4-4-0 Steam Locomotives in India

Class Warren Hastings (Locobase 20116)

Data from "4-4-0 Metre-Gauge Superheater Locomotives, Bombay, Baroda & Central India Ry.", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23, No 298 (15 June 1917), p. 108-109.

As soon as he turned out ten saturated-boiler American-type Eight-wheelers (Locobase 20114), locomotive superintendent W S Fraser and the Ajmer shops turned to a superheated version of the design. Fraser tweaked the Schmidt-type firetube archetype, creating an installtion whose "header and elements are distinct from any others in use." As a result, these were "the first engines to be fitted with a superheater designed and made in India."

The rest of the design continued earlier practice, using inside cylinders and a Belpaire firebox. LM reported with great British Indian pride that thirty outside crank axles turned out at Ajmer shops for these engines cost about a quarter of similar axles made in England and one had accumulated 180,000 miles (289,800 km) without "any sign of failure."

All of the locomotives were named. Redolent with the tradition of the British Raj, all of the names were British in origin. Fourteen were "Lords" that had been knighted for service to the Crown: Wolseley, Clive, Lawrence, Curzon, Minto, Dufferin, French, Clyde, Kitchener, Lytton, Dalhousie, Roberts, and Lansdowne. Warren Hastings was similarly honored.

The others were more directly connected to the BB&CIRy. Sir Elliott Colvin was an agent to the Governor-General in Rajputana, Colonel Olivier, Major Hoskyn, and CAR Crommelin served the railway. Sir William Bassett was a recently deceased Chairman and five saluted former locomotive superintendents: Frank Goodwin, W P Johnson, William Davidson, CH Mackie, and WB Reynolds.

Class unknown (Locobase 20115)

Data from "4-6-0 Express Locomotives, Bombay, Baroda & Central India Ry., Metre Gauge Section", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 19, No 250 (14 June 1913), p. 120.

Like the 4-6-0s described in Locobase 20114, this set of American-type Eight-wheelers was built in BB&CI's Ajmer shops under the direction of locomotive superintendent W S Fraser. Fitted with a Belpaire firebox. The only metre gauge engines in had India running with inside cylinders. The first five used Allan valve gear, the latter five had Joy gear with back to back balanced slide valves ("as used on [Britain's] Lancashire & Yorkshire", noted the LM report).

"They work regularly the mail and fast passenger services", said the LM report,"taking rgularly, on the mail, 11 bogies [carriages with four-wheel trucks] weighing approximately 260 tons at a booked speed of 32 miles per hour over ruling grades of 1 in 150 (0.35%)."

Fifteen more were built with Schmidt superheaters; see Locobase 20116