MGWR Class 1

Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 13 were 2-2-2 locomotives acquired over the period 1847-1862 serving the railway in its formative years.[2]

MGWR Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 13
Class 13 R&W Hawthorn No. 49 at Castlebar
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Builder
Build date1846-1852, 1862[lower-alpha 1]
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-2-2[lower-alpha 1]
Gauge5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)
Driver dia.5 ft 7 in (1,700 mm)
Frame typeinside
Fuel typeCoke
Tender cap.1,200 imp gal (5,500 L; 1,400 US gal)
Cylinders2
Cylinder size14 in × 18 in (356 mm × 457 mm)
Career
OperatorsMidland Great Western Railway (MGWR)
LocaleIreland
Details for Class 1 (Grendon)[1]

MGWR Class 1

The MGWR Class 1 were supplied by Thomas Grendon and Company from April 1847 with Dunsandle performing the trials and opening run.[2] These engines were a replacement for a cancelled order from J & R Mallet of Seville Ironworks Dublin and arrived before the earlier order for MGWR Class 2 from Fairbairn. Juno was later converted into a 2-2-2T tank locomotive.[2][3]

MGWR No. Name Introduced Withdrawn
7Dunsandle18471871
8Vesta18471870
9Venus18471869
10Luna18471869
11Juno18471867
30Pallas18471875
33Falco18471875

MGWR Class 2

Fairbairn supplied 6 engines in response to a quote in 1846, the engines being delivered from June 1847. They seem to have accumulated less average mileages than MGWR Class 1 and were all withdrawn within 10 years, apart from Orion which was converted to a tank engine in 1852.[2]

MGWR No. Name Introduced Withdrawn
1Orion18471860
2Mars18471856
3Saturn18471856
4Mercury18471856
5Jupiter18471856
6Sirius18471856

MGWR Class 3

The six MGWR Class 3 locomotives were also supplied by Fairbairn in 1848. Built to a different design, they had a longer service life than the Fairbairn Class 2.[2]

MGWR No. Name Introduced Withdrawn
12Heron18481873
13Condor18481873
14Petrel18481875
15Pelican18481873
16Cygnet18481873
17Ouzel→Snipe18481875

MGWR Class 4

The MGWR Class 4 from Fairbairn were 2-2-2 Well Tank locomotives ordered for the MGWR's Galway extension in 1851. One of the original order of four was believed to have been sent to Brazil. They had a long service life of nearly 50 years, with some remaining in use as stationary boilers up to 1906.[2]

MGWR No. Name Introduced Withdrawn
27Fairy→Bee18511897
28Titania→Elf18511897
29Ariel→Fairy18511897

MGWR Class 5

With the exception of Class 13, all subsequent locomotive builds for the MGWR were of engines with the driving wheels connected by coupling rods for better adhesion. The MGWR Class 5 engines were themselves rebuilt as 2-4-0s beforce withdrawal and renumbered in the range 88-93.[2]

MGWR No. Name Introduced Withdrawn
18Eclipse18511880
19Childers18511872
20Arabian18511873
21Voltiguer18511873
22Harpaway18521873
23Birdcatcher18521873

MGWR Class 13

The final set of six 2-2-2 passenger locomotives for the MGWR designated Class 13 built by R and W Hawthorn of Leith, Scotland. They had double-sandwich frames, outside springs and 15 in × 22 in (381 mm × 559 mm) cylinders.[2] Their driving wheels were the largest of any MGWR 2-2-2 locomotive, being 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) in diameter. They were renumbered 43-48 between 1871 and 1873, switching the number range with MGWR Class 12 so all passenger engines could be numbered 1 to 48.[2][4]} Their final years saw them displaced from main line to branch services.[2][4]

MGWR No. Name Maker No. Introduced Withdrawn Renumber[4][lower-alpha 2]
49Queen117018621880/545
50Viceroy117118621884/747
51Leinster11721862188643
52Munster117318621884/746
53Ulster117418621886/744
54Connaught11751862188748

Notes
  1. Refers to all MGWR 2-2-2 locomotives
  2. Assumes name remained with same engine with early 1870s renumbering

References
  1. Shepherd (1994), p. 82.
  2. Shepherd (1994), pp. 12, 82–84, 123, 131.
  3. "Midland Great Western Railway". STEAMINDEX. Grendon 2-2-2 locomotives. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  4. Ahrons (1954), p. 54.

Sources
  • Shepherd, Ernie (1994). The Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland – An illustrated History. Midland Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-85780-008-7.
  • Ahrons, E. L. (1954). L. L. Asher (ed.). Locomotive and train working in the latter part of the nineteenth century". Vol. six. W Heffer & Sons Ltd.
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