Locomotives of the Highland Railway
The locomotives of the Highland Railway were used by the Highland Railway to operate its lines in the north of Scotland. The Highland Railway locomotive works was at Lochgorm, Inverness. The works had been built about 1855 by the Inverness and Nairn Railway.[1] The locomotive classes are listed under the names of the railway's Locomotive Superintendents.
Locomotives
William Barclay 1855–69
During Barclay's incumbency as locomotive superintendent various 2-2-2 and 2-4-0 locomotives were built, along with a solitary 0-4-0T. An 0-4-0ST was also inherited from the Findhorn Railway. Many of Barclay's locomotives would later be rebuilt by Stroudley or Jones - most of the 2-2-2s ended up as 2-4-0s and one became a 2-2-2T, a pair of 2-4-0s became 4-4-0s and the 0-4-0T became an 0-4-2T. Only 4 much rebuilt Barclay locomotives (all 2-4-0s) were still in stock at the time of the Grouping.
William Stroudley 1865–69
William Stroudley produced only one new design, an 0-6-0ST of which 3 were built. These survived to pass into LMS ownership.
| Class | Drummond class | Type | Quantity | Manufacturer | Date | HR Nos. | LMS power classification | LMS Nos. | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Stroudley tank' | R | 0-6-0ST | 3 | Lochgorm Works | 1869–74 | 56–57, 49 | 0P | 16118–119, 16383 | 1926-1932 |
David Jones 1870–96
David Jones designed several classes of 4-4-0, and was also notable for introducing the 4-6-0 wheel arrangement to the UK. He also produced small numbers of 0-4-4ST, 2-4-0, 2-4-0T and 4-4-0T locomotives. Of 88 engines built to Jones' design (including 3 built as late as 1917), 74 passed to the LMS in 1923. A small 2-4-0T purchased secondhand from the Duke of Sutherland also made into LMS ownership.
| Class | Drummond class | Type | Quantity | Manufacturer | Date | HR Nos. | LMS power classification | LMS Nos. | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Duke' | F | 4-4-0 | 17 | Dübs & Co. (10) Lochgorm Works (7) | 1874–88 | 60–69, 31, 71–75, 84 | 1907-1923 | |||
| 'Raigmore' | H | 2-4-0 | 2 | Lochgorm Works | 1877 | 29–30 | — | — | 1910-1912 | |
| 'Jones tank' | O | 4-4-0T | 3 | Lochgorn Works | 1878–79 | 17, 58–59 | — | 15010–15012 | 1928-1933 | Built as 2-4-0T |
| 'Skye Bogie' | L | 4-4-0 | 9 | Lochgorm Works | 1882–1901 | 1P | 14277, 14279–14285 | 1922-1930 | ||
| 'Bruce' or 'Clyde Bogie' | E | 4-4-0 | 8 | Clyde Locomotive Company | 1886 | 76–83 | 1P | 14278 | 1923-1930 | |
| 13 | S | 0-4-4ST | 1 | Lochgorm Works | 1890 | 13 | 0P | 15050 | 1929 | |
| 'Strath' | D | 4-4-0 | 12 | Neilson & Co. | 1892 | 89–100 | 1P | 14271–14276 | 1923-1930 | |
| 'Yankee tank' | P | 4-4-0T | 5 | Dübs & Co. | 1892–93 | 11,14-15,101-102 | 0P | 15013–15017 | 1924-1934 | First 2 were built for Uruguay Eastern Railway |
| 'Big Goods' or 'Jones Goods' | I | 4-6-0 | 15 | Sharp, Stewart & Co. | 1894 | 103–117 | 4F | 17916–17930 | 1929-1940 | |
| 'Loch' | B | 4-4-0 | 18 | Dübs & Co. (15) North British Loco. Co. (3) | 1896–1917 | 119–133, 70–72 | 2P | 14379–14396 | 1930-1950 | |
| 118 | T | 2-4-0T | 1 | Kitson & Co. | 1871 | 118 | 1923 | Purchased from Duke of Sutherland in 1895 |
Peter Drummond 1896–1912
Under Peter Drummond, new 0-4-4T, 0-6-0T, 0-6-4T, 0-6-0, 4-4-0 and 4-6-0 designs emerged. All 72 locomotives passed to the LMS.
