Great Southern & Western 4-4-0 Locomotives in Ireland

Class 301/D11 (Locobase 2685)

Data from "Four-Coupled Express Engines, Great Southern & Western Ry," Locomotive Magazine, Volume V [5] (November 1901), p. 196-197. See also Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 September 1917), pp.177-178.

Designed by the GS&W's Locomotive Superintendent Robert Coey, the design had full splashers over the drivers (with slots over the crank arc created later for oiling access), plate frame, inside cylinders, outside bearings on the tender wheels. Compared to the 60 class (Locobase 5061), this class's bogies had even longer wheelbases of 76" ( 1,930 mm). More significant differences were the 2" (50.8 mm) longer cylinder stroke and 25 psi (1.72 bar) increase in boiler pressure..

The first four were named Victoria, Lord Roberts, Saint Patrick, and Princess Ena (She was a Battenberg who later became Queen of Spain.). Victoria and Lord Roberts were delivered with piston valves, but their operation fell short of expectations, so they were retrofitted with flat slide valves. The chimney and blast pipe went through several modifications before the GS&W settled on a coned, built-up chimney (stack) fitted with an inside hood extending down to with a foot of the blast pipe.

Other tweaks included the replacement of elliptical springs that were too rigid with laminated springs hung under the axles. A more significant change was widening the firebox's water legs. Joynt commented that the change "reduced the nominal heating surface somewhat [116 sq ft/10.78 sq m], but also greatly reduced repairs."

By 1916, the boiler held 223 tubes (2 fewer than the original), each of which was about 11" (279 mm) shorter and reduced evaporative heating surface area to 1,128 sq ft (104.79 sq m). Adhesion weight climbed to 68,432 lb (31,040 kg) and engine weight grew to 105,280 lb (47,754 kg).

Four later locomotives - 305-308 - built to the same basic design in 1903, but enlarged in many respects, appear in Locobase 10323. See Locobase 10165 for the next enlargement of this design.

Class 305 - mod/D12 (Locobase 20573)

Data from Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 September 1917), pp. 206; and Steamindex's "Great Southern & Western Railway/

Great Southern Railways--Class 305 D12: 1902" at [], last accessed 20 June 2019.

The 305 class as delivered in 1902 (Locobase 10323) didn't steam well and changes to the quartet followed within a couple of years. 308 is shown in Locobase 2057. The other three received a tapered boiler similar in design to that of the 321 class (Locobase 5063), but with 6" (152 mm) shorter fireboxes to fit in the shorter wheelbase.

Joynt focused on the "special attention ...given to the spacing of the tubes. Care was taken to leave ample spaces for the escape and ascent of steam liberated from the front and sides of the firebox."

Joynt then detailed the layout of invidual tube bundles, explaining the reasoning as he did so:

"A group of tubes in the centre of the boiler was arranged with a clear passage at the sides. The top tubes were pitched with gradually increasing water spaces towards the corners of the firebox, and all bottom tubes or stays that might impede the free circulation of the water or the escape of the steam were kept well above the bottom of the boiler barrel."

Summarizing the consequences, Joynt concluded "while it slightly reduced the nominal heating surface, greatly enhanced the efficiency of the boiler as a steam generator."

The other three were superheated and retrofitted with Belpaire fireboxes. 305 and 307 took O-type boilers whose superheat percentage of combined heating surface area (224 sq ft/20.81 sq m of a total of 1,445 sq ft/134.22 sq m) was a modest 15.5%. Firebox heating surface area increased to 136.7 sq f (12.70 sq m).

306 received a smaller N-type boiler with 708 sq ft (65.78 sq m) in the tubes, 120 sq ft (11.15 sq m) in the firebox (828 sq ft/76.92 sq m of evaporative heating surface area), and 168 ft (15.61 sq m) in the superheater elements. A smaller grate was measured at 19.5 sq ft (1.81 sq m). Superheater percentage worked out to 16.9% of the 996 sq ft of combined heating surface area.

Joynt also noted that the 307 was fitted with Marshall valve gear, a radial valve gear similar to the Walschaert design. "Both engines did very good work whilst so altered", he reported. But familiarity with the much more frequently encountered Williams-Howe (Stephenson) link motion trumped any individual improvement.

Class 305/D12 (Locobase 10323)

Data from "New Express Locomotives G S & W Ry," Locomotive Magazine, Vol VII, No 105 (23 May 1903), p. 349. See also Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 September 1917), pp.177-178; and Steamindex's "Great Southern & Western Railway/

Great Southern Railways--Class 305 D12: 1902" at [], last accessed 20 June 2019.

Locomotive Superintendent Robert Coey increased his express power in small increments/ That is, he enlarged his boiler and grate by small percentages with each batch. This quartet came out in early 1902.

