Caledonian Railway 944 Class

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}

{{Infobox Locomotive

|name = Caledonian Railway 944 Class

|image = Caledonian Railway 944 Class No. 950.jpg

|caption = Works Photograph of C.R. No. 950

|powertype = Steam

|designer = William Pickersgill

|builder = North British Locomotive Company, Hyde Park Works, Glasgow

|ordernumber =

|serialnumber = 21480-21491

|buildmodel =

|builddate = 1917

|totalproduction = 12

|rebuilder =

|rebuilddate =

|numberrebuilt =

|whytetype = 4-6-2T

|uicclass =

|gauge = {{RailGauge|ussg}}

|driverdiameter = {{convert|5|ft|9|in|abbr=on}}Casserley, H. C. & Johnston, S.W. (1966), Locomotives at the Grouping 3: London Midland and Scottish, Ian Allan, p.160

|minimumcurve =

|wheelbase =

|length =

|width =

|height =

|axleload =

|weightondrivers =

|locoweight = {{long ton|91|13|abbr=on}}

|tenderweight =

|locotenderweight =

|tendertype =

|fueltype =

|fuelcap =

|watercap =

|tendercap =

|sandcap =

|boiler =

|boilerpressure = {{convert|170|psi|0|abbr=on}}

|feedwaterheater =

|firearea =

|tubearea =

|fluearea =

|tubesandflues =

|fireboxarea =

|totalsurface =

|superheatertype =

|cylindercount = Two, outside

|cylindersize = {{convert|19.5|x|26|in|0|abbr=on}}

|valvegear = Stephenson

|valvetype =

|valvetravel =

|valvelap =

|valvelead =

|transmission =

|maxspeed =

|poweroutput =

|tractiveeffort = {{convert|20804|lbf|kN|abbr=on}}

|factorofadhesion =

|trainheating =

|locobrakes =

|locobrakeforce =

|trainbrakes =

|safety =

|operator = CR{{•}}LMS {{•}}BR

|operatorclass = CR: 944

|powerclass = LMS: 4P

|numinclass =

|fleetnumbers =

|officialname =

|nicknames =

|axleloadclass =

|locale =

|deliverydate =

|firstrundate =

|lastrundate =

|withdrawndate = 1946-1953

|preservedunits =

|restoredate =

|scrapdate =

|currentowner =

|disposition = All scrapped

}}

The Caledonian Railway 944 Class were 4-6-2T passenger tank locomotives designed by William Pickersgill and built in 1917, at the North British Locomotive Company's Hyde Park Works in Glasgow. They were the Caledonian Railway's only Pacific-type.

Overview

Although the Caledonian Railway built a long and successful series of small 0-4-4T passenger tank engines, the twelve locomotives of the 944 Class were the only large passenger tanks operated by the company. They shared much of their design with the contemporary 60 Class 4-6-0s.Essery, Bob & Jenkinson, David (1986), An Illustrated History of L.M.S. Locomotives, Volume Three: Absorbed Pre-Group Classes, Northern Division, OPC, p.61 They were originally used on the Inverclyde Line and so gained the nickname 'Wemyss Bay Pugs' amongst enginemen.

The locomotives passed into the ownership of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) upon its formation in 1923, and were repainted from Caledonian blue into LMS crimson lake livery, although within a few years this gave way to lined black livery. They were later displaced from the Inverclyde line by LMS Fowler and Fairburn 2-6-4Ts and by the time of nationalisation in 1948, the surviving locomotives were all allocated to Beattock shed, primarily for banking duties on Beattock Summit. They were all withdrawn and scrapped between 1946 and 1953.

Numbering and locomotive histories

class="wikitable sortable"

!CR no.

!LMS no.

!BR no.

!Builder's no.

!Delivered

!Withdrawn

944

| 15350

| 55350

| NBL 21480

| 03/1917

| 04/1952

945

| 15351

| (55351)

| NBL 21481

| 03/1917

| 12/1948

946

| 15352

| 55352

| NBL 21482

| 01/1917

| 03/1952

947

| 15353

| 55353

| NBL 21483

| 01/1917

| 08/1951

948

| 15354

| 55354

| NBL 21484

| 01/1917

| 08/1949

949

| 15355

| (55355)

| NBL 21485

| 01/1917

| 01/1948

950

| 15356

| 55356

| NBL 21486

| 01/1917

| 06/1950

951

| 15357

|

| NBL 21487

| 01/1917

| 07/1946

952

| 15358

|

| NBL 21488

| 04/1917

| 05/1946

953

| 15359

| 55359

| NBL 21489

| 04/1917

| 10/1953

954

| 15360

| 55360

| NBL 21490

| 05/1917

| 02/1952

955

| 15361

| 55361

| NBL 21491

| 05/1917

| 06/1952

sources: BritishSteam,{{cite web |url=http://www.britishsteam.com/php_lms/usr_lms.php |title=BritishSteam locomotive information |publisher=BritishSteam.com |accessdate=2016-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404044057/http://www.britishsteam.com/php_lms/usr_lms.php |archive-date=4 April 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} Longworth (2005) p167 Longworth, Hugh (2005), British Railways Steam Locomotives 1948-1968, Oxford Publishing Co., p.167

References