Locomotives of the North British Railway

The North British Railway was opened in 1846 as the line from Edinburgh to Berwick-upon-Tweed, and its workshops were initially situated in St. Margarets, Edinburgh. Gradually other railways were acquired, including in 1865 the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, whose works at Cowlairs, Glasgow were better than that at St. Margarets, which were reduced to repairs only and all production moved to Cowlairs.

As is customary, engine classes are organized according to the man who was locomotive superintendent when the class was introduced, and to whom the design is often attributed. The NBR was rather unfortunate in its choice of locomotive superintendents, the first five of whom were sacked or forced to resign either for alleged incompetence or financial scandals.

The NBR's locomotive classification system (introduced in 1913) is not very helpful because the same letter has been applied to several different classes. The North British Railway Study Group has developed its own classification system and a list can be found here.[1]

These are not complete lists, as most engines acquired second-hand and from absorbed companies are not included.

Robert Thornton (1846–51)

NumbersWheel arrangementNumber
built
BuilderDateNotes
1–160-4-216R & W Hawthorn1846Original NBR locomotive order (on formation). 10 locomotives for passenger services. One rebuilt in 1857 as 2-2-2
17–260-4-210R & W Hawthorn1846Original NBR locomotive order (on formation). 6 locomotives for freight services. One rebuilt in 1859 as 2-2-2, 2 in 1867-8 as 0-6-0T
27–320-6-06R & W Hawthorn1846Original NBR locomotive order (on formation). 6 locomotives for heavy coal freight services.
33–382-2-26R & W Hawthorn1847Two rebuilt 1868–69 as 2-4-0
39–462-4-08R & W Hawthorn1847Two rebuilt 1868-70 as 0-6-0
47–540-6-08R & W Hawthorn1848
554-2-01E. B. Wilson & Co.1849Crampton locomotive. Later rebuilt as 2-2-2
572-2-21R & W Hawthorn1849
56, 58–632-4-07R & W Hawthorn1851
64–710-6-08R & W Hawthorn1850

William Smith (1851–54)

No new locomotives were built during his term of office.

Edmund George Petrie (1854)

No new locomotives were built during his term of office.

William Hurst (1855–66)

Hurst came from the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, to which he returned after being sacked from the NBR.

There were many variations within the classes listed here, both as built and after subsequent rebuilding.

1st builtWheel
arrangement
Number
built
BuilderDateNotes
720-4-24W. Fairbairn1855Originally intended for Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway
902-4-024Neilson (18)
Dübs (6)
1861–68
1090-4-03NBR St. Margarets1865–66
760-6-04NBR St. Margarets1860–61
800-6-058Hawthorn of Leith (6)
R. Stephenson (16)
Dübs & Co. (36)
1861–67
312-2-2WT2NBR St. Margarets18561877 sold to Wigtownshire Railway
200-4-2WT14NBR St. Margarets1857–64
2820-6-0ST3Dübs1866–67

Thomas Wheatley (1867–74)

1st built1913 ClassWheel
arrangement
Number
built
BuilderDateLNER ClassNotes
1412-4-02NBR Cowlairs1869
418P2-4-08NBR Cowlairs1873E7
402-4-02NBR Cowlairs1873
2244-4-02NBR Cowlairs1871
4204-4-04NBR Cowlairs1873
170-6-01NBR St. Margarets1868Built from parts of earlier locos
251E0-6-038NBR Cowlairs1867–74J8420 rebuilt as saddle-tanks from 1889–94
396E0-6-026Neilson & Co. (12),
Dübs & Co. (14)
1867–69J31
560-6-08NBR St. Margarets1868–69"Longback" class.
115E0-6-062NBR Cowlairs1869–75J31
226E0-6-0ST2NBR Cowlairs1870J86
2200-6-0ST1NBR Cowlairs1870
130E0-6-0ST9NBR Cowlairs1870–73J85
229E0-6-0ST15NBR Cowlairs1871–73J81
320-6-0ST6NBR Cowlairs1874
3940-4-02Neilson & Co.1867Second hand
3570-4-02NBR Cowlairs1868Y10
180-4-0ST2NBR Cowlairs1872

Dugald Drummond (1874–82)

1st built1913 ClassWheel
arrangement
Number
built
BuilderDateLNER ClassNotes
4742-2-22Neilson1876Sometimes designated "Berwick" class, after the name of locomotive 475. Two built, for Edinburgh-Glasgow express services.
476M4-4-012Neilson (8)
NBR Cowlairs (4)
1877–79D27/D28"Abbotsford" class.
494P4-4-0T3Neilson1879D50
72R4-4-0T30NBR Cowlairs1880–84D51
157P0-4-2T6NBR Cowlairs1877G8All rebuilt as 0-4-4T in 1881
100C0-6-032NBR Cowlairs (12)
Neilson (20)
1876–77J32
34D0-6-013NBR Cowlairs1879J34"Wee Drummond" class.
497D0-6-088NBR Cowlairs (83)
Dübs (5)
1879–83J34"Wee Drummond" class.
165R0-6-0T25NBR Cowlairs1875–78J82
546G0-4-0ST2Neilson1882Y9

