War Department 2-10-0 Locomotives in Great_Britain


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class Austerity (Locobase 1302)

See diagram on the train testing site [link] (17 December 2004). See also US Military Railway Service diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange and [link]

North Norfolk Railway's reprint of a Steve Allen article originally published in the NNR's "Joint Line" quarterly magazine. [link], last accessed 1 March 2006. contributed to this entry, but is no longer available at the link given.

"Austerity" design based on earlier 2-8-0 design by RA Riddles, later chief mechanical engineer of British Railways; for the Consolidations, see Locobase 6303. OS Nock (RWC VI, plate 29) notes that it had the same motion, "but a much larger boiler, with wide firebox, and proved considerably more efficient in continuous steaming." Allen's account notes that the War Department's 2-8-0 Austerities were "excellent engines", but that they put too much weight on the axles for many overseas railways. So Riddles lengthened the 2-8-0s boiler and created this six-axle Decapod. The low axle loading contributed to the design's widespread usage as did eliminating the central drivers' flange, reducing the flanges and allowing 1/4" play on the 2nd and 4th drivers, and giving the rear and front driving axles 1/2" play. Their cylinders received their steam through 10" (254 mm) piston valves with a maximum travel of 6 5/8" (168 mm). Arch tubes contributed 34 sq ft (3.16 sq m) to the firebox heating surface area.

One hundred were delivered from NBL beginning in December 1943; 50 more were added in 1945. LNER and LMS received the lion's share of the first 100, with LMS hosting 79 until almost all of the 100 were shipped over to Europe following the Normandy landings in June 1944.

After World War II ended, the Netherlands State Railways bought the 103 Austerities that remained on the continent and operated them as the 5000 II class. Edwin Boer of [link] (14 March 2004) says these were nicknamed Grote Jeep (Big Jeep) to distinguish from the NS 4300-class 2-8-0 Austerity Jeeps.

Twenty remained in Egypt after the war. Of these sixteen were sold to Greece in 1952 as their Lambda class (Lb 951-966). Perhaps surprisingly (unless the mountainous nature of most of Greece's railway mileage is considered), this class provided mainline passenger power for trains that included the Athens-Istanbul Express. Moreover, they continued in that service until diesels took over 15 years later. Even then, the Austerities contributed in secondary roles into the 1970s with seven being retired in 1979.

The last twenty-five of these engines (WD 73775-73799) eventually made their way to British Rail in 1948 as 90750-90774. The class was shedded in Scotland where they ran until 1961.

The Lb951 returned to the UK in 1984. The buyers were the Mid Hants Railway and was given the BR number 90775 (one more than the highest number of those operated by BR) and operated for tourist service. In May 1992 it was sold to the Essex Locomotive Society, transferred to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. From October 1994, the 90775 returned to service after overhaul.It was overhauled and returned to traffic in October 1994 it was again painted in BR black as 90775. Although still owned by the NYMR, the 90775 headed to the Great Central Railway in 2002,and the North Norfolk Railway in 2003. In early 2006, this now 63-year-old engine was purchased by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Society and as of January 2006 called the NNR its permanent home.

The NYMR owns the Dame Vera Lynn, another ex-Greek 2-10-0 (Lb960), which operated on the NYMR from 1989 to 1998. Withdrawn after putting in over 100,000 miles (161,000 km) on the railway, the "DVR" lay idle for 18 years until an appeal headed by Dame Vera had raised enough money to begin restoration.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassAusterity
Locobase ID1302
RailroadWar Department
CountryGreat Britain
Whyte2-10-0
Number in Class150
Road Numbers
GaugeStd
Number Built150
BuilderNorth British
Year1944
Valve GearWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)21 / 6.40
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)29.67 / 9.04
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.71
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)57.08 / 17.40
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)30,128 / 13,666
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)153,440 / 69,599
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)175,392 / 79,557
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)124,320 / 56,391
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)299,712 / 135,948
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)6000 / 22.73
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)10.10 / 9
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)51 / 25.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)56.50 / 1435
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)225 / 1550
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)19" x 28" / 483x711
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)34,215 / 15519.68
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.48
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)152 - 1.875" / 48
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)28 - 5.125" / 130
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)15.67 / 4.78
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)192 / 17.84
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)40 / 3.72
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1951 / 181.32
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)423 / 39.31
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2374 / 220.63
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume212.33
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation9000
Same as above plus superheater percentage10,620
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area50,976
Power L115,491
Power MT1112.87

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