LNER Thompson Class B2

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LNER Thompson Class B2
Bethnal Green Station Liverpool Street - Hunstanton express geograph-2316121-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
A B2 Class at Bethnal Green
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Designer Edward Thompson
Build date1928–1937 (as class B17)
Rebuilder Doncaster Works
Rebuild date1945–1949
Number rebuilt10
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte 4-6-0
   UIC 2′C h2
Gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia. 3 ft 2 in (0.965 m)
Driver dia.6 ft 8 in (2.032 m)
Wheelbase Loco: 28 ft 2 in (8.59 m)
Axle load Full: 18 long tons 12 cwt (41,700 lb or 18.9 t)
Adhesive weight Full: 54 long tons 14 cwt (122,500 lb or 55.6 t)
Loco weightFull: 73 long tons 10 cwt (164,600 lb or 74.7 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Firebox:
  Grate area27.9 sq ft (2.59 m2)
BoilerDiagram 100A
Boiler pressure225 psi (1.55 MPa)
Heating surface:
  Firebox168 sq ft (15.6 m2)
  Tubes1,033 sq ft (96.0 m2)
  Flues460 sq ft (43 m2)
Superheater:
  Heating area344 sq ft (32.0 m2)
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 20 in × 26 in (510 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gear Walschaerts
Valve type10-inch (250 mm) piston valves
Performance figures
Tractive effort 24,863 lbf (110.60 kN)
Career
Operators LNER  » BR
Class B2
Power classLNER: load class 4
BR: 4P; 5P from May 1953
Axle load class Route availability: 5
Locale East Coast Main Line
Withdrawn1958–1959
DispositionAll scrapped

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Thompson Class B2 was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive. It was introduced in 1945 as a two-cylinder rebuild (with diagram 100A boiler) of the three-cylinder LNER Class B17. Ten were rebuilt from Class B17 but no more were rebuilt because of the success of the LNER Thompson Class B1.

Contents

Numbering

The LNER renumbered its locomotive stock during the period that these locomotives were being rebuilt, so some were renumbered at the time that they were rebuilt, some before rebuilding, and some after rebuilding. The renumbering plan for class B2 was the same as for class B17: in each case the first two digits were altered from 28 to 16. Thus 2803 became 1603 at rebuilding in October 1946; 2807 had already become 1607 (December 1946) prior to rebuilding in May 1947; and 2814 (rebuilt November 1946) became 1614 in December 1946. [1] Between 1948 and 1950, British Railways increased these numbers by 60000; no. 61644 was so renumbered at the time of its rebuilding in March 1949. [2]

Names

The rebuilt locomotives kept their names:

Renaming

Two of the locomotives were renamed. No. 1671 was the official Royal engine and for this purpose it was renamed Royal Sovereign in April 1946.

The second renaming occurred after the withdrawal of 61671 in September 1958: in October, the name Royal Sovereign was transferred to no. 61632, which then became the official Royal engine. [3] All members of the class were scrapped.

Operation

Two B2s were kept at Cambridge for hauling the Royal Train in East Anglia, [4] [5] predominantly to and from Wolferton which was the nearest to Sandringham House, these being renamed Royal Sovereign and 61617 Ford Castle as the reserve. There were three sets of drivers and firemen allocated specifically to work the "Royal" engines and they did not work unless operated by one of these teams. [6] It was Ford Castle which was one of the locomotives used to haul the funeral train of King George VI on 11 February 1952, hauling the train from Wolferton as far as King's Lynn from where 70000 Britannia took over for the rest of the journey to King's Cross. [7]

Other than the two locomotives allocated to Cambridge, the remaining locomotives were mainly allocated to Colchester and were predominantly used on services between Liverpool Street and Clacton. [4] Many publications list "B17/B2" together and consider the types interchangeable which may lead to the type being overlooked; a list of locomotives allocated to Colchester in 1951 and labelled as "B2/B17" shows eight B2s and no B17s. [8]

Due to the size of the turntables on the Great Eastern section, locomotives were sometimes used with tenders that were shorter than those originally designed. At least one B2 was recorded as being paired with a tender of NER origin rather than the longer B17 tender. [9]

The last B2 was withdrawn in 1959. [10]


Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">LNER Thompson Class A1/1</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">LNER Class O6</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">LNER Thompson Class A2/1</span>

