GWR King Class
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6024 King Edward I at Didcot
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| Type and origin | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Designer | Charles Collett |
| Builder | GWR Swindon Works |
| Order number | Lots 243, 267, 309 |
| Build date | 1927–1928 (20), 1930 (10), 1936 (1) |
| Total produced | 31 |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Configuration: |
|
| • Whyte | 4-6-0 |
| • UIC | 2'Ch4 |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Leading dia. | 3 ft 0 in (0.914 m) |
| Driver dia. | 6 ft 6 in (1.981 m) |
| Minimum curve | 8 chains (530 ft; 160 m) normal, 7 chains (460 ft; 140 m) slow |
| Length | 68 ft 2 in (20.78 m) over buffers |
| Width | 8 ft 11 1⁄2 in (2.731 m) |
| Height | 13 ft 4 3⁄4 in (4.083 m) |
| Axle load | 22 long tons 10 cwt (50,400 lb or 22.9 t) (25.2 short tons) full |
| Adhesive weight | 67 long tons 10 cwt (151,200 lb or 68.6 t) (75.6 short tons) full |
| Loco weight | 89 long tons 0 cwt (199,400 lb or 90.4 t) (99.7 short tons) full |
| Tender weight | 46 long tons 14 cwt (104,600 lb or 47.4 t) (51.2 short tons) full |
| Total weight | 135 long tons 14 cwt (304,000 lb or 137.9 t) (152.0 short tons) |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Fuel capacity | 6 long tons 0 cwt (13,400 lb or 6.1 t) (6.7 short tons) |
| Water cap | 4,000 imp gal (18,000 l; 4,800 US gal) |
| Boiler | GWR Number 12 |
| Boiler pressure | 250 lbf/in2 (1.72 MPa) |
| Heating surface: • Tubes |
2,008 sq ft (186.5 m2) |
| • Firebox | 194 sq ft (18.0 m2) |
| Superheater: |
|
| • Heating area | 313 sq ft (29.1 m2) |
| Cylinders | Four, two inside, two outside |
| Cylinder size | 16.25 in × 28 in (413 mm × 711 mm) |
| Valve gear | Inside cylinders: Walschaerts Outside cylinders: derived from inside cylinders via rocking bars |
| Performance figures | |
|---|---|
| Tractive effort | 40,300 lbf (179.3 kN) original , 39,700 lbf (176.6 kN) after 1st overhaul |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Great Western Railway/Western Region |
| Class | 6000 King-class |
| Power class | GWR: Special BR: 8P |
| Number in class | 30 |
| Numbers | 6000–6029 |
| Official name | King-class |
| Axle load class | GWR: Double Red |
| Withdrawn | 1936 (1), 1962 (30) |
| Preserved | 6000, 6023, 6024 |
| Disposition | Three preserved, remainder scrapped. |
The Great Western Railway 6000 Class or King is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed for express passenger work. With the exception of one Pacific (The Great Bear), they were the largest locomotives the GWR built. They were named after kings of the United Kingdom and of England, beginning with the reigning monarch, King George V, and going back through history. Following the death of King George V, the highest-numbered engine was renamed after his successor; and following the abdication of the latter, the next-highest engine was also renamed after the new King.
After developing the new GWR Castle class from George Jackson Churchward's GWR Star class, Chief mechanical engineer C.B. Collett was faced with the need to develop an even more powerful locomotive to pull 13+ carriage express trains. Resultantly, during planning and construction, the new engine design was dubbed the "Super-Castle".
Collett successfully argued with the GWR's General Manager, Sir Felix Pole, that had the axle-loading restriction of 19.5 long tons (19,800 kg) of the "Castle" class been increased to the maximum allowable of 22.5 long tons (22,900 kg), an even more powerful locomotive could have been created. Pole agreed to allow Collett to explore such a design, subject to getting tractive effort above 40,000 lbf (180,000 N).
As well as to meet future traffic requirements, the design requirement was also a response to the GWR's publicity department's desire to regain the title of having the "most powerful express passenger steam locomotive in Britain", which had been taken from the Castle Class in 1926 by the Southern Railway Lord Nelson Class.
Churchward had proposed fitting the 6 ft (1.83 m) diameter boiler used on his 4700 Class 2-8-0 on to a 4-6-0 chassis in 1919 to create a more powerful express locomotive, but had been prevented from doing so due to weight restrictions on several bridges on the GWR main line. Collett's "Castle" class of 1923 was therefore a compromise with a 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) boiler. However, bridge strengthening and a better understanding of the effect of hammer blow on structures brought about by the work of the Bridge Stress Committee set up by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research led to the relaxation of these restrictions.
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Wikipedia