Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes

The Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes were 0-6-0 steam tender locomotives designed by John F. McIntosh for the Caledonian Railway and introduced in 1899. They had the same boiler type as the 721 “Dunalastair” Class 4-4-0s. They could reach speeds of up to 55 mph (89 km/h).[1]

Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes
Ex-CR 812 class No. 17596 at Corkerhill Locomotive Depot on 15 August 1948
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerJohn F. McIntosh
Builder
Build date1899–1909
Total produced79 (812) / 17 (652) / 96 (total)
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte0-6-0
 • UICCn
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.5 ft 0 in (1.524 m)
Length56 ft 2 in (17.12 m)
Loco weight45.65 long tons (46.38 t; 51.13 short tons)
Water cap.3,000 imp gal (14,000 L; 3,600 US gal)
Boiler pressure160 psi (1,100 kPa)
SuperheaterNone
CylindersTwo, inside
Cylinder size18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gearStephenson
Valve typeSlide valves
Performance figures
Tractive effort20,170 lbf (89.7 kN)
Career
Operators
ClassCR: 812 and 652
Power classLMS/BR: 3F
Number in class79 (812) 17 (652)
Numbers
  • CR: 282-293, 812-878 (812) 325-328, 652-659, 661-665 (652)
  • LMS: 17550-17628 (812) 17629-17645 (652)
  • BR: 57550-57628 (812) 57629-57645 (652)
LocaleScottish Region
Withdrawn1948–1963
PreservedNo. 828
DispositionOne 812 preserved, remainder scrapped

Construction

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96 locomotives were built, as follows:

Table of locomotives, 812 Class
Year Quantity CR Nos. Builder Builders No. LMS Nos. BR Nos. Notes
1899 17 812–828 CR, St. Rollox Y054 17550–17566 57550–57566 828 preserved
1899 10 829–838 Neilson, Reid & Co. 5613–5622 17567–17576 57568–57576 17567 withdrawn before nationalisation
1900 10 839–848 Neilson, Reid & Co. 5623–5632 17577–17586 57577–57586
1900 15 849–863 Sharp Stewart 4633–4647 17587–17601
  • 57587–57597,
  • 57599–57601
17598 withdrawn before nationalisation
c.1900 15 864–878 Dübs & Co. 3880–3894 17602–17616
  • 57602–57609,
  • 57611–57616
17610 withdrawn before nationalisation
1899 12 282–293 CR, St. Rollox Y058 17617–17628 57617–57628
Table of locomotives, 652 Class
Year Quantity CR Nos. Builder Builders No. LMS Nos. BR Nos. Notes
1908 8 652–659 CR, St. Rollox Y087-Y086 17629–17636 57629–57636
1908 4 662–665 CR, St. Rollox Y086 17637–17640 57637–57640
1909 4 325–328 CR, St. Rollox Y086 17641–17644 57641–57644
1909 1 661 CR, St. Rollox Y086 17645 57645

Seventeen were fitted with the Westinghouse air brakes for passenger train working, including the only surviving engine of the class, No. 828. All 96 passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 grouping. Only three, 17567, 17598 and 17610 (all 812s), had been withdrawn by the time of nationalisation in 1948. The last locomotive in service was not withdrawn until 1963.

Preservation

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Locomotive 828 on the Severn Valley Railway, 25 March 2012

Locomotive 828 (LMS 17566, BR 57566) is the sole survivor of the class and is an important example of Scottish industrial heritage. It is based at the Strathspey Railway. It was returned to regular service in 2010 and then again in March 2017 following heavy repairs. 828 is the final member of the first batch of engines built in 1899. Since 2022 it has been on long term hire to the Spa Valley Railway in Kent.[2] where it joined fellow Caledonian survivor 419 during the Scottish Steam Up over Easter 2022.[3]

Belgian derivatives

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A Type 30 engine used by the Railway Operating Division

Belgian State Railways (SNCB-NMBS) derived three series of steam locomotives (891 units) from the class 812 between 1899 and 1914. They had a shallower firebox, able to burn semi-bituminous coal and briquettes, allowing a shorter wheelbase due to its positioning above the rear axle. There were three classes

  • Type 30 – first variant with several details in common with the Caledonian engines (cab windows, gauges, and tender coupling). 82 built between 1899 and 1901.
  • Type 32 (later renamed Type 44) – more powerful and fitted with a Belgian cab, higher steam pressure, new gauges and tender coupling. 502 built between 1901 and 1910.
  • Type 32S [fr] (later renamed Type 41) – same features but improved with a Schmidt superheater. 307 built between 1905 and 1914.

Until 1909, they were the only new engines used with freight trains. They were also used on suburban and local passenger trains and some expresses on hilly sections. Most of them were retired between 1947 and 1959. Some of them were then used as stationary boilers and two of them (44.225 and 41.195) survive in museums. A third one (44.021) was kept as a parts donor and scrapped in 2002.[4]

Models

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Rails of Sheffield announced at the opening of Model Rail Scotland on 23 February 2018, that in conjunction with Bachmann Europe Plc they have reached agreement with The Caledonian Railway 828 Trust to produce OO scale models of the 812 Class 0-6-0 locomotives.[5][6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Train: The Definitive Visual History. DK Press. p. 98.
  2. ^ "Spa Valley Railway to welcome Caledonian Railway steam locomotive No. 828". RailAdvent. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Scottish Steam Up! « Spa Valley Railway". www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Former Belgian Steam Heating Locomotives". Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  5. ^ "Bachmann Europe News - Caledonian Railway Class 812 0-6-0 Announcement". 23 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Key Model World - Rails' Caley '812' is here!". 19 October 2020.
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