LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0

LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0
44662 at Leeds City in 1966 or 1967 with an Ivatt forward topfeed boiler
Power type Steam
Designer William Stanier
Builder LMS Crewe Works (241)
LMS Derby Works (54)
LMS Horwich Works (120)
Vulcan Foundry (100)
Armstrong Whitworth (327)
Serial number AW: 1166–1265, 1280–1506
VF: 4565–4614, 4618–4667
Build date 1934–1951
Total produced 842
Configuration 4-6-0
UIC classification 2'Ch
Gauge 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm)
Leading wheel
diameter
39.5 in (1.003 m)
Driver diameter 72 in (1.829 m)
Length 63 ft 7 34 in (19.40 m) or 63 ft 11 34 in (19.50 m)
Locomotive weight 72.2 long tons (73.4 t) to 75 long tons (76.2 t)
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity 9 long tons (9.1 t)
Water capacity 4,000 imp gal (18,000 l; 4,800 US gal)
Boiler LMS type 3B
Boiler pressure 225 psi (1.55 MPa) superheated
Firegrate area 27.75 sq ft (2.578 m2) or 28.5 sq ft (2.65 m2)
Heating surface:
Firebox
156 sq ft (14.5 m2) or 171 sq ft (15.9 m2)
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 18.5 × 28 in (470 × 711 mm)
Valve gear Most Walschaerts, some outside Stephenson or Caprotti
Tractive effort 25,455 lbf (113.23 kN)
Career LMS, BR
Power class LMS: 5P5F
BR: 5MT
Axle load class Route Availability 7
Withdrawn 1961–1968
Disposition 18 preserved, remainder scrapped

The London Midland and Scottish Railway's Class 5 4-6-0, almost universally known as the Black Five, is a class of steam locomotive. It was introduced by William Stanier in 1934 and 842 were built between then and 1951. Members of the class survived to the last day of steam on British Railways in 1968, and eighteen are preserved.

Contents

Origins

The Black Fives were a mixed traffic locomotive, a "do-anything go-anywhere" type, designed by Stanier, who had previously been with the GWR. In his early LMS days, he designed his Stanier Mogul 2-6-0 in which he experimented with the GWR school of thought on Locomotive design. A number of details in this design he would never use again realising the superiority of details not used on the GWR. Stanier realised that there was a need for larger locomotives. These were to be the LMS's version of the GWR Halls but not a copy, as the Hall was too wide to run most places in Britain. They shared similar cylinder arrangement (two outside), internal boiler design and size and 6 foot driving wheel diameters.

In their early days the locomotives were known as the "Black Staniers" from their black livery, in contrast to Stanier's other class of 4-6-0, the LMS Stanier Jubilee Class, which were painted crimson (and known until April 1935 as the "Red Staniers"). Later on, the nickname of the former became "Black Five", the number referring to the power classification. This was originally 5P5F, but from 1940 was shown on cabsides as the simple figure 5.[1]

Construction

There were a number of detail variations in the locomotives and they did not all remain in the same condition as built. Some locomotives built under British Railways administration were used as test beds for various design modifications with a view to incorporating the successful modifications in the Standard Classes of locomotives built from 1951 onwards. These modifications included outside Caprotti valve gear, roller bearings (both Timken and Skefco types) on the coupled and tender axles in varying combinations and an experimental steel firebox. Other locomotives had modified draughting to "self clean" the smokebox (thereby reducing turn-around and disposal times and eliminating or mitigating one of the most unpopular jobs).

The domeless engines

Numbering started from 5000, with the first twenty being ordered from Crewe Works and a further eighty from the Vulcan Foundry. The first to emerge was the first Vulcan Foundry engine, 5020, in 1934; the first Crewe-built engine, 5000 not completed until 1935. The originals were built with domeless, straight throatplate boilers with low degree superheat (14 elements). However, many received later type boilers later in their lives.

The pre-war domed engines

A further 227 were ordered from Armstrong-Whitworth in 1936, the largest single locomotive order ever given by a British railway to an outside contractor. Crewe built a further 142. These had domed high degree superheat boilers.

5471, built at Crewe in 1938 would be the last built for five years. During the early stages of the Second World War, the priority was for heavy freight engines and the closely related 8Fs were produced in vast numbers.

Wartime and postwar domed engines

In 1943, construction was restarted with Derby Works building its first. However, after number 5499 was built, the numbering block hit that of the Patriot Class and so new engines were numbered from 4800 onwards. However, after another 200 were built, they again ran out of numbers, so they started numbering below 4800. By this time, the LMS had been nationalised into British Railways and BR added 40000 to all their numbers. Eventually the 842 examples would number 44658–45499.

Ivatt engines and experimental modifications

Post-war examples were built with forward topfeeds and Nos 44658-767 had a longer wheelbase (27ft 6in rather than 27ft 2in, with the change in the coupled wheelbase from 7ft + 8ft to 7ft + 8ft 3in). In 1948, George Ivatt introduced more modifications to bearings and valve gear. 4767 was built with Stephenson link motion in 1947. 44738-57 were built with Caprotti valve gear. The last two, 44686 and 44687 built at Horwich in 1951, had even more modifications.

