WD Austerity 2-10-0

The War Department (WD) "Austerity" 2-10-0 is a type of heavy freight steam locomotive that was introduced during the Second World War in 1943.

Background

The Austerity 2-10-0 was based on the Austerity 2-8-0, and was designed to have interchangeable parts by R.A. Riddles. It had the same power output as the 2-8-0 but a lighter axle load, making it suitable for secondary lines.

Design

It had a parallel boiler and round-topped firebox. While the 2-8-0 had a narrow firebox, the 2-10-0 had a wide firebox placed above the driving wheels. This was common in the United States (e.g. the USRA 0-8-0) but unusual in Britain, where wide fireboxes usually used required trailing wheels, as with 4-4-2 and 4-6-2 types. These were the first 2-10-0 locomotives used in Great Britain, and the first major class of ten-coupled engines — they had been preceded by two 0-10-0 locomotives; the Great Eastern Railway's Decapod and the Midland Railway's Lickey Banker. Riddles later used the 2-10-0 wheel arrangement for the BR Standard Class 9F. This too had a wide firebox placed above the driving wheels.

Construction

Two batches were built by the North British Locomotive Company, the first batch of 100 introduced in 1943/1944 and the second batch of 50 in 1945. Their WD Nos were 3650–3749 (later 73650–73749), and 73750–73799.

20 of the first batch were sent to the Middle East. During running-in they worked in Britain, but their length made them unsuitable. Most saw service with the British Army in France after D-Day in the drive towards the Siegfried Line.

Post-war service

After the war the 150 locomotives were distributed as follows, the majority going to the Netherlands:

Netherlands

In 1946, the Netherlands bought those in continental Europe. They formed the NS 5000 class, and were numbered 5001–103. They had a short working life, the last being withdrawn in 1952. 5085, ex WD 73755, the one-thousandth British built locomotive to be shipped to Europe after D-Day, was named ''Longmoor'' and subsequently preserved in the Utrecht railway museum.

British Railways

After the war, the British Railways (BR) bought twenty-five locomotives. These were initially numbered 73774-73798 but later re-numbered 90750–74. They were mostly operated by BR's Scottish Region on heavy freight trains and were all withdrawn between 1961 and 1962.

File:Motherwell Locomotive Yard War Department 2-10-0 geograph-2755968-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg, ex-WD 2-10-0 No. 73798 'North British' stands at Motherwell Depot in 1948
Image:WD 2-10-0 90768 at Motherwell shed in 1958.jpg, BR Scottish Region WD 2-10-0 90768 at Motherwell motive power depot in 1958
Image:WD 2-10-0 WD 601 Kitchener at Carlisle Kingmoor in 1958.jpg, WD 2-10-0 WD 601 "Kitchener" at Carlisle Kingmoor BR shed in 1958. Note air pumps, headlight and nameplate

Greece

Sixteen of the twenty Middle East locomotives went to Greece, where they formed Class Λβ of the Hellenic State Railways, numbered Λβ951 to Λβ966.

Syria

The remaining 4 Middle East locomotives remained in Syria and operated on the Chemins de Fer Syriens (CFS). These engines formed the CFS Class 150.6.

Further WD services

In the 1952 WD renumbering scheme, the two remaining in WD service (at the Longmoor Military Railway), Nos. 73651 and 73797, were renumbered 600 and 601 respectively. The also received names: 600 '' Gordon'' and 601 '' Kitchener''.

Preservation

LMR 600 Gordon has survived and has been steamed on the Severn Valley Railway, though it is out of service, cosmetically restored and on display in the Engine House.

Two more have been repatriated from Greece. One has been numbered 90775, one higher than the last BR engine, and has carried the name ''Sturdee'' (as WD/LMR No. 601 before being numbered 90775) and is operational on North Norfolk Railway where it has now been renamed '' The Royal Norfolk Regiment'' as of 2022. The other is WD No. (7)3672 which has been named '' Dame Vera Lynn''. The loco is currently being overhaul at Grosmont on the NYMR.

The fourth one in preservation WD 73755 ( NS 5085) survives in the Dutch Railway Museum (Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum) in Utrecht. It carries the nameplate ''Longmoor'', after the Royal Engineers base at Longmoor, with the coat of arms of the Royal Engineers above.

Four locomotives remain in various states in Greece with Λβ962 and Λβ964 operating mainline tours on the Drama to Xanthi line. Other locomotives remain in poor states stored awaiting further use.

Of the eight surviving members of the class, three have run on the main line: nos. 600 ''Gordon'', 73677 & 73682. ''Gordon'' appeared at the Rail 150 celebrations in August 1975 and traveled to Shildon and later returned to the SVR under its own steam, in 1980 it travelled under its own power to Bold Colliery to take part in the locomotive parade at Rocket 150 in Rainhill. Due to the class's flangeless centre driving wheels, there is a concern that the raised check rails on modern pointwork might cause a derailment, so the class (alongside other 2-10-0 locomotives) are presently prohibited from operating on the mainline in Great Britain.

73677 and 73682 have both worked on the national network in Greece, but neither are presently operational.

See also

* BR ex-WD Austerity 2-10-0 - locomotives taken into LNER/BR ownership
* WD Austerity 2-8-0 - locomotives of similar design

References

Notes

Citations

Further reading

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wd Austerity 2-10-0

2-10-0 locomotives
War Department locomotives
NBL locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1943
Standard-gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain
Freight locomotives
1′E h2 locomotives