NBR C Class
Encyclopedia
The NBR C Class is a class of 0-6-0
steam locomotive
designed by Matthew Holmes
for freight work on the North British Railway
. They were introduced in 1888 and had inside cylinders and Stephenson valve gear
.
168 locomotives were built of which 123 came into British Railways ownership at nationalisation in 1948. This was the last class of steam engine in service in Scotland
Class C (LNER Class J32) 18-inch (cylinder diameter) 0-6-0s, essentially for the Waverley Route
in 1876, the NBR reverted to the 17-inch design with the Drummond Class D (J34) in 1879 and the Holmes Class D (J33) in 1883. With the opening of the second Tay Bridge
in July 1887 and the upcoming opening of the Forth Bridge
in March 1890 the NBR needed more powerful goods locos. The result was the Holmes Class C (J36). Introduced in 1888 it was built in regular batches until 1900, eventually totalling 168 locos. 138 were built at the NBR's Cowlairs Works
while the other 30 were split equally between Neilson and Company
and Sharp, Stewart and Company.
As built they had a saturated (non-superheated
) boiler at 140 lbf/in2 (150 lbf/in2 for the last 24) and Stephenson valve gear
with slide valves
.
From 1913 until 1923 the class was rebuilt with bigger boilers set at 165 psi and the Reid
side-window cab.
During the First World War 25 of the class were sent to France
for service with the Railway Operating Division
. On return to Scotland they were given names of battles, generals and a cartoon soldier
in recognition of their service. The names were hand-painted on the splasher above the middle driving wheel so often disappeared during repaints.
The final 8 unrebuilt locos were rebuilt in 1923.
In 1937 locomotives 9714 and 9716 (later 5285 and 5287) were rebuilt with cutdown chimney and dome for use on the Gartverrie Branch.
In 1946 the remaining locos were renumbered from 5210 to 5346.
A number of locos had tender cabs fitted for use with snow ploughs
.
at the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
.
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...
steam locomotive
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...
designed by Matthew Holmes
Matthew Holmes
Matthew Holmes was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the North British Railway from 1882 to 1903..-Locomotives:Locomotives designed by M. Holmes include:* NBR Class C, later LNER Class J36, 0-6-0...
for freight work on the North British Railway
North British Railway
The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:...
. They were introduced in 1888 and had inside cylinders and Stephenson valve gear
Stephenson valve gear
The Stephenson valve gear or Stephenson link or shifting link is a simple design of valve gear that was widely used throughout the world for all kinds of steam engine. It is named after Robert Stephenson but was actually invented by his employees....
.
168 locomotives were built of which 123 came into British Railways ownership at nationalisation in 1948. This was the last class of steam engine in service in Scotland
NBR
After the introduction of the DrummondDugald Drummond
Dugald Drummond was a Scottish steam locomotive engineer. He had a career with the North British Railway, LB&SCR, Caledonian Railway and London and South Western Railway...
Class C (LNER Class J32) 18-inch (cylinder diameter) 0-6-0s, essentially for the Waverley Route
Waverley Line
The Waverley Line is an abandoned double track railway line that ran south from Edinburgh in Scotland through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders to Carlisle in England. It was built by the North British Railway Company; the first section, from Edinburgh to Hawick opened in 1849. The final section,...
in 1876, the NBR reverted to the 17-inch design with the Drummond Class D (J34) in 1879 and the Holmes Class D (J33) in 1883. With the opening of the second Tay Bridge
Tay Rail Bridge
The Tay Bridge is a railway bridge approximately two and a quarter miles long that spans the Firth of Tay in Scotland, between the city of Dundee and the suburb of Wormit in Fife ....
in July 1887 and the upcoming opening of the Forth Bridge
Forth Bridge
The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, to the east of the Forth Road Bridge, and 14 kilometres west of central Edinburgh. It was opened on 4 March 1890, and spans a total length of...
in March 1890 the NBR needed more powerful goods locos. The result was the Holmes Class C (J36). Introduced in 1888 it was built in regular batches until 1900, eventually totalling 168 locos. 138 were built at the NBR's Cowlairs Works
Cowlairs railway works
Cowlairs Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Works , at Cowlairs in Springburn, an area in the north-east of Glasgow, Scotland, was built in 1841 for the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway and was taken over by the North British Railway in 1865. It was named after the nearby mansion of Cowlairs, with both...
while the other 30 were split equally between Neilson and Company
Neilson and Company
Neilson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland.The company was started in 1836 at McAlpine Street by Walter Neilson and James Mitchell to manufacture marine and stationary engines...
and Sharp, Stewart and Company.
As built they had a saturated (non-superheated
Superheater
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam used for power generation or processes. There are three types of superheaters namely: radiant, convection, and separately fired...
) boiler at 140 lbf/in2 (150 lbf/in2 for the last 24) and Stephenson valve gear
Stephenson valve gear
The Stephenson valve gear or Stephenson link or shifting link is a simple design of valve gear that was widely used throughout the world for all kinds of steam engine. It is named after Robert Stephenson but was actually invented by his employees....
with slide valves
D slide valve
The slide valve is a rectilinear valve used to control the admission of steam into, and emission of exhaust from, the cylinder of a steam engine.-Use:...
.
From 1913 until 1923 the class was rebuilt with bigger boilers set at 165 psi and the Reid
William P. Reid
William Paton Reid was apprenticed to the Cowlairs railway works of the North British Railway in 1879 and was Locomotive Superintendent from 1903-1919. He was awarded a CBE in 1920. He was born, and died, in Glasgow, Scotland...
side-window cab.
During the First World War 25 of the class were sent to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for service with the Railway Operating Division
Railway Operating Division
The Railway Operating Division was a division of the Royal Engineers formed in 1915 to operate railways in the many theatres of the First World War...
