Midland Railway Paget locomotive
Encyclopedia
The Midland Railway
's Paget locomotive, No. 2299, was an experimental steam locomotive
constructed at its Derby Works
in 1908 to the design of the General Superintendent Cecil Paget
(though Richard Deeley
was Locomotive Superintendent at the time).
It was designed on the principle of the Willans high speed central valve engines, some which had been installed at the works. It had a total of eight uniflow
cylinders arranged in two groups of four placed between the 1st and 2nd and 2nd and 3rd driving axles, with rotary steam distribution valves placed over each. Two were connected to the forward pair of the six driving wheels. Four were connected, two each side to the centre pair , with the final two behind the last pair. These drove a jackshaft which operated and reversed the valves, and cut off was controlled by rotary sleeves.
The boiler was large and had an unusual integral firebox, lined with firebricks. Two-wheel pony trucks were fitted front and rear. It was the first 2-6-2
tender locomotive in Great Britain and would be the only one until the LNER Class V2
of 1936.
Paget had initially financed it himself, but unfortunately ran out of money, and the railway made up for the difference. There has been a history on the railways of a distrust of new ideas and Paget and Deeley were not on the best of terms. Lowe suggests that there was great hostility to it.
However, it had problems with seizing of the phosphor bronze
sleeves in the cast iron
steam chest, with leakage in the glands and piston rings.
In 1912, one of the rotary valves seized while on a test run, the engine blocking the main line for seven hours. As a result it was put in store at Derby and was broken up in 1918, while Paget was in France commanding the Royal Engineers
Railway Operating Division
.
As the Midland shrouded the locomotive in secrecy, there is only one known photograph, which was not released until after The Grouping
of 1923.
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
's Paget locomotive, No. 2299, was an experimental steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
constructed at its Derby Works
Derby Works
The Midland Railway Locomotive Works, known locally as "the loco" comprised a number of British manufacturing facilities in Derby building locomotives and, initially, rolling stock in Derby, UK.-Early days:...
in 1908 to the design of the General Superintendent Cecil Paget
Cecil Paget
Sir Cecil Walter Paget CMG, DSO , was a British locomotive engineer and railway administrator.Cecil Paget was the son of Sir George Ernest Paget, Chairman of the Midland Railway Company 1890-1911. He was born at Sutton Bonington, educated at Harrow and Pembroke College, Cambridge, and then joined...
(though Richard Deeley
Richard Deeley
Richard Mountford Deeley was a British engineer, chiefly noted for his five years as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway....
was Locomotive Superintendent at the time).
It was designed on the principle of the Willans high speed central valve engines, some which had been installed at the works. It had a total of eight uniflow
Uniflow steam engine
The uniflow type of steam engine uses steam that flows in one direction only in each half of the cylinder. Thermal efficiency is increased in the compound and multiple expansion types of steam engine by separating expansion into steps in separate cylinders; in the uniflow design, thermal efficiency...
cylinders arranged in two groups of four placed between the 1st and 2nd and 2nd and 3rd driving axles, with rotary steam distribution valves placed over each. Two were connected to the forward pair of the six driving wheels. Four were connected, two each side to the centre pair , with the final two behind the last pair. These drove a jackshaft which operated and reversed the valves, and cut off was controlled by rotary sleeves.
The boiler was large and had an unusual integral firebox, lined with firebricks. Two-wheel pony trucks were fitted front and rear. It was the first 2-6-2
2-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
tender locomotive in Great Britain and would be the only one until the LNER Class V2
LNER Class V2
The London and North Eastern Railway Class V2 2-6-2 steam locomotives were designed by Sir Nigel Gresley for express mixed traffic work, and built between 1936–1944. The best known is the first of the class, 4771 Green Arrow, which is the only preserved example.-Construction:The V2s were the only...
of 1936.
Paget had initially financed it himself, but unfortunately ran out of money, and the railway made up for the difference. There has been a history on the railways of a distrust of new ideas and Paget and Deeley were not on the best of terms. Lowe suggests that there was great hostility to it.
However, it had problems with seizing of the phosphor bronze
Phosphor bronze
Phosphor bronze is an alloy of copper with 3.5 to 10% of tin and a significant phosphorus content of up to 1%. The phosphorus is added as deoxidizing agent during melting....
sleeves in the cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
steam chest, with leakage in the glands and piston rings.
In 1912, one of the rotary valves seized while on a test run, the engine blocking the main line for seven hours. As a result it was put in store at Derby and was broken up in 1918, while Paget was in France commanding the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
Railway Operating Division
Railway Operating Division
The Railway Operating Division was a division of the Royal Engineers formed in 1915 to operate railways in the many theatres of the First World War...
.
As the Midland shrouded the locomotive in secrecy, there is only one known photograph, which was not released until after The Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923.
Further reading
- Clayton, James, (1945) 'The Paget locomotive' in The railway gazette, 2nd November 1945 (also reprinted in booklet form)
- Mills, Bob, (2000) 'The Paget locomotive' in BackTrackBackTrack (magazine)BackTrack is a monthly magazine, published by Pendragon Publishing, concentrating on researched articles and photographic features about British and Irish railway history...
, vol. 14, no. 1 (January 2000), pp. 21–23