92212 9F 2-10-0 West Somerset Railway Spring Gala 2010

92212 9F 2-10-0

The British Railways BR Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 is a class of steam locomotive designed for British Railways by Robert Riddles. The Class 9F were the last in a series of standardised locomotive classes designed for British Railways during the 1950s, and were intended for use on fast, heavy freight trains over long distances. It was one of the most the most powerful locomotive types ever constructed in Britain, and successfully performed its intended duties. From time to time in the 1950s, the class worked passenger trains with great success, indicating the versatility of the design, sometime considered to represent the ultimate in British steam development. Several variants were constructed for experimentation purposes, in an effort to reduce costs and maintenance, although these met with varying degrees of success. The total number built was 251, with production being shared between Swindon and Crewe Works with the last, 92220 Evening Star, constituting the final steam locomotive to be built by British Railways in 1960. Withdrawals began in 1964, with the final locomotives removed from service in 1967.

The 9F was designed to operate freight trains of up to 900 tons (914 tonnes) at 35 mph (56 km/h) with maximum fuel efficiency. The original proposal was for a boiler from the BR Standard Class 7 Britannia 4-6-2, adapting it to a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement, but Riddles eventually settled upon a 2-10-0 type because it had been successfully utilised on some of his previous Austerity locomotives. By distributing the adhesive weight over five axles gave a maximum axle load of only 15 tons, 10 cwt. However, in order to clear the rear coupled wheels the grate had to be set higher, thus reducing firebox volume. There were many problems associated with locomotives of such a long wheelbase, but these were solved by the design team through a series of compromises. The driving wheels were 5' 0" in diameter, and the centre driving wheels were without flanges, whilst those on the second and fourth coupled wheels were reduced in depth. This enabled the locomotive to round curves of a radius as small as 400'.

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[heabow]

Thanks John, I shot this before I had my new "walk in front of the camera while I'm filming" filter...!

[ADMIRALSCORNER]

Another great video! Thanks!

[heabow]

@ADMIRALSCORNER Many thanks for the kind comment

[gjhgjh]

Great catch of this great engine. Thanks for sharing.

[JimTLonW6]

Very impressive locomotive