Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes explained

Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes
Powertype:Steam
Designer:John F. McIntosh
Builddate:1899–1909
Totalproduction:79 (812) / 17 (652) / 96 (total)
Uicclass:Cn
Driverdiameter:5feet
Length:56inchesft2inchesin (ftin)
Locoweight:45.65LT
Watercap:3000impgal
Boilerpressure:160psi
Superheatertype:None
Cylindercount:Two, inside
Cylindersize:18.5x
Valvegear:Stephenson
Valvetype:Slide valves
Tractiveeffort:20170lbf
Operatorclass:CR: 812 and 652
Powerclass:LMS/BR: 3F
Numinclass:79 (812) 17 (652)
Locale:Scottish Region
Withdrawndate:1948–1963
Preservedunits:No. 828
Disposition:One 812 preserved, remainder scrapped

The Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes were 0-6-0 steam tender locomotives designed by John F. McIntosh for the Caledonian Railway and introduced in 1899. They had the same boiler type as the 721 “Dunalastair” Class 4-4-0s. They could reach speeds of up to .[1]

Construction

96 locomotives were built, as follows:

Table of locomotives, 812 Class! Year !! Quantity !! CR Nos. !! Builder !! Builders No. !! LMS Nos. !! BR Nos. !! Notes
1899 17 812–828 Y054 17550–17566 57550–57566 828 preserved
1899 10 829–838 5613–5622 17567–17576 57568–57576 17567 withdrawn before nationalisation
1900 10 839–848 5623–5632 17577–17586 57577–57586
1900 15 849–863 4633–4647 17587–17601 17598 withdrawn before nationalisation
c.1900 15 864–878 3880–3894 17602–17616 17610 withdrawn before nationalisation
1899 12 282–293 Y058 17617–17628 57617–57628
Notes
1908 8 652–659 Y087-Y086 17629–17636 57629–57636
1908 4 662–665 Y086 17637–17640 57637–57640
1909 4 325–328 Y086 17641–17644 57641–57644
1909 1 661 Y086 17645 57645

Seventeen were fitted with the Westinghouse air brakes for passenger train working, including the only surviving engine of the class, No. 828.All 96 passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 grouping. Only three, 17567, 17598 and 17610 (all 812s), had been withdrawn by the time of nationalisation in 1948. The last locomotive in service was not withdrawn until 1963.

Preservation

Locomotive 828 (LMS 17566, BR 57566) is the sole survivor of the class and is an important example of Scottish industrial heritage. It is based at the Strathspey Railway. It was returned to regular service in 2010 and then again in March 2017 following heavy repairs. 828 is the final member of the first batch of engines built in 1899. Since 2022 it has been on long term hire to the Spa Valley Railway in Kent.[2] where it joined fellow Caledonian survivor 419 during the Scottish Steam Up over Easter 2022.[3]

Belgian derivatives

Belgian State Railways (SNCB-NMBS) derived three series of steam locomotives (891 units) from the class 812 between 1899 and 1914. They had a shallower firebox, able to burn semi-bituminous coal and briquettes, allowing a shorter wheelbase due to its positioning above the rear axle. There were three classes

Until 1909, they were the only new engines used with freight trains. They were also used on suburban and local passenger trains and some expresses on hilly sections.Most of them were retired between 1947 and 1959. Some of them were then used as stationary boilers and two of them (44.225 and 41.195) survive in museums. A third one (44.021) was kept as a parts donor and scrapped in 2002.[4]

Models

Rails of Sheffield announced at the opening of Model Rail Scotland on 23 February 2018, that in conjunction with Bachmann Europe Plc they have reached agreement with The Caledonian Railway 828 Trust to produce OO scale models of the 812 Class 0-6-0 locomotives.[5] [6]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Train: The Definitive Visual History . DK Press . 98.
  2. Web site: 2021-11-12 . Spa Valley Railway to welcome Caledonian Railway steam locomotive No. 828 . 2024-05-18 . RailAdvent . en-GB.
  3. Web site: Scottish Steam Up! « Spa Valley Railway . 2024-05-18 . www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk.
  4. Web site: Former Belgian Steam Heating Locomotives . 25 May 2018 . 25 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180525133700/http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/tales/belgiumtales01.htm . live .
  5. Web site: Bachmann Europe News - Caledonian Railway Class 812 0-6-0 Announcement .
  6. Web site: Key Model World - Rails’ Caley ‘812’ is here! . subscription.