. On return to Scotland they were given names of battles, generals and a cartoon soldier
Old Bill (cartoon character)
Old Bill is a fictional character created in 1914-15 by cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather. Old Bill was depicted as an elderly, pipe-smoking British "tommy" with a walrus moustache. The character achieved a great deal of popularity during World War I where it was considered a major morale booster for...
in recognition of their service. The names were hand-painted on the splasher above the middle driving wheel so often disappeared during repaints.
LNER
On January 1, 1923 all 168 locos passed into the hands of the LNER and became Class J36. As with all ex-NBR locos they had 9000 added to their number.The final 8 unrebuilt locos were rebuilt in 1923.
In 1937 locomotives 9714 and 9716 (later 5285 and 5287) were rebuilt with cutdown chimney and dome for use on the Gartverrie Branch.
In 1946 the remaining locos were renumbered from 5210 to 5346.
A number of locos had tender cabs fitted for use with snow ploughs
Snowplow
A snowplow is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes...
.
BR
On 1 January 1948 at nationalisation, 123 locos passed into the hands of British Railways and had 60000 added to their number. On 5 June 1967 65288 of Dunfermline (62C) and 65345 of Thornton (62A) were withdrawn. They were the last steam locomotives in service in Scotland.Locomotive names
| NBR Number |
LNER 1946 Number | BR Number | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 176 | 5217 | 65217 | French John French, 1st Earl of Ypres Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, ADC, PC , known as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a British and Anglo-Irish officer... |
| 605 | St Quentin Saint-Quentin, Aisne Saint-Quentin is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France. It has been identified as the Augusta Veromanduorum of antiquity. It is named after Saint Quentin, who is said to have been martyred here in the 3rd century.... |
||
| 608 | Foch Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch , GCB, OM, DSO was a French soldier, war hero, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century. He served as general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its... |
||
| 611 | 5268 | 65268 | Allenby |
| 612 | 5269 | Ypres Ypres Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote... |
|
| 615 | Verdun Verdun Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :... |
||
| 620 | Rawlinson Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson General Henry Seymour Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KCMG , known as Sir Henry Rawlinson, Bt between 1895 and 1919, was a British First World War general most famous for his roles in the Battle of the Somme of 1916 and the Battle of Amiens in 1918.-Military career:Rawlinson was... |
||
| 621 | Monro Charles Carmichael Monro General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro, 1st Baronet of Bearcrofts, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, was a British Army General during World War I and Governor of Gibraltar from 1923 to 1929.-Military career:... |
||
| 627 | Petain Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944... |
||
| 628 | 5216 | 65216 | Byng |
| 631 | Aisne Aisne Aisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River.- History :Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.Most of the old... |
||
| 643 | Arras Arras Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect... |
||
| 646 | 5222 | 65222 | Somme Somme Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France.... |
| 647 | 5223 | Albert Albert, Somme Albert is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.It is located about halfway between Amiens and Bapaume.-History:Albert was founded as a Roman outpost called Encre, in about 54 BC... |
|
| 648 | 5224 | 65224 | Mons Mons Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,... |
| 650 | 5226 | 65226 | Haig Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War... |
| 657 | 5233 | 65233 | Plumer Herbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer Field Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE was a British colonial official and soldier born in Torquay who commanded the British Second Army in World War I and later served as High Commissioner of the British Mandate for Palestine.-Military... |
| 659 | 5235 | 65235 | Gough Hugh Gough, 4th Viscount Gough Hugh William Gough, 4th Viscount Gough, Bt, MC. Born 22 February 1892. Died 4 December 1952.Educated at Eton College and New College, Oxford... |
| 660 | 5236 | 65236 | Horne Henry Horne, 1st Baron Horne General Henry Sinclair Horne, 1st Baron Horne GCB, KCMG was a military officer in the British Army, most notable for his generalship during World War I. He was the only British artillery officer to command an army in the war. Until recently Horne was the unknown General of the Great War and did... |
| 661 | Ole Bill Old Bill (cartoon character) Old Bill is a fictional character created in 1914-15 by cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather. Old Bill was depicted as an elderly, pipe-smoking British "tommy" with a walrus moustache. The character achieved a great deal of popularity during World War I where it was considered a major morale booster for... |
||
| 662 | Birdwood | ||
| 666 | Marne Marne Marne is a department in north-eastern France named after the river Marne which flows through the department. The prefecture of Marne is Châlons-en-Champagne... |
||
| 673 | 5243 | 65243 | Maude Frederick Stanley Maude Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Stanley Maude KCB, CMG, DSO was a British commander, most famous for his efforts in Mesopotamia during World War I and for conquering Baghdad in 1917.-Family:... |
| 676 | Reims Reims Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire.... |
||
| 682 | 5253 | 65253 | Joffre Joseph Joffre Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre OM was a French general during World War I. He is most known for regrouping the retreating allied armies to defeat the Germans at the strategically decisive First Battle of the Marne in 1914. His popularity led to his nickname Papa Joffre.-Biography:Joffre was born in... |
Preservation
One, 673 Maude (LNER number 9673; LNER 1946 number 5243; BR number 65243) has been preserved by the Scottish Railway Preservation SocietyScottish Railway Preservation Society
The Scottish Railway Preservation Society is a charity, whose principal objective is the preservation and advancement of railway heritage in Scotland. The Society was formed in 1961, and it has been actively collecting and displaying railway artifacts of Scottish significance ever since...
at the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
The Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway is a Heritage railway in Falkirk, Scotland. It is operated by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, and operates some 5 miles of track, virtually the entire Slamannan and Borrowstounness Railway that became part of the former North British Railway on the Firth...
.