Indian locomotive class HG

Indian locomotive class HG
Pakistan Railways HGS 2216 on the Khyber Pass Railway.
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer British Engineering Standards Association Builder Vulcan Foundry North British Locomotive Company Robert Stephenson & Company Kitson & Company Beyer, Peacock & Company Build date c. 1907–1924 Total produced More than 500
Specifications Configuration: ​  •  Whyte 2-8-0  •  UIC 1'D n2 (HG class) 1'D h2 (HGS/HGC class) Gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Leading dia. 3 ft 7 in (1,090 mm) Driver dia. Variant with 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) diameter driving wheels: 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) Variant with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) diameter driving wheels: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Wheelbase: ​  • Coupled Variant with 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) diameter driving wheels: 17 ft (5.2 m) Variant with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) diameter driving wheels: 16 ft (4.9 m)  • incl. tender Variant with 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) diameter driving wheels, 4000 gallon tender: 51 ft 6+7⁄8 in (15.719 m) Variant with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) diameter driving wheels, 4000 gallon tender: 50 ft 4+1⁄2 in (15.354 m) Length: ​  • Over buffers Variant with 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) diameter driving wheels, 4000 gallon tender: 61 ft 6+1⁄4 in (18.752 m) Variant with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) diameter driving wheels, 4000 gallon tender: 60 ft 3+7⁄8 in (18.386 m) Width 9 ft 6 in (2,900 mm) Height 13 ft 6 in (4,110 mm) Axle load Variant with 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) diameter driving wheels: 16.3 long tons (16.6 t) Variant with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) diameter driving wheels: 15.7 long tons (16.0 t) Fuel type Coal, later converted to oil-firing Fuel capacity 7.6 LT (7.7 t) of coal (3000/4000 gal tenders) 10.2 LT (10.4 t) of coal (4500 gal tender) Water cap. 3,000 or 4,000 or 4,500 imp gal (14,000 or 18,000 or 20,000 L; 3,600 or 4,800 or 5,400 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Type Belpaire  • Grate area Variant with 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) diameter driving wheels: 35 sq ft (3.3 m2) Variant with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) diameter driving wheels: 32 sq ft (3.0 m2) Boiler pressure 180 psi (12.4 bar; 12.7 kgf/cm2) Superheater Schimdt (HGS, HGC) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size Variant with 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) diameter driving wheels: 21 in × 26 in (533 mm × 660 mm) Variant with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) diameter driving wheels: 20 in × 26 in (508 mm × 660 mm) [1] Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type Slide (HG class) Piston (HGS/HGC class)
Performance figures Tractive effort Starting at 11.2 bar boiler pressure: Variant with 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) diameter driving wheels: 146 kN (33,000 lbf) Variant with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) diameter driving wheels: 134 kN (30,000 lbf)
Career Operators Indian Railways Pakistan Railways Locale British Raj (until 1947) India (from 1947) Pakistan (from 1947) Retired Up until 2006 Preserved 2 (India) 4 (Pakistan) Disposition At least six preserved, remainder scrapped

The Indian locomotive class HG is a 2-8-0 goods traffic steam locomotive introduced in 1907 as one of seven standard locomotive designs developed by the Engineering Standards Committee (later the British Engineering Standards Association (BESA)) for use on British Indian railways. Locomotives of this design were rostered by various British Indian railways, later passing on to Indian Railways and Pakistan Railways after the partition, the latter of which continued using these locomotives into the 21st century to haul the Khyber Steam Safari on the rugged Khyber Pass Railway.

Background

British Indian railways operated numerous steam locomotives built to their own design standards. Around the turn of the century, this strained British locomotive manufacturers who could not keep up with motive power demand for the growing railways. ^{[1] [2]} This led to British Indian railways outsourcing production of locomotives to non-British companies, which generated complaints from British locomotive manufacturers. ^[2]

Amidst this situation, proposals for standardisation of British Indian steam locomotives had been drawn up in the 1870s but never went through; ^[1] but later, a locomotive standardisation scheme for British Indian railways was finally realised when the Engineering Standards Committee was requested by the British Indian government to develop standard locomotive designs for the British Indian railways, in order to improve efficiency in their operations. ^{[3] [4] [5] [2]} Its first report, compiled in 1903, ^{[6] [a]} outlined plans for British Indian standard locomotive designs, with additional reports issued in 1907 ^[7] and in 1910. ^[8]

History

NBL builder's photo of an HG class locomotive

First catalogued by the BESA in their 1907 report on British Indian standard locomotive designs, this goods locomotive design appeared alongside the 4-4-2 and 4-6-0 mail engines and the 2-6-4T tank engine in the same report. ^[7] In the same report, three different tenders were to be paired with the tender engines, which were two three-axle tenders with a water capacity of 3000 and 4000 gallons, and a 4500 gallon two-bogie tender with two axles for each bogie. ^[7]

