LMS class 5 "Black Five"
| LMS Class 5 "Black Five" | |
|---|---|
 The "Black Five" 45231 in York
|
|
| Numbering: | 4658-5499 (LMS), 44658-45499 (BR) |
| Number: | 842 |
| Manufacturer: | LMS Crewe Works, LMS Derby Works, LMS Horwich Works, Vulcan Foundry, Armstrong-Whitworth |
| Year of construction (s): | 1934-1951 |
| Retirement: | 1961-1968 |
| Axis formula : | 2'C h2 |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length over buffers: | 19,399 mm |
| Total wheelbase: | 8,280 mm |
| Service mass: | 73.2 t |
| Service mass with tender: | 128.7 t |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1,829 mm |
| Impeller diameter front: | 1,003 mm |
| Control type : | Walschaerts, Caprotti |
| Number of cylinders: | 2 |
| Cylinder diameter: | 470 mm |
| Piston stroke: | 711 mm |
| Boiler overpressure: | 15.8 bar |
| Grate area: | 2.66 m² |
| Superheater area : | 33.9 m² |
| Evaporation heating surface: | 153.3 m² |
| Tender: | 3 |
| Water supply: | 18.2 m³ |
| Fuel supply: | 9.1 t |
| Control: | Walschaerts |
The LMS Class 5 steam locomotives of the British railway company London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) were procured between 1934 and 1951. The tender locomotives with a 2'C wheel arrangement based on a design by LMS chief engineer William Stanier were intended for mixed service in both passenger and freight traffic. The locomotives proved to be economical and versatile and were also used in front of express trains. Due to their robust design, they were also very popular with staff and workshops and were built in large numbers. According to their classification, they were nicknamed the Black Five . British Railways continued its procurement until 1951 after the nationalization of the LMS in 1948 . The locomotives were built by the LMS workshops in Crewe , Derby and Horwich as well as the Vulcan Foundry and Armstrong-Whitworth companies .
history
The railway companies merged in the LMS 1923 as a result of the Railways Act 1921 had brought around 350 different types of locomotives into the new company. With a total of almost 8,500 locomotives, this fragmentation was extremely uneconomical. The Midland Railway and the London and North Western Railway , the two largest of the earlier companies, had been competitors on many routes until the merger and had each developed and built their own vehicle fleet. The other larger predecessor companies also brought their ideas and technical preferences to the new company. The post of Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) was taken over by Sir Henry Fowler of the Midland Railway, under whose aegis the "Small Engine Policy" pursued by Midland was initially continued. This led to violent conflicts with the operating departments, as the locomotives with the axle order 2'B and 2'C for express and passenger train services that were procured in the 1920s did not have sufficient capacity for the increasingly heavy express trains. There was also a lack of more powerful locomotives in freight transport, and trains often had to be fitted with leader locomotives. Fowler's attempts to procure more powerful locomotives in significant numbers failed because of internal competition and animosities between the LMS engineers who had been taken over from the predecessor companies.
When Fowler retired in 1930, the management of LMS hired William Stanier , the deputy CME of the Great Western Railway (GWR), as his successor , deliberately as a neutral engineer from outside. He should help the LMS to new high-speed and multi-purpose locomotives.
For this purpose, Stanier developed a program for standard locomotives in the power classes 3P to 8F (LMS had divided its locomotive fleet into power classes for reasons of easier timetable and operational planning, where F (“Freight”) stood for freight trains and P (“Passenger”) for passenger locomotives ). With the classification as a 5P5F, i.e. a multi-purpose locomotive, the design of a powerful 2'Ch2 tender locomotive was created in 1934. Stanier based himself on the GWR 4900 Class ( Hall Class ) known to him from his GWR times , also a 2'Ch2 multi-purpose locomotive. The Class 5 that finally emerged is considered to be one of Stanier's best designs.
In 1934 Vulcan Foundry delivered the first locomotive. In contrast to the express train locomotives painted in LMS red, the other LMS series were given a black color scheme. Based on its classification and color, the series quickly received the nickname "Black Five".
The "Black Five" quickly proved to be powerful and robust locomotives, so that they were purchased extensively in the years to come. By 1938, LMS's own workshops as well as Vulcan and Armstrong-Whitworth produced 472 copies. More locomotives were procured from 1943 onwards, and after the nationalization of the LMS in 1948, British Railways continued procurement until the last examples were made in 1951. A total of 842 "Black Five" were built. British Railways then had the design modified slightly, including with slightly larger wheel and cylinder diameters. The BR Standard Class 5MT , derived from the "Black Five", was procured in 172 copies by 1957.
With the switch from steam to diesel traction, which was accelerated from 1960, the series was phased out in 1962. The last copies were parked by British Railways in August 1968, making them one of the last scheduled steam locomotives in the United Kingdom.
commitment
Designed as multi-purpose locomotives, the "Black Five" were suitable for almost all types of trains. They were therefore used both in front of heavy passenger trains and in freight transport. Thanks to their relatively large drive wheels, they were also suitable for light express train use, where they could reach speeds of up to 130 km / h.
The locomotives were used in the entire LMS network, from London to the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the Far North Line in Scotland . After nationalization, they were used on other routes outside of the former LMS network. Four of the machines received nameplates and were named after Scottish regiments.
Accidents
Locomotive No. 45274, stationed at the Bristol depot , crashed on the night of January 23, 1955 at the head of the York to Bristol Express at Sutton Coldfield station . The train, which consisted of ten wagons, had entered a platform change at excessive speed, derailed and rammed the platform. 17 people, including the crew of the locomotive, were killed.
Preserved locomotives
A total of 18 copies of the "Black Five" have been preserved, including ten usable copies. They are often used on the British railway network, on museum trains and in front of special trains, including the daily " The Jacobite " on the West Highland Line in summer . Some of the machines also received nameplates.
literature
- Rolf Martens: Sir William A. Stanier , in: Lok-Magazin 58, pp. 13-18 (part 1), Lok-Magazin 60, pp. 232-243 (part 2), Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1973
- OS Nock: The British Steam Railway Locomotive, Volume 2, 1925-1965 , Ian Allan Ltd., London 1966
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geppCd1AG4s , accessed on March 30, 2018
- ^ Locomotive use of the Jacobite Steam Train