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Thompson Class A2/1 was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives built at Darlington locomotive works during 1944. They were originally ordered as Class V2 locomotives, as designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, but were revised during construction into a 4-6-2 'Pacific' arrangement under the instruction of Edward Thompson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LNER Thompson Class A2/3</span> Class of British express passenger locomotive

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Class A2/3 was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives. They were newly constructed locomotives, fulfilling the requirement identified by Edward Thompson for a standard express passenger locomotive of the 4-6-2 arrangement with 6 ft 2 in (1.880 m) driving wheels. Fifteen engines were constructed according to this original design, but following the retirement of Thompson as CME, the remaining fifteen locomotives that were planned were immediately redesigned and ultimately emerged as Peppercorn Class A2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LNER Thompson Class A2/2</span> British steam locomotive

The London and North Eastern Railway Class A2/2 was a class of six 4-6-2 steam locomotives rebuilt by Edward Thompson in 1943 and 1944 from his predecessor Sir Nigel Gresley's P2 Class of 2-8-2 express passenger locomotives. The rebuilds improved reliability and reduced maintenance, but also suffered from a variety of issues during service, and all were withdrawn and scrapped between 1959 and 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GCR Class 8A</span>

The Great Central Railway (GCR) Class 8A was a class of 0-8-0 steam locomotive built between 1902 and 1911 for handling heavy coal trains over the Pennines. They all passed to the LNER in 1923, who redesignated them Class Q4. They were withdrawn from service between 1934 and 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GCR Class 11E</span>

The GCR Class 11E was a type of 4-4-0 steam locomotive used by the Great Central Railway for express passenger services. Ten were built in the railway's own workshops at Gorton, Manchester during 1913; they remained in service until the mid-1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GCR Class 9Q</span> Class of British locomotives

The GCR Class 9Q, classified B7 by the LNER, was a class of 4-6-0 mixed traffic locomotives designed by John G. Robinson for fast goods, relief passenger and excursion services on the Great Central Railway. They were a smaller wheeled version of Robinson's earlier Class 9P "Lord Faringdon" express passenger class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GCR Class 8C</span>

The GCR Class 8C was a class of a pair of 4-6-0 locomotives built for the Great Central Railway in 1903–1904 by Beyer, Peacock and Company. They passed to the London and North Eastern Railway at the 1923 grouping and received the classification B1. Following the introduction of Thompson's B1s, they were reclassified B18 in 1943 and both were retired in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GCR Class 9P</span>

GCR Class 9P was a design of four-cylinder steam locomotive of the 4-6-0 wheel arrangement built for hauling express passenger trains on the Great Central Railway in England. A total of six were built: one in 1917, and five in 1920. They were sometimes known as the Lord Faringdon class, from the name of the first one built.

GNR Class A1 1470 <i>Great Northern</i>

The Great Northern Railway Class A1 1470 Great Northern was the first of 52 A1 class locomotives. It has also represented three distinct stages in the history of the British 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley for the Great Northern Railway (GNR), a constituent company of the London and North Eastern Railway before the amalgamation of 1923, for which they became a standard design. Eventually Great Northern was completely rebuilt as Class A1/1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GCR Class 8F</span>

The GCR Class 8F was a class of ten 4-6-0 locomotives built for the Great Central Railway in 1906 by Beyer, Peacock and Company to the design of John G. Robinson for working fast goods and fish trains. They passed to the London and North Eastern Railway at the 1923 grouping and received the classification 'B4'.

References

Citations

  1. Boddy et al. 1975, pp. 122, 159, 165.
  2. Boddy et al. 1975, pp. 159, 165.
  3. Boddy et al. 1975, pp. 164, 165.
  4. 1 2 Allen 1975, p. Plate11.
  5. Hawkins & Reeve 1987, p. 333.
  6. Hawkins & Reeve 1987, p. 331.
  7. Boddy et al. 1975, p. 164.
  8. Hawkins & Reeve 1987, p. 280.
  9. McCormack, Kevin (2009). The Eastern Around London. Hersham: Ian Allan. pp. 22–23. ISBN   978 0 7110 3338 2.
  10. Riley, R.C. (2002). Steam in East Anglia. Hersham: Ian Allan. p. 44. ISBN   0 7110 2892 3.

References

Further reading