Gallery

Construction details


Names

Only five Black Fives received names, though several have been named in preservation (see below). All of them were named after Scottish regiments. Four of them retained their names into British Railways days, but No 5155, which carried the name The Queens Edinburgh during the Second World War, later had its name removed.[2]

Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 names[3]
LMS No. BR No. Name Date named Name removed
5154 45154 Lanarkshire Yeomanry 1937
5155 45155 The Queens Edinburgh 1942 1944
5156 45156 Ayrshire Yeomanry 1936
5157 45157 The Glasgow Highlander 1936
5158 45158 Glasgow Yeomanry 1936

Withdrawal

45401 was the first Black Five to be withdrawn from stock in 1961, with the remainder following between 1962 and 1968. Members of the class survived to the last day of steam on BR in 1968.

Summary of withdrawals
Year No. withdrawn No(s)
1961 1 45401
1962 21 etc.
1963 29 etc.
1964 67 etc.
1965 97 etc.
1966 171 etc.
1967 305 etc.
1968 151 44663–5/72/83–90
44708/9/11/3/5/28/35/58/61/77/80/1
44800/2–4/6/7/9/15/6/8/29/36/8/42/5/6/8/51/5/64/8/71/4/7/8/84/8–91/4/7/9
44903/6/10/26/9/32/40/2/7/9/50/63/5/71
45001/5/13/7/25/7/34/8/46/54/5/65/73/6/95/6
45101/4/10/431/3/4/49/50/6/87/90
45200–3/6/9/12/27/31/53–5/8/60/2/8/9/79/82/4/7/90/4/6
45305/10/2/6/8/30/42/5/50/3/75/6/81/2/6/8/90–2/4/5/7
45407/11/20/1/4/6/35/6/4/5/7/93

Preservation

Eighteen locomotives have been preserved:

Number Builder Location Status
LMS BR
4767 44767 Crewe Works North Yorkshire Moors Railway Operational, having returned to steam in 2010
4806 44806 Derby Works Llangollen Railway Operational
4871 44871 Crewe Works East Lancashire Railway Operational and mainline certified; owned by Ian Riley, returned to steam in 2009
4901 44901 Crewe Works Vale of Glamorgan Railway Awaiting restoration from Barry Scrapyard condition
4932 44932 Horwich Works West Coast Railway Company Mainline operational
5000 45000 Crewe Works National Railway Museum On static display
5025 45025 Vulcan Foundry Strathspey Railway Stored awaiting overhaul; work expected to commence in 2011
5110 45110 Vulcan Foundry Barrow Hill Engine Shed In storage. Normally based at the Severn Valley Railway but after expiry of 10 year boiler certificate in August 2008, moved to Barrow Hill for storage in early 2009 for at least two years. The tender returned to SVR for use with Stanier Mogul 42968.
5163 45163 Armstrong Whitworth Colne Valley Railway Under restoration
5212 45212 Armstrong Whitworth Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Operational. Boiler ticket expires Autumn 2011.
5231 45231 Armstrong Whitworth Great Central Railway Operational and mainline certified
5293 45293 Armstrong Whitworth Colne Valley Railway Under restoration
5305 45305 Armstrong Whitworth Great Central Railway Operational, mainline certified and based at Great Central Railway Loughborough.
Boiler certificate expires 2020. Owned by The Draper Family, Hull.
5337 45337 Armstrong Whitworth East Lancashire Railway Operational; returned to steam September 2010
5379 45379 Armstrong Whitworth Mid-Hants Railway Operational; returned to steam 10 September 2010
5407 45407 Armstrong Whitworth East Lancashire Railway Operational and mainline certified; owned by Ian Riley.
5428 45428 Armstrong Whitworth North Yorkshire Moors Railway Operational; returned to steam April 2010.
5491 45491 Derby Works Great Central Railway Under restoration
Summary

Sound

In fiction

In The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, the character Henry the Green Engine, in his later form, is based on a Black Five.[4]

In the film The Virgin Soldiers, the locomotive destroyed in the train crash scene was 4781, the only one of the four Fifteen Guinea Special engines not preserved.

The locomotive in Magritte's picture Time Transfixed is a Black Five.

The locomotive is included in the train simulator Railworks.

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Rowledge, John Westbury Peter; Reed, Brian (1984) [1977]. The Stanier 4-6-0s of the LMS. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 49,23. ISBN 0 7153 7385 4. 
  2. ^ The name is confirmed in ABC LMS Locomotives of 1943 (undated 1960s reprint ed.). Ian Allan. p. 17. 
  3. ^ Rowledge, J.W.P. (1975). Engines of the LMS built 1923–51. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company. p. 11. ISBN 0-902888-59-5. 
  4. ^ The Rev. W., Awdry; G Awdry (1987). The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways. Kaye & Ward. p. (p129). ISBN 0 434 92762 7. 

External links