Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes

Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes
'812' class No. 17596 at Corkerhill Locomotive Depot 15 August 1948
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer John F. McIntosh Builder CR St. Rollox Works, Dübs & Co. (15), Neilson, Reid & Co. (20), Sharp Stewart (15) Build date 1899–1909 Total produced 96
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0  • UIC Cn Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 5 ft 0 in (1.524 m) Length 56 ft 2 in (17.12 m) Loco weight 45.65 long tons (46.38 t; 51.13 short tons) Boiler pressure 160 psi (1,100 kPa) Superheater None Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size 18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Slide valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 20,170 lbf (89.7 kN)
Career Operators CR • LMS • BR Class CR: 812 and 652 Power class LMS/BR: 3F Number in class 1 January 1923: 96 1 January 1948: 93 Withdrawn 1948–1963 Preserved No. 828 Disposition One preserved, remainder scrapped

The Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes were 0-6-0 steam tender locomotives designed by John F. McIntosh for the Caledonian Railway and introduced in 1899. They had the same boiler type as the 721 “Dunalastair” Class 4-4-0s.

Construction

96 locomotives were built, as follows:

Table of locomotives, 812 Class

Year	Quantity	CR Nos.	Builder	Builders No.	LMS Nos.	BR Nos.	Notes
1899	17	812–828	CR, St. Rollox	Y054	17550–17566	57550–57566
1899	10	829–838	Neilson, Reid & Co.	5613–5622	17567–17576	57567–57576
1900	10	839–848	Neilson, Reid & Co.	5623–5632	17577–17586	57577–57586
1900	15	849–863	Sharp Stewart	4633–4647	17587–17601	57587–57601
c.1900	15	864–878	Dübs & Co.	3880–3894	17602–17616	57602–57616
1899	12	282–293	CR, St. Rollox	Y058	17617–17628	57617–57628

Table of locomotives, 652 Class

Year	Quantity	CR Nos.	Builder	Builders No.	LMS Nos.	BR Nos.	Notes
1908	8	652–659	CR, St. Rollox	Y087-Y086	17629–17636	57629–57636
1908	4	662–665	CR, St. Rollox	Y086	17637–17640	57637–57640
1909	4	325–328	CR, St. Rollox	Y086	17641–17644	57641–57644
1909	1	661	CR, St. Rollox	Y086	17645	57645

Seventeen were fitted with the Westinghouse air brakes for passenger train working, including the only surviving engine of the class, No. 828. All 96 passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 grouping. Only three, 17567, 17598 and 17610, had been withdrawn by the time of nationalisation in 1948. The last locomotive in service was not withdrawn until 1963.

Preservation

Locomotive 828 on the Severn Valley Railway, 25 March 2012

Locomotive 828 (LMS 17566, BR 57566) is the sole survivor of the class and is an important example of Scottish industrial heritage. It is based at the Strathspey Railway. It was returned to regular service in 2010 and then again in March 2017 following heavy repairs.

In fiction

In The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, the characters Donald and Douglas ("the Scottish twins"), are based on the Caledonian 812 class. They carried fictional numbers (57646 and 57647) before coming to Sodor.

References

• Casserley, H. C. & Johnston, Stuart W. (1974) [1966]. Locomotives at the Grouping 3: London, Midland and Scottish Railway. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan. pp. 178–179. ISBN 0-7110-0554-0.

See also

• Locomotives of the Caledonian Railway

External links

• The Caley 828 Overhaul Website
• Rail UK database 812 and 652 Classes