Dock shunter
Encyclopedia
A Dock shunter, or "Dock tank", is a locomotive
(formerly steam
but now usually diesel
) used for shunting
wagons
in the vicinity of docks
. It is usually of 0-4-0
or 0-6-0
wheel arrangement
and has a short wheelbase
and large buffers
. These features make it suitable for negotiating sharp curves.
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
(formerly steam
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
but now usually diesel
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
) used for shunting
Shunt (railway operations)
Shunting, in railway operations, involves the process of sorting items of rolling stock into complete train sets or consists. The United States terminology is "switching"....
wagons
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
in the vicinity of docks
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
. It is usually of 0-4-0
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
or 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
wheel arrangement
Wheel arrangement
In rail transport, a wheel arrangement is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed beneath a locomotive.. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and connections, with the adopted notations varying by country...
and has a short wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
and large buffers
Buffer (rail transport)
A buffer is a part of the buffers-and-chain coupling system used on the railway systems of many countries, among them most of those in Europe, for attaching railway vehicles to one another....
. These features make it suitable for negotiating sharp curves.
Examples
- GWR 1101 ClassGWR 1101 ClassThe GWR 1101 Class was a class of 0-4-0T side tank steam locomotives built by the Avonside Engine Company to the order of the Great Western Railway in 1926 for dock shunting. They passed into British Railways ownership in 1948 and were numbered 1101–1106. All were withdrawn in 1959–1960 and none...
- GWR 1361 ClassGWR 1361 ClassThe 1361 Class were small 0-6-0ST steam locomotives built by the Great Western Railway at their Swindon railway works, England, mainly for shunting in docks and other sidings where track curvature was too tight for large locomotives.-History:...
- LSWR B4 ClassLSWR B4 ClassThe London and South Western Railway B4 class is a class of 0-4-0T dock tank.The London and South Western Railway's built twenty to a design by their Locomotive Superintendent William Adams at its Nine Elms Works during the 1891–1893 period...
- LB&SCR E2 ClassLB&SCR E2 ClassThe London, Brighton and South Coast Railway E2 Class was a class of 0-6-0T steam locomotives designed by Lawson Billinton, intended for shunting and short distance freight trains...
- SR USA ClassSR USA ClassThe SR USA class were ex-United States Army Transportation Corps S100 Class steam locomotives purchased by the Southern Railway after the end of the Second World War.- Construction history :...
- British Rail Class 07British Rail Class 07The British Rail Class 07 diesel locomotive is an off-centre cab dock shunter used in Southampton Docks, to replace SR USA Class steam locomotives. It is a 0-6-0 diesel-electric shunter built by Ruston & Hornsby in 1962...
- LMS Fowler Dock TankLMS Fowler Dock TankThe London, Midland and Scottish Railway Fowler Dock Tank was a 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed for shunting in docks, it had a short wheelbase in order for it to negotiate tight curves.-History:...
- NLR Class 75NLR Class 75The North London Railway Class 75 is a class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive.Thirty were built to a design by J.C. Park from 1879 to 1905. They were designed for shunting the NLR's docks and were very compact but powerful engines. This made them suitable later for transfer onto the Cromford and High...
- Bagnall 0-4-0ST "Alfred" and "Judy"