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 Preserved No.186, with Belpaire firebox and large tender at Whitehead, County Antrim in 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||
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The GS&WR Class 101, classified as Class 101 or Class J15 by the Great Southern Railways, was a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotives designed for working goods traffic although they did, and were quite capable of, working branch and secondary passenger trains. [1]
The 101s were by far the most numerous class of locomotive (diesel or steam) ever to run in Ireland with 111 [lower-alpha 1] being built between 1866 and 1903. [1] The great majority were built by the GS&WR at Inchicore Works, though the construction of some examples was contracted out to Beyer, Peacock & Company (12) and Sharp, Stewart & Company (8). [3]
The design is attributed to Alexander McDonnell, although evidence points to him developing the design from drawings supplied from Beyer, Peacock and Company of Manchester, England. [4] McDonell appears to have utilised the drawings and produced a number of hybrids where parts were salvaged from a number of withdrawn 0-4-2 locomotives from various builders; the class 101 Inchicore Works creating locomotives broadly to the Beyer Peacock design from the withdrawn locomotives. [5] The first three locomotives from Inchicore, Nos. 112 (June 1866), 113 (December 1866), and 118 (May 1867) are considered hybrids; recent analysis seems to indicate all nine Inchicore builds to No. 115 in October 1869 to be hybrid builds. [5] Eight Beyer Peacock built Class 101 were built between May 1867 and March 1868. [6] [3] Inchicore built Nos. 155 and 156 with short wheelbases (4 inches (100 mm) less between the second and third axles, as per Nos. 114 and 115) in 1871 before commencing new builds of standard locomotives with No. 159 in September 1871. [7] [8]
Locomotive superintendents John Aspinall (1883), Henry Ivatt (1886), and Robert Coey (1896) continued to build the standard 101, with few modifications until c. 1899. [9]
The original locomotives had cylinder sizes of 17 in × 24 in (432 mm × 610 mm), a boiler pressure of 140 lbf/in2 (0.97 MPa) giving a tractive effort of c.13,760 lbf (61.21 kN ). Modifications to new builds and respective fitting to older locomotives used a cyclinder size of 18 in × 24 in (457 mm × 610 mm) with boilers which could be pressurized to 160 lbf/in2 (1.10 MPa) achieving an increased tractive effort of c.17,060 lbf (75.89 kN ) [10]
Coey followed this in 1902/03 with the final 12 locomotives that differed by having the enlarged 4 feet 4 inches (1,320 mm) boiler and a modified cab. [11] These were initially designated the 200 class but were brought into the 101 Class when rebuilds of earlier locomotives were equipped with the same boiler. [12]
In 1925 the GS&WR were amalgamated with other railway companies whose territories did not extend into Northern Ireland to form Great Southern Railways (GSR), the GS&WR and Inchicore Works being the dominant party in the new concern. [13] The 101 class generally kept to operating in the former GS&WR territory, the exception being the ex Dublin and South Eastern Railway area where the locomotive stock was in poor condition due to under investment, civil war losses, and the inadequacy of Canal Street Works. [14] Members of the 101 class (among others) were therefore drafted in to assist commuter and other services for the DSER. [15]
Locomotive superintendents Bazin and Harty in 1929 and 1934 introduced fifteen locomotives of the 700 (J15a)and 710 (J15b) classes which were in some respects direct developments of the 101 class. [16] They were in many ways little better, and the 710 class in particular somewhat worse, than the latest rebuilt versions of the 101 class with superheated belpaire boilers. [16]
In 1872 the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway (D&BJR) bought two 0-6-0 locomotives from Beyer Peacock that were identical [lower-alpha 2] to those originally supplied to the GS&WR. On amalgamations these were to pass to the Northern Railway of Ireland in 1875 as Nos. 40 and 41 and before absorption into the Great Northern Railway in 1876, becoming designated Class "D". Reputed as "fine steaming engines" they were both given rebuilds c. 1888 and c. 1914 before being finally withdrawn in 1937 and 1934 respectively, the longest surviving D&BJR locomotives. [18] [19]
