| Great Northern Railway (Ireland) class V | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Designer | George T. Glover |
| Builder | Beyer, Peacock & Co.[1] |
| Order number | 1524 |
| Serial number | 6731–6735 |
| Build date | 1932[1] |
| Total produced | 5 |
| Configuration | 4-4-0[1] |
| UIC classification | 2'Bhv3 |
| Gauge | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) |
| Driver diameter | 6 ft 7 in (2.007 m)[1] |
| Locomotive & tender combined weight |
103 tons 11 cwt (105.2 tonnes) |
| Boiler pressure | 250 psi (1.72 MPa), later 215 psi (1.48 MPa)[1] |
| Cylinders | Three – 1 HP (inside) and 2 LP (outside)[1] |
| High-pressure cylinder size |
17¼ × 26 in (438 × 660 mm)[1] |
| Low-pressure cylinder size |
19 × 26 in (483 × 660 mm)[1] |
| Valve gear | Stephenson |
| Tractive effort | 23,762 lbf (105.70 kN) later 20,435 lbf (90.90 kN)[1] |
| Career | Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Ulster Transport Authority CIE |
| Class | V |
| Number in class | 5[1] |
| Number | 83–87[1] |
| Nicknames | Pounders; Compounds |
| Preserved | No. 85 Merlin |
| Disposition | One preserved, four scrapped. |
The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) V class steam locomotives were 3-cylinder compound locomotives of 4-4-0 wheel arrangement built in 1932 by Beyer, Peacock and Company.
Contents |
The V class was intended for use on the GNR(I)'s most important passenger service, the Dublin-Belfast expresses. The S and S2 Class which had previously served the route were giving trouble as boiler pressure had been raised to increase power and performance. This increased maintenance (particularly with broken crank axles) and as a result the boiler pressure was brought back down. This left the GNR(I) with no option but to progress the development of a more powerful engine.
The resultant ‘V’s were designed by George T. Glover with on-site experience learnt from the design teams for the British LMS compounds.
The ‘V’ class engines were ordered from Beyer Peacock (with tenders built in Dundalk) and delivered in 1932, and cost £5,847 (c. €500,000 in 2008), £3,000 cheaper than the ‘SG3’ 4-4-0 class, built ten years previously. They were named after birds of prey: Eagle (No. 83), Falcon (84), Merlin (85), Peregrine (86), and Kestrel (87). The V-class was the first locomotive in the whole of Ireland with a three-cylinder engine, weighed 103 tons 11 cwt including tender and had a round-topped boiler and Stephenson’s valve-gear.
The result was an engine that looked dramatically larger than their predecessor the S class, which led to the unfounded rumour among railway workers that they had been designed for use in Russia.
As the GNR(I)'s only compound locomotives they were often referred to simply as 'The Compounds'.
They were introduced for the accelerated Dublin-Belfast schedule, and reduced existing times by up to 22 minutes. However, as for the S-Class before them, the high pressure schedule resulted in severe maintenance problems: hot boxes, connecting rod issues and boiler re-tubes, and as a result the boiler pressure was reduced by 50 lb./in.,[1] leading to a 20% drop in tractive effort.
No. 87 Kestrel was the first to be rebuilt in 1946 and was the first GNR(I) loco to receive a Harland and Wolff built square topped Belpaire-style firebox. Merlin had one fitted in 1950 with the old boiler rebuilt as a spare.
The V Class was chosen to haul a new non-stop service called the ‘Enterprise’ between Belfast and Dublin in August 1947 (a service that still runs today). The premium service was restricted to seven bogie vehicles. During the early 1950s the ‘Pounders’ shared most of the heavy main line work with the newer ‘Vs’ class but, with the introduction of new railcars in 1957, the class was relieved of its main duties.
In October 1958 the old GNR(I), (now the Great Northern Railway Board, or GNRB) was split between Northern Ireland’s Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) and the Republic’s Coras Iompair Éireann (CIE). Nos. 83, 86 and 87 went to the UTA and Nos. 84 and 85 went to CIE. The letters ‘UT’ or ‘CIE’ were stencilled on the front buffer beams. Steam finished on CIE in 1963 and subsequently all but No.85 “Merlin” were scrapped.
Merlin (No.85) was the only full-size working compound locomotive anywhere in the UK and Ireland prior to the expiry of her boiler certificate in 2003.
With her final years as a spare in Dundalk works, running the occasional Dublin, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum rescued her from the scrapyard in 1965, acquiring her (minus tender) for £600. She was stored variously in Inchicore, Amiens Street, Dundalk, Adelaide shed in Belfast and in Lisburn before finally moving to the museum's gallery at Witham street, Belfast, in 1969. Displayed here until 1976, she was moved to Harland and Wolff for a comprehensive overhaul organised by the Museum, the RPSI and Lord Dunleith, and on completion in 1982, she was moved to the RPSI’s Whitehead headquarters.
She was officially launched into traffic on June 30, 1986 heading the official Belfast - Dublin ‘Enterprise’ that September and also headed the 40th anniversary of the ‘Enterprise’ the following August, drawing the same length train as in 1947 (seven bogie vehicles) and matching the timings of the original run.
Having received a further overhaul in the 1990s, Merlin continued to be leased by the RPSI and used on the main line until the expiry of her boiler certificate in 2004. In August 2009, the RPSI announced that the locomotive is to be overhauled with a view of returning it to traffic by 2011. Work has begun on dismantling the locomotive at the RPSI's main base at Whitehead to allow the boiler to be lifted for overhaul.
| No. | Name | 1958 owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | Eagle | UTA | |
| 84 | Falcon | CIÉ | |
| 85 | Merlin | CIÉ | Preserved |
| 86 | Peregrine | UTA | |
| 87 | Kestrel | UTA |
The V Class is currently available as a 00 gauge etched-brass kit from Studio Scale Models. It includes transfers, brass etches and cast white metal parts.
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