Shortly after their introduction LM published a 15 November 1904 response to a letter, in which it declared that the 308 was "rebuilt". That seemed precipitous considering the class originally appeared only a year earlier. But steamindex's summary confirms the installation of a tapered boiler that included a substantial jncrease in boiler tube count from 237 to 301, but each tube had a smaller external diameter of 1 5/8" (41.75mm). Total evaporative heating surface area increased to 1,494 sq ft (138.85 sq m) and the boiler proved quite heavy, but reductions in frame, running plates, and dragboxes meant engine weight decreased to 100,800 lb.

The other three were rebuilt in 1906; see Locobase 20573

Class 305 served mainline expresses only briefly before being reassigned in 1910 to secondary services. 308 apparently kept its tapered boiler and was retired in 1933.

Class 309/D10 (Locobase 10165)

Data from "New GS & W Engines," Locomotive Magazine, Vol IX, No 127 (24 October 1903), p. 237. See also Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 September 1917), pp.179; and Steamindex's "Great Southern & Western Railway/

Great Southern Railways--Class 305 D12: 1902" at [], last accessed 20 June 2019. Works numbers were 6313-6318 in 1903, just before Neilson, Reid was gathered into the North British Locomotive Works along with fellow Glaswegians Kitson & Company and Sharp, Stewart

Locomotive Superintendent Robert Coey pursued improvements in his express bogie design (Locobase 2685) with each new batch; see Locobase 10323. He continually chased the growing demand for which the existing stud wasn't sufficient. But this was the first batch to be ordered from a private builder, an option adopted because, according to Joynt,"a prolonged strike of fitters and turners suspended all locomotive building at Inchicore."

In addition to increasing the cylinder diameter by 1/2" (12.7 mm), the design's firebox length grew by 6" (152 mm), which added the same amount to the spread between the driving axles. This sextet saw a small enlargement of the boiler over the 305 batch and the adoption of a still larger grate. By this time, rail weights in some of the main line had increased to 87 lb/yard (43.5 kg/metre) set in chairs weighing 50 lb (22.68 kg) each.

Joynt wrote that these engines "were very successful in dealing with the work." Their 1916 duties included hauling the night mail express and "other trains of secondary importance."

309 and 312 were refitted in 1921 with tapered boilers similar to that installed in the 308. All six would later receive N-type superheated boilers in 1930.

Class 321/D2 (Locobase 5063)

Data from [], the journal of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. See also Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 September 1917), pp.179; and Steamindex's "Great Southern & Western Railway/

Great Southern Railways--Class 321 D2: 1902" at [], last accessed 20 June 2019.

A. Donaldson notes that Locomotive Superintendent Coey brought these engines out as the "fourth, and as it turned out, final answer to the problems of increasing train weights and the difficult starts out of Kingsbridge and Cork."

The engine's profile showed a high-pitched boiler matched by a high running board, bluntly squared Belpaire firebox, and long-wheelbase stance. The 1906 batch (329-332) had fewer tubes (283), which reduced tube heating surface to 1,283.9 sq ft (119.28 sq m).

Weight-trimming in the design led to weaknesses in the frame; several stiffening measures followed the upgrading of the permanent way to allow higher axle loadings. Also, failures in the crank axles led to a substitution of built-up cranks for the solid forged cranks of the original design.

Still, compared to other 4-4-0s of similar size, these engines measure up well both in firebox size and in the ratio of boiler heating area to cylinder volume.

Joynt's account noted that the new locomotive superintendent, R E L Maunsell (later famous for his Southern Railway locomotives) installed a Schmidt superheater in 326. He increased cylinder diameters to 20" (508 mm) using 8" (203 mm) piston valves to feed them. Finding that actuating the valves through rocking shafts from the original eccentrics didn't properly work, Maunsell revised the design of the eccentric sheaves, "greatly increased the efficiency of the locomotive". Other features included a superheater damper and snifting valve. These modifications to a 321-class locomotive were experimental and when one of the cylinders fractured in 1916, the 326 was restored to a non-superheated condition. Locobase 20162 shows Maunsell's second effort at increasing power in an express 4-4-0.

From 1919-1921, Inchicore installed new W-type saturated boilers in 327-332. The vessels now offered 1,355 sq ft (125.89 sq m) of tube heating surface area, 148 sq ft (13.75 sq m) in the firebox for a total evaporative heating surface area of 1,503 sq ft (139.63 sq m). After 321-323 received a similar upgrade beginning in 1924, a shortage of frames apparently led to the early retirement of 324-326.

When eight engines were superheated by WH Morton in the 1930s, after much cautious experimentation, they retained their slide valves. The superheated W-type boilers gave up 295 sq ft of heating surface area in the tubes (dropping to 1,060 sq ft/98.48 sq m), but accepted 250 sq ft (23.23 sq m) of superheater area. Totals now came to 1,208 sq ft (112.23 sq m) evaporated and 1,458 sq ft (135.45 sq m) combined.

