GER Class 527
Encyclopedia
The GER Class 527 was a class of fifteen 2-6-0
steam
tender locomotive
s designed by William Adams
for the Great Eastern Railway
.
, the GER asked William Adams to design a locomotive capable of hauling a train of 400 long tons net (700 tons gross). Tests were carried out with 265 class 4-4-0
s to ensure that such trailing loads were feasible, followed by a prototype 2-6-0
number 527. Number 527 was the first locomotive in Britain to use the 2-6-0 wheel arrangement, and was named Mogul after the Great Moguls of Delhi, the epithet becoming the generic name for locomotives with that wheel arrangement. As was the GER's practice for locomotives built by outside contractors, the class was referred to by the number of the first locomotive, subsequent locos being numbered sequentially up to 541.
This was the last design that Adams prepared for the GER, although they did not enter service until his successor Massey Bromley
had taken office and incorporated some modifications to the design. They were used on coal trains from Peterborough to London, but were found uneconomic, and so had short lives, being withdrawn between 1885 and 1887.
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
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...
tender locomotive
Tender locomotive
A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...
s designed by William Adams
William Adams (locomotive engineer)
William Adams was the Locomotive Superintendent of the North London Railway from 1858 to 1873; the Great Eastern Railway from 1873 until 1878 and the London and South Western Railway from then until his retirement in 1895...
for the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
.
Overview
In order to haul heavier trains and compete for the coal traffic into LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the GER asked William Adams to design a locomotive capable of hauling a train of 400 long tons net (700 tons gross). Tests were carried out with 265 class 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
s to ensure that such trailing loads were feasible, followed by a prototype 2-6-0
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
number 527. Number 527 was the first locomotive in Britain to use the 2-6-0 wheel arrangement, and was named Mogul after the Great Moguls of Delhi, the epithet becoming the generic name for locomotives with that wheel arrangement. As was the GER's practice for locomotives built by outside contractors, the class was referred to by the number of the first locomotive, subsequent locos being numbered sequentially up to 541.
This was the last design that Adams prepared for the GER, although they did not enter service until his successor Massey Bromley
Massey Bromley
Massey Bromley was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Eastern Railway from 1878-1881.He was killed in the Penistone rail crash of 1884.-External links:* – LNER Encyclopedia* – steamindex.com...
had taken office and incorporated some modifications to the design. They were used on coal trains from Peterborough to London, but were found uneconomic, and so had short lives, being withdrawn between 1885 and 1887.