Matthew Holmes (1882–1903)

1st built1913 ClassWheel
arrangement
Number
built
BuilderDateLNER ClassNotes
574M4-4-06NBR Cowlairs1884D31
633M4-4-024NBR Cowlairs1890–95D31
729M4-4-018NBR Cowlairs1898–99D31
592N4-4-012NBR Cowlairs1886–87D25
693N4-4-024NBR Cowlairs1894–96D35"West Highland Bogie" class.
One superheated in 1919, became NBR L class / LNER Class D36.
317K4-4-012NBR Cowlairs1903D26
586P0-4-4T12NBR Cowlairs1886–88G7
566D0-6-036NBR Cowlairs1883–87J33
604C0-6-0168Neilson (15),
Sharp Stewart (15),
NBR Cowlairs (138)
1888–1900J36673 Maude preserved
795D0-6-0T40Neilson (20),
Sharp Stewart (20)
1900–01J83
32G0-4-0ST36NBR Cowlairs1887–99Y9same as Drummond 546 class. Of this batch, NBR 42 was preserved.

William Paton Reid (1903–19)

NBL (the North British Locomotive Company) was a private locomotive manufacturer, distinct from the North British Railway.

1st built1913 ClassWheel
arrangement
Number
built
BuilderDateLNER ClassNotes
868H4-4-222NBL (16)
R. Stephenson (6)
1906–21C11Commonly known as the "North British Atlantics". Final two built with superheaters. Superheaters added to all others 1915–25. (Those which remained saturated were briefly designated class I or LNER class C10, but all were superheated by 1925 and became class C11.) The largest and most powerful locomotives ever built by the NBR.
1M4-4-2T30Yorkshire Engine Co.1911–13C15
438L4-4-2T21NBL1915–21C16Superheated
895J4-4-016NBL (6)
NBR Cowlairs (10)
1909–11D29"Scott" class. Superheaters added 1925–35
400J4-4-027NBR Cowlairs1912–20D30"Scott" class. Superheated.
882K4-4-012NBR Cowlairs1906–07D32Superheaters added 1923–26
331K4-4-012NBR Cowlairs1909–10D33Superheaters added 1925–36
149K4-4-032NBR Cowlairs1913–20D34"Glen" class. Superheated. 256/9256/2469/62469 Glen Douglas preserved.
239M0-4-4T12NBL1909G9
848B0-6-076NBL (40)
NBR Cowlairs (36)
1906–13J35
8S0-6-0104NBR Cowlairs (35)
NBL (69)
1914–21J37Superheated
836F0-6-0T35NBR Cowlairs1905–19J88
858A0-6-2T6NBL1909–20N14
7A0-6-2T69NBL1910–24N15+30 built by LNER

Walter Chalmers (1919–22)

All previous incumbents were known as Locomotive Superintendent. Chalmers held the same position, but with the title changed to Chief Mechanical Engineer.

There were no new locomotive designs during the incumbency of Walter Chalmers as Chief Mechanical Engineer. Two new NBR H class locomotives were built under his supervision. Although these were not his design, he had drawn the designs under the direction of W P Reid, having been Chief Draughtsman (the deputy to the Locomotive Superintendent) of the NBR whilst Reid was Locomotive Superintendent.

Locomotive nicknames

As with most companies, certain classes of locomotive from the North British Railway were commonly known by distinctive names or nicknames, rather than their official class designations. The following is a guide to these nicknames, with links to articles about the respective locomotive types.

Common nicknameNBR designationLNER designationWheel
arrangement
Design dateNotes
Longback--0-6-01868Withdrawn before any standard class designation system was introduced.
Berwick--2-2-21876Withdrawn before any standard class designation system was introduced.
Eighteen IncherC classJ32 class0-6-01876
AbbotsfordM classD27 & D28 class4-4-01877
Wee DrummondD classJ34 class0-6-01879
PugG classY9 class0-4-0ST188242 preserved.
West Highland BogieN classD35 class4-4-01894
North British AtlanticH classC11 class4-4-21906
ScottJ classD29 class4-4-01909
Superheated Scott or Super ScottJ classD30 class4-4-01912
GlenK classD34 class4-4-01913256 Glen Douglas preserved.

Preserved locomotives

References

  1. "NBRSG : NBR locomotives list". www.nbrstudygroup.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014.
  • Baxter, Bertram (2012). Baxter, David; Mitchell, Peter (eds.). British Locomotive Catalogue 1825–1923, Volume 6: Great Eastern Railway, North British Railway, Great North of Scotland Railway, Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway, remaining companies in the LNER group. Southampton: Kestrel Railway Books. ISBN 978-1-905505-26-5.
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