Joynt also noted that the 332 was fitted with Marshall valve gear, a radial valve gear similar to the Walschaert design. The 332 (and the D12 engine 307) did very good work whilst so altered", he reported. But familiarity with the much more frequently encountered Williams-Howe (Stephenson) link motion trumped any individual improvement.

Improved lubricants, says Donaldson, made it possible to economize on a cylinder rebuild even while raising the boiler pressure to 175 psi. With this makeover, the superheated 321s had "finally evolved [into] the handsome and lively machines which many of us knew and admired." They continued to head up main line express service into the last years of steam on the CIE.

Class 333 (Locobase 10634)

Data from "Recent Locomotive Developments on the Great Southern and Western Ry (Ireland)," The Locomotive Magazine, Volume XIII [13](14 December 1907), p. 217. See also Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 September 1917), pp. 206; and Steamindex's "Great Southern & Western Railway/

Great Southern Railways--Class 305 D12: 1902" at [], last accessed 20 June 2019.

Robert Coey designed this quartet of Eight-wheelers with the same coned boilers as he fitted to the 321 express engines (Locobase 5063) and as a result had the same odd squeezed look, but he reduced the driver diameter considerably. This change responded to the demands of the Rosslare boat train route, which had a challenging profile.

There were bugs in the design, however. The inside bogie axleboxes on the class caused tended to overheat in this quartet. Inchicore shops addressed the problem, solving it by adding an oil pad with a removable lid allowed easy cleaning and replacing. Still later, "the provision of oilboxes on the footplate with pipes leading to the various axleboxes," wrote E E Joynt in 1917, "has practically done away with troublesome journal bearings."

The 333s replaced the 309s (Locobase 10165) in hauling the "decidedly heavy" trains that ran between Cork and Waterford and usually consisted of four 38-ton side corridor coaches and one 29-ton coach. After climbing out of Cork, the train encountered relatively easy running until Milepost 48 past Mallow, at which point the ruling gradient increased to 1 in 66 (1.5%). Much of the next 22 miles rose at the ruling slope and was "...about the hardest in Ireland over which express trains are run." There were 63 curves and no automatic signals so, as the LM report observed, "...50 minutes between Dungarvan and Waterford (29 miles) is really good locomotive work."

At Waterford, the train gained 2 more coaches from Dublin and Limerick and ran over the next 38 1/2 miles in 55 minutes, which also required "...some smart work, especially as it includes an ascent of 1 1/2 miles at 1 in 72 [1.4%]."

Class 337 (Locobase 10692)

Data from "Coupled Bogie Express Locomotive, Great Southern and Western Ry (Ireland)," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XV (15 March 1909), p. 43. See also Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 November 1917), pp. 222; and Steamindex's "Great Southern & Western Railway/

Great Southern Railways--Class 305 D12: 1902" at [], last accessed 20 June 2019.

Robert Coey continued to build 4-4-0s with tapered boilers, tweaking the design this way and that. In the present case, he added 1/2" (12.7 mm) to the cylinder diameter to gain a bit more power. Inchicore addressed the 333s' problem with bogie journals overheating at high speeds (Locobase 10634) in this repeat of the design by replacing the inside bogie journals with outside bearings in prominent bogie side frames sprung with overhunge laminated springs.

The outside frame design was not repeated as a less-expensive option simplified lubricating the inside bearing, which eliminated the problem. Presumably the original volute or coil-spring inside suspension gave a better ride as well.

Class 52/D17 (Locobase 5060)

Data from [], the journal of the Irish Railway Preservation Society. See also Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 June 1917), pp.114-115.

A. Donaldson notes that these were the first 4-4-0s on the GSWR. Their boilers and grates were about the same size as the 2-4-0s they replaced. Aspinall's intent was to "remove the stiffness and/or oscillation to which the 2-4-0s were prone." Results showed slightly better coal mileage (22 lb/mile vs 26 lb/mile) because of the higher boiler pressure and larger blastpipe.

Joynt noted that they derived much of the their look and size from the earlier 2-4-0s, but used a horizontal grate that increased firebox heating surface area. Aspinall insisted on a clean boiler that "gave them a neat and pleasing appearance", according to Joynt.

The bogie doubtless improved flexibility in curves, but Locobase notes a simultaneous weight increase on all axles. Although they "did good work on the main line express trains for some years ...their boiler was always rather small." As a consequence, even trains of just medium weight required "'coaxing' and careful firiing" by their crews. "With load adapted to their capacity", Joynt contended," these engines ran economically at very high speeds."

No 53's boiler was fitted with 111 Serve internally finned tubes of 2 1/2" (63.5 mm) that offered 715 sq ft (66.43 sq m). It's not clear to Locobase whether it was in this configuration that No 53 frequently covered the 42 miles (68 km) from Portarlington to Kingsbridge] in 47 minutes.

