about the design or performance of these "powerful bogie express locomotives" except to note that they are "fine examples" of VFL work.
Data from "New Locomotives, Dublin, Wicklow & Wexford Ry", The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XII (14 April 1906), p. 55. (Thanks to George Ferguson for his 12 July 2025 correcting the country from Great Britain to Ireland.)
This pair of coupled bogie express locomotives designed by Locomotive Superintendent R Cronin were of moderate size with an upright and relatively compact profile
Named Rathmore and Rathcoole, they worked the Limited mail round trip between Bray and Wexford twice daily for a total of 161 miles. A double-end tank named St Brendan (# 8) used the same boiler
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class | 55 | Rathmore |
| Locobase ID | 10082 | 10553 |
| Railroad | Dublin, Wicklow & Wexford (DSE) | Dublin, Wicklow & Wexford (DSE) |
| Country | Ireland | Ireland |
| Whyte | 4-4-0 | 4-4-0 |
| Number in Class | 4 | 2 |
| Road Numbers | 55-58 | 67-68 |
| Gauge | 5'3" | 5'3" |
| Number Built | 4 | 2 |
| Builder | Vulcan Foundry | |
| Year | 1895 | 1905 |
| Valve Gear | Stephenson | Stephenson |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | ||
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 8.25 / 2.51 | 8.83 / 2.69 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 20.75 / 6.32 | 21.58 / 6.58 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.40 | 0.41 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | ||
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | ||
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 101,136 / 45,875 | |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 90,720 / 41,150 | 78,400 / 35,562 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 60,480 / 27,433 | 68,096 / 30,888 |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 151,200 / 68,583 | 146,496 / 66,450 |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 2400 / 9.09 | 3120 / 11.82 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 3.80 / 4 | |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 84 / 42 | |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | ||
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 72 / 1829 | 73 / 1854 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 150 / 1030 | 175 / 1210 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 18" x 26" / 457x660 | 18" x 26" / 457x660 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 14,918 / 6766.70 | 17,165 / 7785.92 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 5.89 | |
| Heating Ability | ||
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 223 - 1.75" / 44 | |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | ||
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | ||
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 91.50 / 8.50 | 118.50 / 11.01 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 19.68 / 1.83 | 20 / 1.86 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1027 / 95.45 | 1193 / 110.87 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | ||
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1027 / 95.45 | 1193 / 110.87 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 134.11 | 155.79 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | ||
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 2952 | 3500 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 2952 | 3500 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 13,725 | 20,738 |
| Power L1 | 3489 | 4964 |
| Power MT | 216.42 | |