Great Northern 0-8-0 Locomotives in Great_Britain


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 472 (Locobase 6994)

Information from Glover, British Locomotive Design (1963), p.47, supplemented by O V S Bulleid, "Locomotives I Have Known", archived at [link], last accessed 14 January 2017.

The locomotives were positive behemoths -- much bigger than other British freight engines of the time. Bird notes that the first and last axles had 3/8" lateral play that was constrained by a check-spring system developed by Slaughter and a French engineer named Caillet.

Steamindex presents a summary of Great Northern locomotives which the site states is based primarily on "...the RCTS Great Northern locomotive history which reflects upon G.F. Bird's earlier study and contains much material from it." From [link] (accessed 23 October 2005).

Avonside had only recently been formed from the earlier Slaughter and Gruning; works numbers were 633-634. The site says these were intended for the Metropolitan Railway, but proved too big for that service. Glover says they had a short life on the line and were scrapped by 1880.


Class K / Q1 (Locobase 646)

Data from George Frederick Bird, The Locomotives of the Great Northern Railway 1847-1910 (London: Locomotive Publishing Company, 1910), pp. 179-182. Doncaster's works numbers were 923 in 1901; 964-973, 976, 978, 982-989 in 1902; 1007-1016 in 1903; 1027-1029, 1050-1055; and 1139-1143 in 1906.

Known as "Long Toms", these were Henry Ivatt's run at the 0-8-0 design. The 55 ordered in 1901 had inside-connected cylinders driving a crank axle holding the second pair of drivers.

According to Richard Marsden of [link] (visited 11 December 2004), this class was designed to pull 60 loaded coal cars between Peterborough and London.

Steamindex ([link], accessed 11 November 2007) cites Groves (Groves, Norman. Great Northern locomotive history. Volume 3A. 1896-1911. The Ivatt era. RCTS, 1990.) and reports "On page 37 Groves notes that the saturated engines were heavy on coal consumption. In his annual report to the Board of 28 January 1907 Ivatt noted that the eight coupled could convey 1052 tons as compared with 681 tons by the six-coupled, but the former burnt 100 lbs of coal per mile as against 60 lb for the latter. Ivatt considered that the longer trains hauled by the larger engines caused more stoppages. The fitting of the Craven's variable blast pipe was an attempt to lessen fuel consumption." Bird tells us that the variable blast pipe was operated automatically from the reversing rod.

All but 7 were soon superheated, some keeping the slide valves (LNER Q1s - Locobase 6411) and others being fitted with piston valves. (LNER Q2 - Locobase 6412).


Class K / Q1s (Locobase 6411)

Data from Richard Marsden of [link] (visited 11 December 2004). This is one of two versions of the superheated Long Toms that resulted from converting the original Ivatt Ks. (See Locobase 646). This was the more numerous class that retained the slide valves and original cylinder diameters. (See Locobase 6412 for the other variant.)

Although initially fitted with Schmidt superheaters, the class received Robinson superheaters in the 1920s. Some of these earned a later nickname -- Sea Pigs -- in recognition of their high water consumption as they hauled night freights to Hull. All of the Q1s and Q2s were out of service by 1935. That sentiment is echoed to an extent by Richard HN Hardy (see Locobase 2314 for a discussion of this photographer and his extensive collection of LNER images; see [link], accessed 8 May 2006): "I have heard mixed reports ...not enough water for a trip engine, not handy for shunting, useful on a hump".


Class K / Q2 (Locobase 6412)

Data from Richard Marsden of [link] (visited 11 December 2004). This is one of two versions of the superheated Long Toms that resulted from converting the original Ivatt Ks. (See Locobase 646). This was the later version that had its cylinder diameter increased by 1" (25.4 mm) and used 8"(203 mm)-diameter piston valves in place of the original slide valves. (See Locobase 6411 for the earlier variant.)

Although initially fitted with Schmidt superheaters, the class received Robinson superheaters in the 1920s. Some of these earned a later nickname -- Sea Pigs -- in recognition of their high water consumption as they hauled night freights to Hull. All of the Q1s and Q2s were out of service by 1935.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
Class472K / Q1K / Q1sK / Q2
Locobase ID6994 646 6411 6412
RailroadGreat NorthernGreat NorthernGreat NorthernGreat Northern
CountryGreat BritainGreat BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain
Whyte0-8-0T0-8-00-8-00-8-0
Number in Class2554114
Road Numbers472-473401-455401
GaugeStdStdStdStd
Number Built2555
BuilderAvonsideDoncasterDoncasterDoncaster
Year1866190119081908
Valve GearStephensonWalschaertWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)15.8317.67 / 5.3917.67 / 5.3917.67 / 5.39
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)15.8317.67 / 5.3917.67 / 5.3917.67 / 5.39
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase1111
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)15.83
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)33,572 / 15,22833,600 / 15,24134,680 / 15,731
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)125,440 / 56,899122,304 / 55,476124,768 / 56,594130,480 / 59,185
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)125,440 / 56,899122,304 / 55,476124,768 / 56,594130,480 / 59,185
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)91,616 / 41,556
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)125,440 / 56,899213,920 / 97,032
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)4400 / 16.67
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) 5.50 / 5
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)52 / 2651 / 25.5052 / 2654 / 27
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)54 / 137255.50 / 141054 / 137254 / 1372
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)150 / 900181 / 1250170 / 1170170 / 1170
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)18.5" x 24" / 470x61020" x 26" / 508x66020" x 26" / 508x66021" x 26" / 533x660
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)19,394 / 8796.9828,830 / 13077.0827,830 / 12623.4930,682 / 13917.14
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 6.47 4.24 4.48 4.25
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)184 - 2.125" / 54191 - 2" / 5198 - 2" / 5198 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)18 - 5.25" / 13318 - 5.25" / 133
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)14.1713 / 3.96
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)100 / 9.29136.75 / 12.70135.50 / 12.59135.50 / 12.59
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)1724.50 / 2.2824.50 / 2.2824.50 / 2.28
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1550 / 144.051439 / 133.691117 / 103.811117 / 103.81
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)254 / 23.61254 / 23.61
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1550 / 144.051439 / 133.691371 / 127.421371 / 127.42
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume207.59152.21118.15107.17
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation2550443541654165
Same as above plus superheater percentage2550443549564956
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area15,00024,75227,41227,412
Power L13706375966045990
Power MT260.53271.04466.76404.83

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