Although they were soon replaced in express working by the 60 class, production of the 52s continued for years for branch-line service.

Class 60 Class (Locobase 5061)

Data from [], the journal of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, article by A. Donaldson and from "Four Coupled Bogie Express Engine, G S & W R," The Locomotive & Railway Carriage & Wagon Review, Vol III (May 1898), p. 73; and Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 August 1917), pp.157.

93-96 delivered in 1885, 85-89 turned out in 1886, 60-63 produced in 1891, and 64-65 completed the class in 1895.

Two years after the introduction of the 52 class, Aspinall brought out these larger express engines. Although small in comparison with other eight-wheelers in the British Isles (not to mention North America), the 60 class served its 130-ton trains well. 55-60 mph 89-97 kph) average speeds were not uncommon. Bowen Cooke says that with an average train of 9 vehicles, the locomotives consumed 28 lb of coal per mile (7.89 kg/km) and went through 23 pints of oil every 1,000 miles. Average mileage between repairs came to 63,500 (102,235 km).

Inevitably, it seems, traffic demands meant this quite satisfactory class was overmatched. Joynt pointed to the introduction of dining cars in 1899 and bogie coaches that replaced the six-wheel coaches of earlier times.

In 1893, Ivatt converted #93 to a two-cylinder compound; see Locobase 20570.

Two major renovations to the basic engines occurred, once in the 1920s and again over a 20-year period beginning in 1932.

In the first, a new, larger-diameter W boiler (56.25") with thicker plates and 188 tubes preceded a new sloping-grate firebox. Tube heating surface dropped to 887 sq ft, while the firebox grew to 126 sq ft; grate area increased to 19.1 sq ft.

In 1932, a Z boiler introduced a modest amount of superheating to the class. According to Donaldson, 774 sq ft of evaporative heating surface (662 sq ft in the tubes, 112 in the firebox) was joined by 112 sq ft of superheater for a total of 886 sq ft. This seems quite low and I suspect his 112 sq ft of superheater is the flue area and that superheater area would be in addition. Boiler pressure was dropped again to 150 psi.

Most 60s had been superheated by World War II and the entire class remained in service until the late 1950s in most cases.

Class 93 (Locobase 20570)

Data from Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 August 1917), pp.158. See also [], the journal of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, article by A. Donaldson

Henry Ivatt took one of the 60 Class 4-4-0s in hand and converted it to a cross-compound. Adjustments included lengthening the bogie wheelbase from 63" to 68" to accommodate the larger cylinder. Ivatt fitted the engine with a triplex valve that admitted live steam directly to the LP cylinder when circumstances required.

Joynt states that the conversion "could scarcely be considered a success. Indeed it was hardly intended ...as anything more than an experiment." Tinkering with a variety of appliances including the balky triplex valve achieved little and "it never ran really free."

Tests showed no real advantage, in part, says Donaldson, because: "To obtain real economy from a compound she must be worked to her maximum all the time. This was unlikely to happen on the GSWR where even in 1894 trains were still light."

Class Class 2 Kerry Bogies (Locobase 20567)

Data from Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 June 1917), pp.113-114.

The six-wheeled 2-4-0s shown in Locobase 20566 were the last to be completed by the GS&W, but these engines differed very little from the earlier engines other than the use of a four-wheel leading bogie. Its centering mechanism used swing links and remained unmodified for the class's career. On the other hand, the original raised firebox was replaced in some locomotives by a flush-type firebox and in others by the Belpaire square-shouldered version.

All twelve worked primarily on the 80 km (50 miles) single-track line between Mallow in County Cork northwestward to Tralee on the North Atlantic in County Kerry.

Class Sir William Goulding (Locobase 20162)

Data from "Express Passenger Engine, Great Southern and Western Railway," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XIX [19] (15 November 1913), pp. 251-252. See also Ernest E Joynt, "Modern Locomotives of the Glasgow Southern & Western Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 23 (15 November 1917), pp. 222; and Steamindex's "Great Southern & Western Railway/

Great Southern Railways--Class 305 D12: 1902" at [], last accessed 20 June 2019.

Locobase 5063 shows R E L Maunsell's experimental conversion of a 321 class express engine to a more powerful and superheated version. That apparently was a test run for this locomotive, which was expressly aimed at hauling Dublin-Queenstown (later Cobh) expresses. At the time, it was the most powerful passenger engine in Ireland and broke precedents in adopting a Belpaire firebox and 9" (229 mm) piston valves. All of the motion was inside and drove the leading axle of the two.

341 was also the only one of its class, after which E A Watson, who replaced Maunsell as locomotive superintendent in 2013, turned to a very different 4-6-0 design. After a later modification to reduce cylinder diameter to 19" (483 mm), the Sir William Goulding was retired in 1928.