Midland Railway 115 Class

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**Midland Railway 115 Class**
Power type	Steam
No. 673 in steam at Midland Railway Centre, Butterley, 1980.
Designer	Samuel Johnson
Build date	1896-99
Configuration	4-2-2
Fuel type	coal
Cylinders	2
Class	115

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673 also took part in the Rainhill Trials 150th anniversary cavalcade in 1980.

The Midland Railway 115 Class is a class of 4-2-2 steam locomotive. They were known as "spinners" because of the wheelslip that the single large driving wheel caused. They were designed by Samuel Johnson and a total of 15 of the class were built between 1896-99. It was quite common for this class of engine to pull a typical Midland express weighing 200 and 250 tons which suited the Class 115 perfectly. Given a dry rail they could maintain a tight schedule with 350 tons. Speeds up to 90mph were not uncommon and the sight of their whirring huge driving wheels earned them the nickname "Spinners". Thanks to the Midlands practice of building low powered locomotives and relying on double heading to cope with heavier trains many enjoyed working lives of up to 40 years. They made ideal pilot engines for the later Jackson/Deeley 4-4-0 classes. During the World War one most were placed in store but surprisingly pressed into service afterwards as pilots on the Nottingham to London coal trains. Nevertheless by 1927 only three of the class remained. One has been preserved

[edit] Preservation

No. 673 is the sole survivor of its class. It was steamed around 1976-1980 when it took part in the Rainhill Trials 150th cavalcade but is currently a static exhibit in the National Railway Museum in York.