MR 0-10-0 Lickey Banker

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No. 58100 at Blackwell at the top of the Lickey. Note the large headlight ahead of the chimney.

58100 banking an express, July/August 1955.

58100 at the same date.

In 1919, the Midland Railway built a single 0-10-0 steam locomotive, No 2290 (later LMS (1947) 22290 and BR 58100). It was designed by James Clayton for banking duties on the Lickey Incline in Worcestershire (south of Birmingham), England. It became known as "Big Bertha" or "Big Emma" by railwaymen and railway enthusiatsts.

[edit] Overview

The railway term for such a locomotive is a banker. The locomotive's function was to provide extra power on steep inclines by being added to the rear of other trains. Bankers were also used to protect against wagons or coaches breaking away, in which case they might run in front of a train going downhill. They went out of use with the introduction of advanced braking systems and diesel locomotives.

No 2290 was built at the Derby Works of the Midland Railway in 1919 and was in use up to the year 1956 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and British Railways (BR). She was numbered 2290 from new and kept this number through most of her LMS life, but was renumbered to 22290 in 1947 to make room for the numbering of a Fairburn 2-6-4T. Only a year later she was renumbered to 58100 by British Railways since adding 40000 to her number (as was done with the majority of LMS engines) would have put her in the 6XXXX ex-LNER series.

With a weight of 105 long tons (107 t) and 10 driving wheels with a diameter of 4'7.5" (1.41 m), she had a tractive effort of 43,300 lbf (59.2 kN). She was the only locomotive not given a power classification by either the LMS or BR, since she was designed specifically for the job of providing extra power and was not suitable for normal train working.

The engine was withdrawn in 1956 and a BR standard class 9F, number 92079 took over, acquiring "Big Bertha's" electric headlight in the process. The other banking turns on the Lickey were operated by Midland Railway 2441 Class and LMS Fowler Class 3F 0-6-0Ts, often in pairs, operation being controlled by a complicated system of whistle codes.