The Great Northern Atlantics by James S. Baldwin

Author:James S. Baldwin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: TRANSPORTATION / Railroads / History
ISBN: 9781473869349
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2016-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

This Webb compound engine was sent to the Chicago Exhibition in 1893 – the year that it was built – where it gained the Gold Medal for excellence of workmanship. Subsequently, it ran a train made up of LNWR coaches from Chicago to New York. At the time it was the only British train ever to run in America. It was specially painted white and carried the Royal Arms in honour of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. By the end of 1904, this compound passenger engine, Queen Empress, had run 473,759 miles. The design and style of nameplates as fitted to Queen Empress were copied by Ivatt for the nameplates fitted to Henry Oakley. (Author’s Collection)

In 1901, the ‘Klondike’ boiler design was used as the basis for the K1 class 0-8-0 mineral engines and also for the R1 class 0-8-2 tank engines. However, the firebox was 4″ shallower at the back so that the ash-pan could be inclined steeply to clear the rear axle. The new boilers, with shallower fireboxes could also be fitted on the ‘Klondikes’ and the eight-coupled engines.

Around this time it is clear to see that Ivatt had not yet reached his zenith with his Atlantic express locomotive design. His four-cylinder version of the ‘Klondikes’ – which already had fundamental design and concept differences from the main batch – appeared in January 1902, at exactly the same time as what proved to be the final batch of ten ‘Klondikes’ was ordered and indeed they were allocated the numbers 251-60. However, by this time Ivatt’s ideas had moved on considerably as he had also produced a much larger diameter boiler version which also had a wide firebox. This necessitated that the previous design required an alteration in the main and auxiliary framing at the rear to support it. This all led to a large-boiler Atlantic being ordered in May 1902, whereupon its construction immediately proceeded apace to reach completion during that December. This engine was numbered as N° 251 – which was the next available number – and so it stole the number from the next ‘Klondike’ that would have been constructed. Instead it became the first engine of a new class and is described in detail in the next chapter.

When N° 251 emerged completed and ready for service, this engine with its much bigger boiler was the largest passenger engine in the country at the time. The essential difference between the new engine and the small boiler Atlantics was the wide firebox, which extended over the whole width of the frames. The large grate was one of the contributory reasons for the success of the design. The wide firebox idea having been adopted from American practice whereby ‘wide fireboxes’ were seen to be all the rage and were found to be hugely successful. More about the large boiler Atlantics later.

In 1903, N° 251 was followed by the ten previously ordered ‘Klondikes’ and took the numbers 252-60 and 250. Interestingly, number 254 was the 1,000th locomotive to be built at Doncaster Works.

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