The Highland Railway began as the Inverness and Nairn Railway (later the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway), which operated the other lines which became part of the Highland Railway on its formation in 1865.
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The first locomotive superintendent was William Barclay, who was a nephew of Alexander Allan. The locomotives supplied initially were classic Allan designs, small 2-2-2s and 2-4-0s, outside cylindered and with external framing and (initially at least) not even a weatherboard to protect the enginemen. It was later decided that a cab was essential to protect them from winter weather. Only four of the Barclay era locomotives, all rebuilt by Jones, were still in service at the time of the Grouping in 1923.
The first locomotives were two 2-2-2s were supplied by Hawthorns and Company of Leith in 1855, and a second pair delivered in 1857. Cylinder dimensions were 15 by 20 inches (381 by 508 mm), and driving wheel diameters were 6 feet 0 inches (1.8 m). The boiler pressure was originally 100 lbf/in² (690 kPa), later being revised to 120 lbf/in² (830 kPa).
They were :
| HR number | Name |
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Raigmore |
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Aldourie |
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St Martins |
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Ardross |
In around 1869, nos. 3 and 4 were scrapped, and their driving wheels were used by Stroudley to rebuild nos. 1 and 2 as 2-4-0s. No. 1 was withdrawn within a few years, but no. 2 received a more extensive rebuild, gaining a larger boiler and 15.5 by 22 inch cylinders, and lasted until 1899.
A batch of seven 2-4-0s with 16 inch bore x 22 inch stroke cylinders and 5 foot 0 inch driving wheels were supplied by Hawthorns between 1858 and 1859 for goods service. Boiler pressure was originally 100 lb/square inch, later increased to 120 lb/square inch.
| HR number | Name |
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Seafield |
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Bruce |
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Fife |
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Altyre |
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Aultnaskiah |
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Westhall |
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Stafford |
In 1873 Jones rebuilt no. 10 as a 4-4-0 to counter flange wear problems on the Dingwall & Skye line. He used the Adams bogie arrangement and replaced the cylinders with new ones of 17 inch bore and 24 inch stroke. This engine was effectively the prototype for the F Class built from 1874 onwards. In 1875 a second locomotive (no. 7) was similarly rebuilt, although this seems to have been a trial for new features adopted for the Skye bogies. The other 5 locomotives of this batch remained as 2-4-0s but were rebuilt with cabs and longer (24 inch stroke) cylinders between 1875 and 1880. All were withdrawn between 1893 and 1899.
A pair of 2-2-2s with 16 inch x 22 inch cylinders was supplied by Hawthorns in 1862. Driving wheels were 6 foot 0 inches, boiler pressure was originally 100 lb/square inch, later increased to 120 lb/square inch. They were the first locomotives supplied with cabs from new.
| HR number | Name |
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Belladrum |
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Lovat |
No. 13 was withdrawn in 1890. In 1871 no. 12 was rebuilt by Jones as a 2-2-2T for branch line work, in which form it survived until 1898.
Two 2-4-0s were supplied by Hawthorns in 1862. They were similar to but slightly larger than the earlier batch, and were fitted with cabs from new. They were:
| HR number | Name |
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Loch |
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Sutherland |
Later they were rebuilt with 17 inch bore x 24 inch stroke cylinders and 5 foot 2.5 inch driving wheels. No. 15 was withdrawn in 1893, while no. 14 lasted until 1901 (having been renumbered 6 and then 49).
In 1862 the Findhorn Railway was taken over, along with its sole locomotive, a Neilson and Company 0-4-0ST locomotive dating from 1860. It had 3 foot 6 inch wheels and 12 x 16 inch cylinders.
| HR number | Name |
|---|---|
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Findhorn (name not confirmed) |
It was sold to a contractor in 1872.
A small 0-4-0T was built by Hawthorns in 1863 for the Burghead branch line. It had 4 foot driving wheels and 13 x 18 inch inside cylinders.
| HR number | Name |
|---|---|
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Hopeman |
As built, it proved to be rather unstable and was therefore converted to an 0-4-2T by Stroudley. It later became a stationary engine to power the Lochgorm works sawmill. It returned to traffic as no. 1A in 1898, and was finally withdrawn in 1902.
