Holland Railway 4-4-0 Locomotives in Netherlands

Class 350 (Locobase 16117)

Data from J T Bierman, "Three Years' Experience of the Superheated-Steam Locomotives", The Ingenieur, reproduced in Bulletin of the International Railway Congress Association, Volume 25, (1911), reference [621.134.3], p. 455; "Express Passenger Engine, Dutch Railways", Engineer, Volume 78 (9 November 1894), pp. 406, 409; and "Four-Coupled Bogie Express Engine for the Holland Railway Company," The Locomotive Magazine, Volume , No (November 1898). p. 164.

LM's report says that the first ten of 1889 lacked the extended smokebox of the rest. 359-379 arrived in 1891, and 380-399 in 1892. By 1898, all were said to "be giving very good results." The tall drivers allowed fast running. In fact, one set a Dutch speed record by hitting 76.7 mph (123.5 km/h) during a trial run. In the summer, these engines would pull trains of five corridor coaches, each weighing 34.275 long tons (34.825 metric tons; 38.39 short tons) each, or a trailing load of 174.13 metric tons (191.85 short tons), between the Hook of Holland and Venlo.

Note: The tube heating surface areas in this entry's specs are calculated using outside tube diameters (i.e. from the water side). As these were British-built locomotives, Bierman's table shows that calculation. The tubes' fire side area is calculated to have been 91.7 sq m (990 sq ft), resulting in an evaporative heating surface area of 101.77 sq m (1,095 sq ft).

The 1898 report said that the second batch had 221 tubes. Pierman's table from 1911 gave the 217 count recorded in the specs with a note stating that the last ten (399-408) had four fewer tubes (213), yielding a total evaporative heating surface area (water side) of 1,223.9 sq ft (113.7 sq m).

See Locobase 16116 for the 421 class, the first of the superheated designs based on this successful class.

Class 421 (Locobase 16116)

Data from J T Bierman, "Three Years' Experience of the Superheated-Steam Locomotives", The Ingenieur, reproduced in Bulletin of the International Railway Congress Association, Volume 25, (1911), reference [621.134.3], p. 455. 321-325 were produced in 1907, 326-328 in 1908, and 329-332 in 1909.

Bierman reported that these engines were based on the original Sharp, Stewart saturated-boiler engines that first entered service in 1889 (Locobase 16117). He proudly asserted that Werkspoor's quality of construction was every bit as good as the English locomotives. In addition to the obvious differences in boiler layout, the engines used piston valves for steam distribution. A notable accomplishment was Werkspoor's success in holding the axle loadings so close to those of the saturated-boiler locomotives.

See Locobase 16114 for the 433 class, which added ten slightly larger 4-4-0s with larger-diameter superheater elements.

Note: Like most Continental railways, the HISM calculated its tube heating surface areas from their inside diameter. The tube heating surface areas in this entry's specs are calculated using outside tube diameters (i.e. from the water side). The fire side areas of tubes and flues added up to 73.1 sq m (786.87 sq ft), resulting in an evaporative heating surface area of 83.4 sq m (897.71 sq ft).

Using water-side measurements allows for more direct comparison with North American and British (and British-built) locomotives and shows that the HSM classes devoted more of their heating surface area to superheaters than most contemporaries.

Class 433 (Locobase 16114)

Data from "4-4-0 Superheater Locomotive, Holland Railway", Locomotive, Volume 17 (15 April 1911), p. 78. See also J T Bierman, "Three Years' Experience of the Superheated-Steam Locomotives", The Ingenieur, reproduced in Bulletin of the International Railway Congress Association, Volume 25, (1911), reference [621.134.3], p. 455. 433-438 were produced in 1909 and

The full name in Dutch for this railway was Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg Maatschappij. As their driver diameter suggests, these were full-blown express engines capable of pulling 40-axle trains weighing 330 tons at an average speed of 53 mph (83 km/h) between Amsterdam and Rheine, which lay 136 miles (201 km) apart. This set of ten locomotives tweaked the just-prior 421s and generating even more savings in coal and water. (Fuel savings averaged 17%, water consumption dropped by 30%. in trials. These numbers fell still further once crews learned from months of experience where further savings were possible.

The J T Bierman report is quite detailed. He noted that the "clearway" (i.e., "leeway"?) for steam within the superheater elements was improved over that of the 421s (Locobase 16116) by enlarging the elements, which in turn caused the flues containing the elements to increase in diameter as well. The result was an especially high percentage of heating surface area devoted to superheating.

Bierman added that the 17 cu m, three-axle tender also deserved mention. Reducing the diameter of the middle axle's journal by 12 mm (ca. 1/2") contributed to the tender's "very smooth running ...even on sharp curves.".

Note: Like most Continental railways, the HISM calculated its tube heating surface areas from their inside diameter. The tube heating surface areas in this entry's specs are calculated using outside tube diameters (i.e. from the water side). The fire side areas of tubes and flues added up to 69.81sq m (751.46 sq ft), resulting in an evaporative heating surface area of 80.11 sq m (862.3 sq ft).

To cap their explorations of just what was now possible with the 433s, HSM mounted a special train on 26 October 1909 to run between Amsterdam and Bentheim nonstop (113 miles/182 km) with a trailing load of 298 metric tons (328 short tons). 433's run averaged 85 km/h (52.8 mph) despite "very unfavourable weather [including] strong south-west wind and rain." Of the 17,000 litres in the tender at the start of the run, 2,417 litres (532 Imperial gallons; 638 US gallons) remained in the tank at the end.

Class PV/PO2 (Locobase 20086)

Data from "New Express Locomotives for Holland Railway Co", Locomotive, Volume 23 (15 February 1917), pp. 23-25.

Although the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg Maatschappij had bought new express locomotives as recently as 1909 (Locobase 16114), a continuing increase in train loads led to this design just three years later. Drafted by the HISM's chief engineer W Hupkes, the stringent requirements included moving a 400-ton (364-tonne) train in "unfavourable" weather at 56 mph (90 kph) at steaming rates economical enough to cover the 124 miles (200 km) without taking on more water. Additional demands included reaching 56 mph within three minutes of starting and imposing an axle loading of no more than 17 tonnes.

Key design changes in the front bogie reduced the rocking motion by taking the side forces to two bearing surfaces just above the springs and using the center pin strictly for guiding. Longer driving wheel bearings and the relocation of the outside coupling rod pins 45 deg ahead of the inside crank pins (vs directly opposite) reduced stresses throughout the drive line. The coupling rods rattled as they operated, inspiring the nickname "Blikken Tinuse".

Berliner Maschinenbau (formerly Schwarzkopff) produced the first five in 1914 and testing showed that the design's performance met expectations. Moreover, operations over the next three months revealed a 33 lb/mile (9.29 kg/km) coal consumption when pulling 240-ton (218 tonne) trains at 52 mph (84 kph).

Apparently, BM was intended to produce the next ten (506-515), but these didn't arrive until 1920 because of wartime complications. In the meantime, Werkspoor produced the next three batches (516-519 in 1916, 520-525 in 1917, and 526-530 in 1919) and added 531-535 in 1920.

All were renumbered in the 2100 series in 1921 after the HISM merged with StaatsSpoorwagen (SS). Under joint ownership and later as part of the Netherlands State (NS), the class remained in service for decades. The last in sevice--2104-- retired in 1954 and was donated to the Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum.