Great Central 4-2-2 Locomotives in Great_Britain


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 13 / X4 (Locobase 2249)

Ahrons, 1927 gives 132 sq ft firebox heating surface, Glover (1967) says 142 sq ft. Railroad Gazette (27 July 1900) breaks the tie with 132 sq ft.

Designed by Pollitt and fitted with his standard boiler and Belpaire firebox; steam admission came through piston valves.. Used only briefly near London but carried on for years on the Cheshire Lines between Liverpool and Manchester.

[link] says 1900 as a service introduction date; Ahrons said 1890. RG confirms that it was 1900. The same article noted that Pollitt had resigned from the Great Central soon after the design was finished.

Four were equipped with superheaters in 1915; see Locobase 6442.


Class X4 (Locobase 6442)

Data from Richard Marsden's LNER Encyclopedia found at [link] (visited 27 Dec 2004).

Like most of Pollitt's locomotives, these had Belpaire fireboxes of such size that when superheated, the furnaces contributed nearly half of all the heat available to turn water into steam. Marsden notes that these were not a big success in the London Extension service for which they were designed. Once assigned to Cheshire, however, the class served those express trains adequately.

By the 1923 Grouping, they were clearly antiquated and retirement had been completed by 1926. Marsden notes that the supreheated boilers were still in good shape, so they soldiered on as stationary boilers for some time.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
Class13 / X4X4
Locobase ID2249 6442
RailroadGreat CentralGreat Central
CountryGreat BritainGreat Britain
Whyte4-2-24-2-2
Number in Class64
Road Numbers967967, 969-970, 972
GaugeStdStd
Number Built6
Buildershops
Year19001915
Valve GearStephensonStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)22.90 / 6.9822.90 / 6.98
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)45.42 / 13.8445.42 / 13.84
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)41,104 / 18,64441,104 / 18,644
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)41,104 / 18,64441,104 / 18,644
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)105,840 / 48,008111,664 / 50,650
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)94,640 / 42,92896,320 / 43,690
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)200,480 / 90,936207,984 / 94,340
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)69 / 34.5069 / 34.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)93 / 236293 / 2362
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)200 / 1380160 / 1100
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)19.5" x 26" / 495x66019.5" x 26" / 495x660
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)18,072 / 8197.3314,458 / 6558.05
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 2.27 2.84
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)200 - 1.75" / 4486 - 1.875" / 48
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)18 - 5.25" / 133
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)11.67 / 3.56
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)132 / 12.27128 / 11.89
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)24.80 / 2.3024.80 / 2.30
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1194 / 110.97905 / 84.08
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)138 / 12.82
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1194 / 110.971043 / 96.90
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume132.86100.70
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation49603968
Same as above plus superheater percentage49604484
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area26,40023,142
Power L163957691
Power MT343.00412.51

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