County Donegal 4-6-0 Locomotives in Ireland


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class Class 2 (Locobase 2703)

Data from "Six-coupled Bogie Tank Locomotive, Donegal Railway" The Locomotive & Railway Carriage & Wagon Review, Volume IV (September 1899), p.136. See also "Irish Light Railway Locomotives", Railway Engineer, Volume 21, No..1 (January 1900), pp. 10-12.

Ten-Wheeler tanks that represented a useful increase of power over the 2-4-0 tanks. Their frames were placed outside the wheels to allow for the widest possible firebox.

At the same time, reported RWA Salter in Railway Magazine in Feb 1931 (see cdrrs.future.easyspace.com/510d.html), they were too short of fuel and water to serve the system adequately. This led to the Class 3 and Class 4 locomotives.

SJ Carse, writing in the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland's Five Foot Three (appearing on [link], visited in November 2002), says they seem to have "more satisfactory than similar locos on other line".

Names, works numbers, and scrapping dates were: Meenglas (4573, 1935), Drumboe (4574, 1931), Inver (4575, 1931), Finn (4576, 1931), Foyle (4577, 1937). and Columbkille (4578, 1937).

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassClass 2
Locobase ID2703
RailroadCounty Donegal
CountryIreland
Whyte4-6-0T
Number in Class6
Road Numbers4-9
Gauge3'
Number Built6
BuilderNeilson, Reid
Year1893
Valve GearStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)8 / 2.44
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)16.62 / 5.07
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.48
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)16.62 / 5.07
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)54,096 / 24,538
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)68,544 / 31,091
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)780 / 2.95
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)30 / 15
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)42 / 1067
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)150 / 1030
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)14" x 20" / 356x508
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)11,900 / 5397.76
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.55
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)122 - 1.75" / 44
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)57
Grate Area (sq ft / m2) 9.75 / 0.91
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)604 / 56.13
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)604 / 56.13
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume169.50
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation1463
Same as above plus superheater percentage1463
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area8550
Power L12620
Power MT320.33

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