Great Western 2-4-2 Locomotives in Great_Britain
Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media
Class 11 / Birdcage (Locobase 10183)
Data from "Eight-Wheeled Tank Engine, GWR", The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VI (March 1901), p. 70 and John Daniel's Great Western Archive ([
], last accessed 20 April 2009).
A low-profiled locomotive with a Belpaire firebox and a capacious cab that earned the class the nickname "Birdcages", the 3600s worked out a few kinks in their early years. Some of the problems included a water-scoop system that pushed water into the tanks so forcefully that the tanks split and, large rear-cab windows that proved prone to breakage from coal being dumped in the bunker.
The GWR liked the locomotives, but time showed that there wasn't really a service they could perform that wasn't already handled by other classes. So even though the class had been fitted with a superheater, the first was retired in 1930 and the last in November 1934.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | 11 / Birdcage |
| Locobase ID | 10183 |
| Railroad | Great Western |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Whyte | 2-4-2T |
| Number in Class | 31 |
| Road Numbers | 3600-3630 |
| Gauge | Std |
| Number Built | 31 |
| Builder | GWR - Swindon |
| Year | 1901 |
| Valve Gear | |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 8.50 / 2.59 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 24 / 7.32 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.35 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 24 / 7.32 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 2220 / 8.41 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 62 / 1575 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 180 / 1240 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 17" x 24" / 432x610 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 17,116 / 7763.70 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 277 - 1.875" / 48 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 10.56 / 3.22 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 124.89 / 11.61 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 21.35 / 1.98 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1562 / 145.17 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1562 / 145.17 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 247.74 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 3843 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 3843 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 22,480 |
| Power L1 | 6450 |
| Power MT | |