| WD Austerity 2-10-0 | |
|---|---|
| 90775 on the North Norfolk Railway. Despite having the appearance of a British Railways locomotive, the highest numbered BR engine was 90774, and this example was repatriated from Greece. | |
| Power type | Steam |
| Designer | Riddles |
| Builder | North British Locomotive Company |
| Build date | 1943 |
| Configuration | 2-10-0 |
| UIC classification | 1′E h |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Driver diameter | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Locomotive weight | 78 tons 6 cwt (175,400 lb or 79.6 t) |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Boiler pressure | 225 lbf/in² (1.55 MPa) |
| Cylinders | Two |
| Cylinder size | 19 × 28 in (483 × 711 mm) |
| Tractive effort | 34,215 lbf (152.20 kN) |
| Power class | 8F |
The War Department (WD) "Austerity" 2-10-0 is a type of heavy freight steam locomotive that was introduced during the Second World War in 1943.
Contents |
The Austerity 2-10-0 was based on the Austerity 2-8-0, and was designed to have interchangeable parts by R.A. Riddles. It had the same power output as the 2-8-0 but a lighter axle load, making it suitable for secondary lines.
It had a parallel boiler and round-topped firebox. While the 2-8-0 had a narrow firebox, the 2-10-0 had a wide firebox placed above the driving wheels. This arrangement was common in the USA (e.g. the USRA 0-8-0) but unusual in Britain. In Britain, wide fireboxes were usually used only where there was a trailing axle, e.g. in 4-4-2 and 4-6-2 types. One exception was the GER Decapod.
These were the first 2-10-0 locomotives to work in Great Britain, and the first major class of ten-coupled engines — they had been preceded by two 0-10-0 locomotives; the Great Eastern Railway's Decapod and the Midland Railway's Lickey Banker.
The 2-10-0 wheel arrangement was later used by Riddles when he designed the BR standard class 9F. This, too, had a wide firebox placed above the driving wheels.
Two batches were built by the North British Locomotive Company, the first batch of 100 introduced in 1943/1944 and the second batch of 50 in 1945. Their WD Nos were 73650–73799.
20 of the first batch were sent to the Middle East. During running-in they worked in Britain, but their length made them unsuitable. Most saw service with the British Army in France after D-Day.
After the war the 150 locomotives were distributed as follows, the majority going to the Netherlands:
| No. of engines | Country | Company | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | Netherlands | Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) | NS Series 5000II |
| 25 | Great Britain | British Railways (BR) | BR ex-WD Austerity 2-10-0 |
| 16 | Greece | Hellenic State Railways (SEK) | SEK Class Λβ |
| 4 | Syria | Chemins de Fer Syriens (CFS) | CFS Class 150.6 |
| 2 | Great Britain | Longmoor Military Railway (LMR) | LMR ex-WD Austerity 2-10-0 |
In 1946, the Netherlands bought those in continental Europe. They formed the NS Series 5000II, and were numbered 5001-103. They had a short working life, the last being withdrawn in 1952.
After the war, the British Railways (BR) bought twenty-five locomotives. Numbered 90750-74, they were mostly operated by BR's Scottish Region on heavy freight trains and were all withdrawn between 1961 and 1962.
Postwar, two War Department WD 2-10-0 locomotives, 600 Gordon and No. 601 Kitchener were sent to the Longmoor Military Railway in Hampshire, where they were utilised for many years in the training of army personnel in the operation of locomotives and railway infrastructure.
No. 600 Gordon survived in operation until the closure of the LMR in 1969 and is currently (2008) preserved on the Severn Valley Railway.
Sixteen of the twenty Middle East locomotives went to Greece, where they formed Class Λβ of the Hellenic State Railways, numbered Λβ951 to Λβ966.
The remaining 4 Middle East locomotives remained in Syria and operated on the Chemins de Fer Syriens (CFS). These engines formed the CFS Class 150.6.
600 Gordon has survived and has been steamed on the Severn Valley Railway, though as of 2005[update] it is out of service, cosmetically restored and on display in the Engine House.
Two more have been repatriated from Greece. One has been numbered 90775, one higher than the last BR engine, and has carried the name Sturdee (as No. 601 before being numbered 90775). In service on North Norfolk Railway. The other is WD No. 3672 which has been named Dame Vera Lynn. The loco is currently awaiting overhaul at Grosmont, NYMR.
WD 73755 (NS 5085) survives in the Dutch Railway Museum (Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum) in Utrecht. It carried the nameplate Longmoor, after the Royal Engineer's base at Longmoor, with the coat of arms of the Royal Engineers above.
| Numbers | Name | Location | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WD | NS | SEK | BR | LMR | ||
| 73651 | - | - | - | 600 | Gordon | On display in the Engine House, Severn Valley Railway, England |
| 73652 | - | Λβ951 | 90775* | - | Sturdee* (name not currently carried)[1] | Failed Boiler Exam, North Norfolk Railway, Norfolk, England |
| 3672 | - | Λβ960 | - | - | Dame Vera Lynn* | Awaiting overhaul at Grosmont North Yorks Moors Railway, Yorkshire, England |
| 73677 | - | Λβ962 | - | - | - | Greece, operational [2] |
| 73682 | - | Λβ964 | - | - | - | Greece, operational [2] |
| 73684 | - | Λβ966 | - | - | - | Greece, static exhibit |
| 73755 | 5085 | - | - | - | Longmoor | Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum, Utrecht, Netherlands |