Additionally, the goods locomotive design had two variants: one with 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) diameter driving wheels proposed by the Ministry of Railways, and one with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) diameter driving wheels, commonplace with several other locomotives already in use on various railways, including the Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR). However, the variant with the with 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1,562 mm) diameter driving wheels was never manufactured ^{[1] [9]} and later was omitted by the BESA in their 1910 report. ^[8]

From 1912, superheating was provisioned and locomotives of this design fitted new with Schmidt superheaters were designated class HGS. ^[9] Locomotives later retrofitted with ssuperheaters were designated class HGC. The superheated locomotives gave better performance as compared to their saturated counterparts, as the latter were of British designs unsuited for the climate of the Indian subcontinent, namely due to narrow fireboxes present in these designs. ^[10]

In 1947, after the British Raj was partitioned, 133 HG class locomotives of the North Western Railway ^[11] ended up in the hands of Pakistan Railways. Indian Railways, who inherited the remainder, still had 168 HG class locomotives on the Central, Eastern, and South Eastern zones in June 1977, ^[12] and were likely retired in the 1980s.

Pakistan Railways however, despite steam traction being mostly phased out in Pakistan in the 1990s, retained HGS 2216, 2277, and 2306 for use on the Khyber Pass Railway, where two of them worked top and tail on tourist trains to Landi Kotal, until 2006, when the railway suspended operations after monsoon rains damaged the line. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

Preservation

Two of the Indian HG class locomotives have been preserved:

• HGS 26761 at the Rail Museum, Howrah ^[16]
• Ex-NWR HGC 1598 (Vulcan no.2461) at the National Rail Museum, New Delhi ^{[b] [17] [18]}

Four of the Pakistani HGS class locomotives are known to have survived, most recently used at a steam event around Attock in April 2020. ^[19]

See also

• Indian locomotive class HP
• Indian locomotive class AP
• Indian locomotive class SG
• Indian locomotive class SP
• Indian locomotive class PT
• Indian locomotive class HT
• Locomotives of India
• Locomotives of Pakistan
• Khyber Train Safari
• Khyber Pass Railway
• Retirement of steam locomotives by country
• Steam locomotives of the 21st century

Notes

1. The Engineering Standards Committee report that first catalogued this locomotive design was compiled in 1903, but was not published until 1905 (British Standards Institution).
2. Built in 1909 as a HG class, converted in 1929.

References

1. "History of Steam: Broad Gauge". ISRS website. Indian Steam Railway Society (ISRS). Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
2. Bhandari, R. R. "Steam in History". IRFCA website. Indian Railways Fan Club (IRFCA). Retrieved 22 July 2025.
3. Report of the Locomotive Committee on Standard Locomotives for Indian Railways (Report). British Standards Institution. November 1903. p. 2. Retrieved 22 July 2025. It is hoped that the labours of the Committee may help to bring... much increased economy and efficiency ... in the equipment and working of the Railways of India.
4. Report of the Locomotive Committee on Standard Locomotives for Indian Railways (Report). British Standards Institution. November 1903. p. 2. Retrieved 22 July 2025. The Locomotive Committee beg leave to report that, in accordance with instructions received through the Engineering Standards Committee from the Secretary of State for India, and with the assistance of a Conference between the Consulting Engineers and Locomotive Manufacturers of the country, they have carefully considered the questions of the most suitable designs of Locomotives for use on the Railways of India, and of the standardisation of their component parts.
5. "Indian locomotive practice". The Locomotive, Railway Carriage & Wagon Review . Vol. 14. London: Locomotive Publishing Company. 15 June 1908. p. 103. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
6. Report of the Locomotive Committee on Standard Locomotives for Indian Railways (Report). British Standards Institution. November 1903. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
7. Second Report of the Locomotive Committee on Standard Locomotives for Indian Railways (Report). British Standards Institution. February 1907. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
8. "[Third Report of the Locomotive Committee on Standard Locomotives for Indian Railways]". Indian Industries and Power. Vol. 7. 1910. p. 275. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
9. Hughes 1979, p. 18.
10. "Steam Locomotives Classes: Steam Locomotives". Indian Railways Fan Club (IRFCA) website. Indian Railways Fan Club (IRFCA). Retrieved 15 July 2024.
11. "North British Locomotive Company Glasgow (NBL) L195, Indian State Railway (ISR)-North Western Railway". ba.e-pics.ethz.ch. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
12. Hughes 1979, p. 90.
13. Abbasi, Obaid Ur Rehman (24 January 2021). "The forgotten train". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
14. Mughal, Owais (September 2006). "Khyber Pass Railway". www.irfca.org. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
15. "Pakistan Steam - the last gasp?". International Steam. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
16. "Preserved Steam Locomotives (2016)" (PDF). indianrailways.gov.in. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
17. "National Rail Museum New Delhi". erail.in. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
18. Hughes 1979, p. 91.
19. "Pakistan: Broad gauge steam around Attock with 4 HG/S in steam!". www.tanago.de. Retrieved 17 July 2024.

Bibliography

• Hughes, Hugh (1979). Steam locomotives in India, Part 3 – Broad Gauge . Harrow, Middlesex: The Continental Railway Circle. ISBN   978-0-9503469-4-6.