| Class | Type | Quantity | Manufacturer | Date | HR Nos. | LMS power classification | LMS Nos. | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C ('Small Ben') | 4-4-0 | 20 | Dübs & Co. (8) Lochgorm Works (9) North British Loco. Co. (3) | 1898–1906 | 1–17, 38, 41, 47 | 2P | 14397–14416 | 1931-1953 | |
| K ('Barney') | 0-6-0 | 12 | Dübs & Co. (10) North British Loco. Co. (2) | 1900–07 | 134–139, 18–21 | 3F | 17693–17704 | 1936-1952 | |
| A ('Castle') | 4-6-0 | 19 | Dübs & Co. (10) North British Loco. Co. (9) | 1900–17 | 26–30, 35, 50, 58–59, 140–149 | 3P | 14675–14693 | 1930-1947 | |
| V | 0-6-0T | 3 | Lochgorn Works | 1903–04 | 22–24 | 2F | 16380–16382 | 1930-1934 | |
| W | 0-4-4T | 4 | Lochgorn Works | 1905–06 | 25, 40, 45–46 | 0P | 15051–15054 | 1930-1957 | BR no. 55053 was the last ex-Highland Railway locomotive in service (withdrawn in January 1957) |
| U ('Large Ben') | 4-4-0 | 6 | North British Loco. Co. | 1908–09 | 60–63, 66, 68 | 2P | 14417–14422 | 1932-1937 | |
| X ('Medium Goods') | 0-6-4T | 8 | North British Loco. Co. | 1909–12 | 29, 31, 39, 42, 44, 64–65, 69 | 4P | 15300–15307 | 1932-1936 |
Frederick George Smith 1912–15
Fredrick George Smith's brief tenure was cut short by a dispute over his sole design, the 'River' Class 4-6-0. Six locomotives were built, but they were (wrongly) considered to be too heavy for the Highland Railway, and were sold to the Caledonian Railway without being used.
| Class | Type | Quantity | Manufacturer | Date | HR Nos. | LMS power classification | LMS Nos. | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'River' | 4-6-0 | 6 | Hawthorn Leslie | 1915 | (70–75) | 4P | (14756–14761) | 1939-1946 | sold to Caledonian Railway before use |
Christopher Cumming 1915–22
Christopher Cumming designed one class of 4-4-0 and two types of 4-6-0, totalling 18 locomotives, which all passed to the LMS.
| Class | Type | Quantity | Manufacturer | Date | HR Nos. | LMS power classification | LMS Nos. | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Snaigow' | 4-4-0 | 2 | Hawthorn Leslie | 1917 | 73–74 | 3P | 14522–14523 | 1935-1936 | named Snaigow and Durn |
| 'Clan Goods' | 4-6-0 | 8 | Hawthorn Leslie | 1918–19 | 75-82 | 5F | 17950–17957 | 1946-1952 | |
| 'Clan' | 4-6-0 | 8 | Hawthorn Leslie | 1919–21 | 49, 51-57 | 4P | 14762–14769 | 1943-1950 | Some names reused on BR Standard Class 6 |
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The Highland Railway was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923 and its locomotives were taken into LMS stock. Despite their small numbers, quite a few Highland Railway classes survived well into the LMS era, and even into the 1950s.
Preservation
Jones Goods 103, withdrawn by the LMS, is the only Highland Railway locomotive to have been preserved. There are also plans to build a replica of Ben Class 54398 Ben Alder.
References
- "Inverness, Lochgorm Railway Works and Carriage Sheds". ScotlandsPlaces. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- Baxter, Bertram (1984). Baxter, David (ed.). British Locomotive Catalogue 1825–1923, Volume 4: Scottish and remaining English Companies in the LMS Group. Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Moorland Publishing Company. pp. 191–202.
- "Highland Railway locomotives". Steamindex.com. Retrieved 22 February 2012.