The main purpose of the type was goods train work, however soon after introduction their ability of secondary and branch line passenger and freight train work. [20] From the turn of the twentieth century Coey and his successors introduced a number of locomotive types designed to be capable of handling heavier goods trains. [21]
The class is sometimes noted as handling "mainline expresses", this mostly refers to the type often being used as pilot engine to assist Dublin expresses out the steep gradients for the first few miles out of Cork, [15] though an August 1936 report also noted use on Dublin on Wexford main line passenger services. [15]
As built the locomotives would likely have carried the a dark version of the lined olive green livery of the GS&WR until around the start of the 20th century. [22] [lower-alpha 3] After that, they were black with red lining until the late 1910s, when they were painted all over unlined grey. This dull but all-encompassing livery included motion, wheels, inside frames, cabs, smoke boxes and chimneys. The only relieving feature was the red buffer beam. Standard cast number plates were also painted over grey, with rim and numerals picked out in cream or very pale grey, or occasionally not at all. This livery persisted post-1925 into Great Southern Railways days, and was extended to locomotives of other constituent companies after the GSR amalgamation of that date. On the formation of CIÉ in 1945, the only change was that the cast number plates were gradually removed and pale yellow numerals were painted on instead. In addition, most tenders received a lined pale green "flying snail" logo.[ citation needed ]
While CIÉ repainted a few locomotives in green or black, all of the J15 class remained grey until withdrawal. [23]
Two have been preserved by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, [1] Nos.184 (1880) and 186 (1879). Both locomotives are out of service awaiting overhauls, with No. 186 last operating in late 2013. [23] [24]
No. 184 has a smaller saturated boiler with round-topped firebox, and was paired with tender no. 156, [25] an 1,864 imperial gallons (8,470 L; 2,239 US gal) outside-sprung tender. To give a larger water capacity, No. 184 has been paired with the larger tender from No. 186 when used on the Irish railway network. [23]
No. 186, a Sharp, Stewart engine, has a superheated larger boiler with a Belpaire firebox and tender no. 375, a larger 3,345 imperial gallons (15,210 L; 4,017 US gal) tender. [25]
The preserved locomotives have appeared in various films. Most recently, No. 186 appears in the 2006 film, The Wind That Shakes the Barley. [26] Both 184 and 186 appear in the 1979 film, The First Great Train Robbery. [27]
A wide variety of steam locomotives have been used on Ireland's railways. This page lists most if not all those that have been used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Irish railways generally followed British practice in locomotive design.
Richard Edward Lloyd Maunsell held the post of chief mechanical engineer (CME) of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway from 1913 until the 1923 Grouping and then the post of CME of the Southern Railway in England until 1937. He had previously worked his way up through positions in other railways in Ireland, England and India.
The Great Southern Railways Class 800 steam locomotives were built principally for express passenger work on the Dublin to Cork main line of that company. These locomotives were designed under the supervision of E. C. Bredin with his Chief Draughtsman, H. J. A. Beaumont, preparing the drawings. They were the largest and most powerful engines ever to run in Ireland by quite a large margin, and the only three express passenger locomotives to be built in an independent Ireland.
The GS&WR Class 201 was a class of ten 0-6-0T locomotives designed by Locomotive Engineer, Henry Ivatt in 1887 for shunting heavy goods trains at Kingsbridge and Cork yards. Although the design is generally attributed to Ivatt they were actually created in the last year of Alexander McDonnell's tenure. The locomotives were built in three batch with variations between batches: Nos. 207—210 were introduced in 1887; 201 and 202 followed in 1895 taking numbers formerly held by Sambo and Negro; while the final batch 214—217 emerged in 1901.
