Caledonian Railway 944 Class

The Caledonian Railway 944 Class were 4-6-2T passenger tank locomotives designed by William Pickersgill and built in 1917, at the North British Locomotive Company's Hyde Park Works in Glasgow.

Caledonian Railway 944 Class
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerWilliam Pickersgill
BuilderNorth British Locomotive Company, Hyde Park Works
Serial number21480-21491
Build date1917
Total produced12
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-6-2T
Gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Loco weight91tons 13cwt[1]
Boiler pressure170psi[1]
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size19.5 in × 26 in (495 mm × 660 mm)[1]
Valve gearStephenson
Performance figures
Tractive effort20,804 lbf (92.54 kN)[1]
Career
OperatorsCR • LMS  • BR
ClassCR: 944
Power classLMS: 4P

Overview

Although the Caledonian Railway built a long and successful series of small 0-4-4T passenger tank engines, the twelve locomotives of the 944 Class were the only large passenger tanks operated by the company. They shared much of their design with the contemporary 60 Class 4-6-0s.[2] They were originally used on the Inverclyde Line and so gained the nickname 'Wemyss Bay Pugs' amongst enginemen.

The locomotives passed into the ownership of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway upon its formation in 1923 and were repainted from Caledonian blue into LMS crimson lake livery, although within a few years this gave way to lined black livery. They were later displaced from the Inverclyde line by LMS Fowler and Fairburn 2-6-4Ts and by the time of Nationalisation in 1948 the surviving locomotives were all allocated to Beattock shed, primarily for banking duties on Beattock bank. They were all withdrawn and scrapped between 1946 and 1953.

Numbering and Locomotive Histories
CR no. LMS no. BR no. Builder's no. Delivered Withdrawn
944 15350 55350 NBL 21480 03/1917 04/1952
945 15351 (55351) NBL 21481 03/1917 12/1948
946 15352 55352 NBL 21482 01/1917 03/1952
947 15353 55353 NBL 21483 01/1917 08/1951
948 15354 55354 NBL 21484 01/1917 08/1949
949 15355 (55355) NBL 21485 01/1917 01/1948
950 15356 55356 NBL 21486 01/1917 06/1950
951 15357 NBL 21487 01/1917 07/1946
952 15358 NBL 21488 04/1917 05/1946
953 15359 55359 NBL 21489 04/1917 10/1953
954 15360 55360 NBL 21490 05/1917 02/1952
955 15361 55361 NBL 21491 05/1917 06/1952

sources: BritishSteam,[3] Longworth (2005) p167 [4]

References
  1. Casserley, H. C. & Johnston, S.W. (1966), Locomotives at the Grouping 3: London Midland and Scottish, Ian Allan, p.160
  2. Essery, Bob & Jenkinson, David (1986), An Illustrated History of L.M.S. Locomotives, Volume Three: Absorbed Pre-Group Classes, Northern Division, OPC, p.61
  3. "BritishSteam locomotive information". BritishSteam.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  4. Longworth, Hugh (2005), British Railways Steam Locomotives 1948-1968, Oxford Publishing Co., p.167
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