BR class 9F experimental locos

[philipmartin]

Here's the Wiki article. This class was not successful; it had the Franco - Crosti boiler, which is a type of feedwater heater. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BR_Standa ... 9F_92020-9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[george matthews]

These steam locomotives were ordered in the period immediately after the war, and were an attempt to deal with a shortage of power caused by the period when no new locomotives were built from 1939 onward. But by 1955 BR had formed a new policy that new power would have to be non-coal. The new steam locomotives built in the early BR period had short lives because as soon as the diesels were ready they were scrapped early.

[philipmartin]

Thank you, George.

[johnthefireman]

I don't believe it is correct to describe the 9F as either experimental or not successful. In fact they were remarkably successful locomotives. As George says, the only reason they were scrapped early was because of the unexpected acceleration of BR's dieselisation plan. The last 9F (named "Evening Star") was built in 1960 and taken out of service in 1965 (fortunately it was preserved as part of the national collection and not scrapped), a service life of only five years for a loco that had been designed with a working life of forty years or more - under the original modernisation plan, steam would be gradually phased out over that forty year period and replaced with electrification, skipping dieselisation completely.

I think you have picked up on a Wikipedia article which refers only to ten of the 9Fs which were built with Franco-Crosti boilers, "forming a subclass" (Wikipedia quote). Indeed this subclass was experimental and was not deemed to be successful, but the other 241 locomotives of the main 9F class were remarkably successful - to quote the main Wikipedia article on the 9F, "It was one of the most powerful steam locomotive types ever constructed in Britain, and successfully performed its intended duties". Indeed it also performed well on other duties which were not its "intended duties" - designed as a heavy fast freight loco, it also found employment on passenger duties.

[philipmartin]

Here's 9F "Evening Star."

[philipmartin]

John, you are exactly right on where I got my information on the 9F class. It was mentioned in the Wiki article on the Italian Franco Crosti boilered engine. So I started a thread, knowing next to nothing about the engines. Thank you for the information.
Here's a link to a Wiki 9F article. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BR_Standard_Class_9F" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[johnthefireman]

Here's a link to a Wiki 9F article. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BR_Standard_Class_9F" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is that not the same link which I gave in my post?

[philipmartin]

Here's a link to a Wiki 9F article. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BR_Standard_Class_9F" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is that not the same link which I gave in my post?

It is. I didn't realize that you had a link in there, John. Sorry, mate.
Cheers.

[johnthefireman]

No worries, mate.

[philipmartin]

Those 9Fs have such short chimneys; I suppose it's because the locos are so massive that they
fill up most of the clearance space.

I see references to austerity locomotives. I wonder if they are the British answer to Kriegsloks.

[george matthews]

I see references to austerity locomotives. I wonder if they are the British answer to Kriegsloks.

There were a few basic locos built for war purposes. Some of them were transported to the European lines where the war had damaged the railways seriously.

[philipmartin]

Thank you, George.

[george matthews]

There was a military railways organisation that owned, for example, a military railway training system near London. I can remember when it was still visible from trains passing it. I can no longer remember exactly where it was. It trained members of the Army railway department in all aspects of running a military railway. That would include railways with colonial gauges as for example the army had to be prepared to operate various colonial railways. They also served various weapons storage systems. It probably derived from the very extensive railways set up in France and Belgium during the first world war, but also derived from colonial services. I don't think any of these military railways still exist. I know that one system which used to be visible near London has long ago had its rails removed.

[johnthefireman]

There were quite a lot of Austerity locos built during World War II. One that comes to mind is a saddle tank, usually 0-6-0ST (I've seen 0-4-0 versions but I'm not sure whether they were Austerity locos or just lookalikes; I believe there are similar 0-6-0ST locos built by Hunslet to the same basic design which were not Austerity).

Another is a 2-10-0 goods loco. I think I have mentioned elsewhere on Railroad.Net that I have a 2005 reprint by Camden Miniature Steam Services of what is effectively an owner's manual for the latter, 2-10-0 Austerity Engine and Tender - brief description with hints on maintenance and repair, issued by the Ministry of Supply in 1945. Most steam locomotives in Britain were designed and/or built by the same railway company that operated them, so all that knowledge was already in-house, but the Austerity locos were going to external users such as the army or foreign railways and thus needed a manual.

[philipmartin]

We had a military railroad training school at Fort Eustis, Virginia, when I was in -1958 to 60. According to Wiki, in 1943 the Caribbean Regiment of the British Army was formed there. From another Wiki article, the regiment, presumably at Fort Eustice, was the first to celebrate the King's birthday in the US since the Amrican Revolution.
My own post, Fort Holabird, Maryland, had hospital cars or troop sleepers, I forget which, and forty-four ton switchers stored there.