Great Southern & Western 2-6-0 Locomotives in Ireland

Class 355 - Mogul conversion (Locobase 20697)

Data from E E Joynt, "The Modern Locomotives of the Great Southern and Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume XXIV [24] (15 July 1918), p. 46.

As Locobase 10443 noted, the 355 class was orginally delivered in 1902 by Sharp, Stewart as 0-6-0 all-adhesion goods locomotives. A high axle loading, particularly on the leading axle, undoubtedly contributed to Robert Coey's decision to convert 356 to the 2-6-0 arrangement. Adding the axle, noted Joynt, "at once removed the objectional excess weight."

A look at the modified profile reveals an installation different from a "true" Mogul fitted with a Bissell truck. Instead, the leading truck used a radial axle, which conferred some lateral movement while relieving the front axle of 3 tons 7 cwt (7,504 lb/3,404 kg) and the middle axle of 1 ton 4 cwt (2,688 lb/1,219 kg). The result was a better balance of adhesion weight.

Extending the smokebox by 15" (381 mm) "quite cured" a serious problem. The tops of the inclined cylinders lay at the bottom of the smokebox and collected ash and small cinders. "These cinders," said Joynt, "at times choked up the bottom rows of tubes, and were liable to catch fire should air gain access during running."

Quite satisfactory in the roles for which they were designed, six of the seven underwent additional refits. (355 was withdrawn in 1928.) 356 received a proper Bissel truck and superheated boiler in 1925. 357-361 were fitted with saturated Belpaire boilers, then superheated boilers pressed to 180 psi (12.4 bar). 356 was converted to burn peat coal in 1952.

When assessed in 1948, says steamindex, was that the class was "a very useful heavy goods engine, powerful and with a low axle load."

All were withdrawn in 1955-1960.

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Class 368/K4 (Locobase 20698)

Data from E E Joynt, "The Modern Locomotives of the Great Southern and Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume XXIV [24] (15 July 1918), p. 77. See also "Great Southern & Western Railway/Great Southern Railways - Rebuildings",

Locobase 20697 shows Robert Coey's modified 355s, which gained a somewhat clumsily located leading truck to an otherwise successful 0-6-0. These proved a good model for four more locomotives in 1909.

Given the chance to build a four-axle goods locomotive from scratch, Coey changed several key features. A significant change was the adoption of a Belpaire firebox and 293 smaller-diameter tubes for the boiler. The 368s featured a 9" (177 mm) shift to the rear for the leading coupled axle and a reduction in adhesion wheelbase of 12" (305 mm). The "redistribution ...greatly improved the appearance of Class 368 as compared to the earlier engines."

368 and 371 were withdrawn in 1928. 369-370 received superheaters and piston valves in 1934-1935. The new Q-type boilers offered heating surface areas of 1068 sq ft in the tubes, 136.7 sq ft from the firebox, and 250 sq ft of superheater. (the latter representing 18.5 % of the combined heating surface area). So enhanced, the pair operated until 1957.