The GS&WR 400 class or CIE class B2/B2a were a class of ten 4-6-0 steam locomotives built for the Great Southern & Western Railway (GS&WR) between 1916 and 1923 for express passenger duties on the Dublin to Cork main line. They proved initially unreliable but rebuilds from four to two cylinders between 1927 and 1937 for the seven survivors produced locomotives yielding satisfactory performance with the last two being withdrawn in 1961.
Inchicore railway works, also known locally as 'Inchicore' or 'The Works', was founded by the Great Southern and Western Railway in 1846 and emerged to become the major engineering centre for railways in Ireland. Located c. 3 km west of Dublin city centre, the works cover an area of approximately 73 acres (300,000 m2).
The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) A Class, later Inchicore Class D5, consisted of 6 4-4-0 express passenger locomotives built at Broadstone Works in the period 1902-1905. The largest express passenger locomotive in Ireland for a short while after introduction they were used on the MGWR's flagship services to Galway with most surviving until the 1950s albeit on less prestigious work.
The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) Class 500 were 4-6-0 locomotives intended for mixed-traffic work. The lead member of the class was built in 1924 under the GS&WR, the remaining two in 1926 under the amalgamated grouping of the Great Southern Railways (GSR).
The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) Class 333 consistent of eight 4-4-0 mixed-traffic locomotives designed by Robert Coey and built by Inchicore railway works in 1907/8. In 1936, the successor company - the Great Southern Railways (GSR) - built five similar engines known as GSR Class 342.
The Great Southern Railways (GSR) Class 700 consisted of five 0-6-0 locomotives built by Inchicore railway works in 1929 and were the last locomotives designed by J. R. Bazin. The Class 710 consisted of ten 0-6-0 locomotives built by Inchicore railway works in 1934.
The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) Class 341 consisted of a single 4-4-0 express passenger locomotive named Sir William Goulding introduced in 1913 for the Dublin—Cork route. Despite being an apparently capable design it was withdrawn in 1928.
The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) Class 362, also known as class B3, consisted of six locomotives designed by Robert Coey and built between 1905 and 1907 for goods traffic and was the first tender locomotive to utilise the 4-6-0 wheel arrangement in Ireland.
The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) Class 351 initially consisted of four 0-6-0 tender locomotives designed by Robert Coey for use on heavy freight trains on the main line. They were joined by four similar locomotives built in 1912 introduced by Richard Maunsell, these had detail differences such as larger cabs and higher running plates. They included an extended smokebox to which a Phoenix superheater was briefly trialed but abandoned. They were initially designated GS&WR Class 249 but were subsequently grouped into class 351.
The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) Class 368 consisted of four 2-6-0 tender locomotives designed by Robert Coey for use on heavy freight trains on the main line.
The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) Classes 301. 305, 309 and 321 consisted of 26 4-4-0 tender locomotives designed by Robert Coey for passenger work and built between 1900 and 1907.
The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) Class 52 consisted of twenty 4-4-0 express passenger tender locomotives designed by John Aspinall. Aspinall also built a further fifteen similar but slightly larger locomotives of GS&WR Class 60.
Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway (DW&WR) 15 of 1860 was the first of a number of 0-4-2 tender locomotives built by Sharp Stewart who were the only supplier of the 0-4-2 type to the DW&WR. In total 12 were supplied in batches in 1860, 1864 and 1876.
The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) Class 37 consisted of six 4-4-2T tank engines. The first two built by locomotive superintendent Henry Ivatt (Snr.) were based on a previous 2-4-0T design by McDonnell, as were some 2-4-2Ts Ivatt produced two years earlier for the Kerry branches.
Robert Coey (1851–1934) was a locomotive superintendent of the Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) of Ireland from 1896 until 1911.
The GS&WR McDonnell 2-4-0 types were a set of passenger locomotive classes introduced on the Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) of Ireland by its locomotive engineer Alexander McDonnell between about 1868 and 1877.
Media related to GS&WR Class 101 at Wikimedia Commons