 |
|||||
An unknown British Railways Standard Class 6P Clan locomotive stands at Platform I on a Cathedral special. Mike Byng writes 'the locomotive is carrying Class G headlamps, light engine or engine and brake with one or two vehicles attached, and may be in the process of leaving its train, which would go to the carriage sidings, off to the left of the photographer'. The locomotive is certainly a 'stranger in the camp' as this design was built for primarily operating north of the border hence the naming policy focusing on Scottish Clans. The British Railways Standard Class 6 was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive designed by Robert Riddles. Ten locomotives were constructed between 1951 and 1952, with a further 15 planned for construction. However, due to acute steel shortages in Britain, the order was continually postponed until eventually it was finally cancelled on the publication of the 1955 Modernisation Plan for the re-equipment of British Railways. Phillip Covell writes, 'I've been studying the above picture and I suggest that the smokebox number appears to be a number ending '2' which suggests this engine is Clan Campbell'. The Clan Class was based upon the Britannia Class design, incorporating a smaller boiler and various weight-saving measures to increase the route availability of a Pacific-type locomotive for its intended area of operations, the west of Scotland. None survived into the preservation era although there are efforts afoot to recreate an eleventh locomotive. The Clan Class received a mixed reception from crews, with those regularly operating the locomotives giving favourable reports as regards performance. However, trials in other areas of the British Railways network returned negative feedback, a common complaint being that difficulty in steaming the locomotive made it hard to adhere to timetables.
|
|||||
Donate
Facebook
Search
back