LSWR 0298 Class

LSWR 0298 class

No. 44 of the final (1875) batch as constructed, showing rectangular splashers characteristic of that batch.

Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Joseph Beattie Builder Beyer, Peacock & Co. (82); Nine Elms Works (3) Build date 1863–1875 Total produced 85

Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-4-0WT  • UIC 1B n2t Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Leading dia. 3 ft 7 3⁄4 in (1.111 m) Driver dia. 5 ft 7 in (1.702 m) Length 26 ft 2 in (7.98 m) Height 11 ft 11 5⁄8 in (3.65 m) Loco weight 37.80 long tons (38.4 t; 42.3 short tons) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 1.00 long ton (1.02 t; 1.12 short tons) Water cap 550 imp gal (2,500 l; 660 US gal) Boiler pressure 160 psi (1.10 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 16.5 in × 20 in (419 mm × 508 mm)

Performance figures Tractive effort 11,050 lbf (49.2 kN)

Career Operators LSWR · SR · BR Class 329, later 0298 Power class SR: not classified BR: 0P Withdrawn 1886–1899 (82); 1962 (3) Disposition Two preserved, remainder scrapped

The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) 0298 Class or Beattie Well Tank is a class of British steam locomotive. They are 2-4-0WT well tanks, originally built between 1863 and 1875 for use on passenger services in the suburbs of London, but later used on rural services in South West England. Out of a total production of 85, two locomotives have been preserved in an operational condition.

In 1850, the LSWR decided that the London suburban passenger services should be operated using small tank locomotives. To determine the most suitable type, Joseph Hamilton Beattie, the LSWR Mechanical Engineer, prepared a series of designs for six-wheeled well tank locomotives, each of which incorporated one or more differences from the previous class. A small quantity of each was produced: between 1852 and 1859, 26 were built, to six different designs. These were the Tartar and Sussex classes of 1852, the Chaplin and Minerva classes of 1856, the Nelson class of 1858 and the Nile class of 1859. The wheel arrangement was either 2-2-2WT or 2-4-0WT; the driving wheels varied between 5 feet (1.524 m) and 6 feet (1.829 m) in diameter; the cylinder bore varied between 14 and 15 ¹⁄₂ in (356 and 394 mm); the stroke was either 20 or 21 in (508 or 533 mm); and there were other changes.

Having chosen the most suitable characteristics, Beattie prepared a standard design of 2-4-0 well tank with 5-foot-6-inch (1.676 m) driving wheels and cylinders 15 by 20 in (381 by 508 mm), bore by stroke; and the LSWR began to take delivery of these in 1863. The new design eventually totalled 85 locomotives; most came from the Manchester firm of Beyer, Peacock and Company between 1863 and 1875, but three were built in the LSWR workshops at Nine Elms during 1872. Their numbers were 33, 34, 36, 44, 76, 177–220, 243–270, 298, 299, 314 and 325–329.