Hunslet Dinorwic Port Class
| Hunslet Port Class (1922) | |
|---|---|
 Side view of the Dolbardan
|
|
| Number: | 5 |
| Manufacturer: | Hunslet |
| Year of construction (s): | 1922, 1932, from 2005 |
| Type : | B n2t |
| Gauge : | 578-610 mm |
| Total wheelbase: | 991 mm |
| Service mass: | 6.7 t |
| Friction mass: | 6.7 t |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 508 mm |
| Cylinder diameter: | 178 mm |
| Piston stroke: | 254 mm |
| Boiler overpressure: | 110.2 N / cm² |
| Grate area: | 0.2 m² |
| Radiant heating surface: | 1.3 m² |
| Tubular heating surface: | 8 m² |
| Water supply: | 0.45 m³ |
The Dinorwic Port Class locomotives built from 1922 by the manufacturer Hunslet Engine Company are small tank locomotives that were built for use on 578 mm (22.75 ″) gauge in the port of the Dinorwic quarry (Port Dinorwic) in North Wales . The locomotives are a variant of the Alice Class built for this quarry , which, however, did not have to be adapted for use under the difficult conditions of the quarry.
The locomotives must not be confused with the older and slightly larger Penrhyn Port Class from 1883, which was also built by Hunslet for the port of the Penrhyn quarry.
history
In 1922 Hunslet delivered the first two machines, a third followed in 1932. The second locomotive, Dolbardan , then still No. 2 , was moved from the port to the quarry in 1936, the first, Lady Joan , in 1961. The Michael delivered in 1932 was immediately used in the quarry.
All three locomotives were used there until the 1960s and have been preserved. Two of them, the Lady Joan and the Dolbardan , are operational and in service with the Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway and the Llanberis Lake Railway (recalibrated to 610 and 597 mm respectively). The Michael was exported to Canada in 1965, where it was stored inaccessible to the public.
In 2005, LH Group Services Ltd took over what was left of the Hunslet Engine Company and began building new steam locomotives. Initially, two Port Class locomotives were built, one of which is being offered for £ 130,000. With the serial numbers 3903 and 3904, the 1971 serial no. 3902 finished series of numbers continued without gaps.
A year earlier, a modernized replica of the Exmoor Steam Railway was built. The locomotive with the name Dame Ann differs from the Hunslet machines mainly through its external Heusinger control.
technology
Technically, the Port Class locomotives largely correspond to those of the Alice Class . The most obvious difference is the slightly higher position of the boiler, which is also provided with a steam dome on which the safety valves are also attached. The frame is not beveled at the front and rear ends because the locomotives did not have to be moved over the ramps of the inclined lifts. This also results in the end plates of the frame that extend further down to the rails, which, unlike in the Alice Class, can therefore serve as track clearers . With a constant water supply of 455 l (100 gallons), these differences result in an operating weight that is around 600 kg higher.
The cylinder and chassis dimensions are the same for both classes; the boiler pressure, however, was increased from 140 to 160 psi . The boiler dimensions given in the table apply to the new locomotives from 2005.
Unlike most of the Alice Class machines, those of the Dinorvic Port Class initially had a cab. However, this was removed after the locomotives had been moved to the quarry and only added again for the museum to operate. One of the two locomotives built in 2005 did not have a driver's cab.
Overview
| Work no. | Construction year | Names | Current location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1429 | 1922 | No. 1, Lady Joan | Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway | operational |
| 1430 | 1922 | No. 2, Dolbardan | Llanberis Lake Railway (Wales) | operational |
| 1709 | 1932 | Michael | Statfold Barn Railway | Inoperable |
| 3903 | 2005 | Statfold | Statfold Barn Railway | operational |
| 3904 | 2005 | Jack Lane | Statfold Barn Railway | operational |
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b UK Narrow Gauge Steam ( Memento of the original from October 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Technical data
- ↑ Steam Loco "DAME ANN" ( Memento of the original from March 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
