Bengal Nagpur 4-6-2 Locomotives in India

Class M (Locobase 6297)

Data from "Bengal Nagpur Railway - De Glehn Compound (4-6-2) Type Locomotive", Melesco Superheater Company, Ltd Brochure, p. eight [sic]. See also ([], visited 21 September 2004; later [], last accessed 27 March 2021); Indian Steam Railway Society on the [] (first accessed 21 September 2004); and OS Nock, Railways of the World in Color, Vol V - 1920-1940 Toward the Zenith of Steam.

As Dr Sundar notes on the website that is the source of the information in this entry , the BNR typically chose to go its own way in locomotive design. So when other Indian railways were ordering scores of the Standard XC Pacific, the BNR procured theirs from a different builder and adopted the four-cylinder de Glehn system of compounding in place of the two-cylinder simple layout of the XC.

They were certainly powerful, especially when started with live steam to all cylinders, and were rated at 420 tons up a 1% grade (1 in 100) at 45 mph. And compared to the XCs, the elegant Ms rode much more smoothly. Like the XCs, however, they steamed poorly, probably because of poor internal streamlining.

The Indian Steam Railway Society notes that these were the largest compound express locomotives outside of Europe.[] (21 September 2004). See also OS Nock, Railways of the World in Color, Vol V - 1920-1940 Toward the Zenith of Steam.

Class unknown (Locobase 10736)

Data from "Narrow Gauge 4-6-2 Locomotive, Bengal Nagpur Ry", The Locomotive Magazine,Vol XV (15 November 1909), p. 212. See also "R. R. Bhandari, IRSME, South Eastern Railway v March to the Millennium, reproduced on [] (last accessed 18 July 2010).

This class was another design built to the specifications drafted by the BNR's consulting engineer Sir John Wolfe Barry. Its Belpaire firebox and relatively tall drivers gave it a low-slung, main line look.

Among the lines to which this design was applied were the Satpura lines in central India. According to a 1908 BNR brochure quoted in Bhandari's account, "BNR defined the objects of light railway thus;

a) The opening out of the agricultural and mineral resources of large and important areas hitherto practically cut off from all communication with other parts of India.

b) To facilitate people settling on rich tracts of land now waste, but capable of supporting a large population.

c) To provide means of protecting the inhabitants in times of famine.

The system included the Jabalpur - Gondia extension, which covered 143.42 miles, the 21 3/4 mile Nainpur branch to Mandla fort, a branch from Nainpur to Parasia via Seoni and Chhindwara and a branch to Katangi from Balaghat. Also included were the NagpurvChhindwara extension, and the GondiavChanda extension via Nagbhir and further extension from Nagbhir to Nagpur.

This system was laid with 40-lb rail and engineered to a 6-ton axle loading.