Ten 2-4-0s were supplied by Sharp, Stewart and Company in 1863. They had 17 inch x 22 inch cylinders, 150 lb/square inch boilers and 5 foot 1.5 inch driving wheels.
| HR number | Name |
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Inverness |
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Dingwall |
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Birnam |
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Forres |
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Aviemore |
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Murthly |
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Invergordon |
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Novar |
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Beauly |
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Conon |
The next year, Sharp, Stewart supplied ten more, with the stroke increased to 24 inches but otherwise identical.
| HR number | Name |
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Nairn |
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Struan |
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Kincraig |
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Aviemore |
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Keith |
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Kingussie |
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Lentran |
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Dava |
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Brodie |
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Dalcross |
All were rebuilt by Jones between 1874 and 1893, gaining 18 x 26 inch cylinders, and having their driving wheels increased to 5 feet 3 inches by means of applying thicker tyres. Withdrawals commenced in 1896, but nos. 27, 37 and 42 survived into LMS ownership.
Three batches of 2-2-2s were supplied in 1863/64. They all had 120 lb/square inch boilers and cylinders with a 22 inch stroke. Driving wheels were 6 foot 1.5 inches.
Two were built by Hawthorns in 1863 with 17 inch bore cylinders:
| HR number | Name |
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Glenbarry |
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Highlander |
Six more were built by Neilson and Company in 1863 with 16.5 inch bore cylinders. They were all converted to 17 inch bore at an unspecified later date.
| HR number | Name |
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Prince |
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Princess |
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Sutherland |
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Atholl |
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Seafield |
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Kingsmills |
A further batch of ten was built by Neilson in 1864. They had 17 inch bore cylinders.
| HR number | Name |
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Clachnacuddin |
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Bruce |
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Cadboll |
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Belladrum |
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Aultnaskiah |
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Caithness |
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Dunphail |
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Stafford |
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Macduff |
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Cluny |
With increased traffic, especially over the Perth line, heavier locomotives were needed, but the company was short of money. Jones responded by following Stroudley's example of rebuilding 2-2-2s as 2-4-0s. No. 29 was the first to be rebuilt in 1871, and by 1893 all except no. 32 had been so converted. Cylinder dimensions were increased to 18 x 24 inches. Seven locomotives received larger boilers between 1881 and 1896, and the others were withdrawn between 1897 and 1900. The reboilered examples lasted longer, and no. 35 was still in service (latterly renumbered 35A) at the Grouping.
During William Stroudley's tenure as locomotive superintendent from 1865-69 only one new locomotive was built. This was an 0-6-0ST built at the Highland Railway's Lochgorm works in Inverness in 1869. This is generally considered the basis of the LB&SCR "Terrier" locomotives he produced later in his career. Two similar locomotives were built under Jones' in 1873 and 1874. They had 3 foot 7 inch wheels and 14 inch by 20 inch cylinders. The boiler of the first is believed to have come from no. 3.
| HR number | Name |
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Balnain |
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Lochgorm |
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St Martin's |
No. 56 was rebuilt by Jones in 1895, and the other two were similarly rebuilt by Drummond in 1897. Alterations included thicker tyres to increase the wheel diameter to 3 foot 6 inches, and the provision of larger bunkers. No. 16 was later renumbered 49. All three passed to the LMS in 1923.
As will be apparent, the original numbering scheme was a simple chronological sequence, although Stroudley tank no. 16 was built as a replacement for the original Findhorn branch engine and received its number. In later years, new locomotives took some of the early numbers, and surviving early engines were either renumbered or given an 'A' suffix.
Renaming of locomotives was common in the early years, and only the first name is recorded here. Part of the reason for multiple engines having the same name was that names were applied to locomotives used on an appropriate part of the line. If an engine was reallocated then the name was moved to another. The name Bruce was commonly used for Highland Railway locomotives (five bore it all told), and contrary to common opinion it is not in memory of King Robert the Bruce but of the Hon C T Bruce who was Chairman of the company from 1885 to 1891 (and had earlier been Chairman of the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway).
Features that arrived during the 1860s and stayed until the Peter Drummond days were the louvered chimneys and counter-pressure brake.
The chimney was really a pair of concentric ones. It is usually considered to have been adopted to aid forward visibility for the driver (a rather different pattern of smoke deflector), but there is some evidence that the real reason was to reduce the chance of lineside fires (rather like the prominent 'stacks' of early USA designs).
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