Palestine Railways H class
Encyclopedia
The Palestine Railways H class was a type of standard gauge
mixed traffic steam locomotive
on the Palestine Military Railway and its civilian successors Palestine Railways and Israel Railways
. The PMR introduced the class in 1919 and Israel Railways withdrew the last ones in 1960.
, was created during the First World War to operate all railways in the British and Allied Sinai and Palestine Campaign
. It inherited a standard gauge
locomotive fleet from the Egyptian Expeditionary Force
's Sinai Railway dominated by two classes of 19th-century 0-6-0
requisitioned from railways in Britain: the LNWR 17in Coal Engine
s and LSWR 395 class
. In Palestine the Coal Engines proved unreliable and neither class was powerful enough for PMR traffic.
In 1918 the PMR sought a class of 50 more powerful mixed traffic locomotives to replace the Coal Engines and relegate the 395 class to lighter duties. However, British locomotive builders were so busy with War orders that none could supply a class of 50 locomotives quickly enough.
The UK War Department (WD) had already bought at least 70 4-6-0
locomotives from Baldwin Locomotive Works
(BLW) in Eddystone, Pennsylvania
in 1917. (They carried the WD numbers 801 – 870 of the same class, were transferred to Belgium at the end of the First World War, and became SNCB/NMBS type 40 in 1946.) Therefore in 1918 the PMR ordered a batch of 50 of the same class of 4-6-0 from BLW. The first 10 reached Palestine in 1919 and the remaining 40 followed in 1920. Following on from the batch sent to Europe, this batch received the WD numbers 871 – 920.
In 1920 the San Remo Conference
mandated the United Kingdom to administer Palestine. The PMR was duly replaced by a civilian organisation, Palestine Railways, which designated the Baldwins class H. In the 1920s it found the class suitable for most work except shunting and powerful enough for most normal PR traffic.
In service all members of the class were painted black. From 1944 each had its number painted in very large numerals on the side of the tender or tank.
suffered from restricted space, and after conversion to standard gauge never had a facility to turn 4-6-0 tender locomotives. Running tender first was unpopular in any location, but especially on this route which had tight curves and steep gradients through the Judean hills, so PR sought a tank locomotive
powerful enough for the job. In 1922 PR introduced the 2-8-4T K class tanks from Kitson and Company in England, which were powerful enough to haul 250 ton trains up the 2% (1 in 50) ruling gradient
to Jerusalem but suffered derailments caused by their eight-coupled wheel arrangement.
Therefore in 1926 PR sent H class locomotives 895, 904, 905, 909, 915 and 918 to Armstrong Whitworth
in England whose works at Scotswood in Newcastle-upon-Tyne converted them into 4-6-2
T tank locomotives. PR renumbered them consecutively 7 – 12 and designated them class H2. On the steep climb up to Jerusalem these could haul only trains of 200 tons compared with the K class's 250, but this were the best PR could achieve with its limited resources.
Baldwin had built the class with round-topped steel firebox
es but the PR found these unsatisfactory. It therefore sent six more H class to Armstrong Whitworth who fitted copper fireboxes instead. On other H class locomotives PR made modifications themselves, fitting Belpaire firebox
es and reducing the number of domes from three to two.
In 1933 PR opened its own railway workshops in Haifa. In 1937–38, with the help of some parts supplied by Nasmyth, Wilson and Company of Salford, England, the Qishon works converted numbers 881, 896, 897, 910 and 912 to tank locomotives. PR gave this batch a 4-6-4
T wheel arrangement, numbered them consecutively 13–17 and designated them class H3.
from the North British Locomotive Company
in Glasgow
, Scotland. During the Second World War
PR carried increasing amounts of British and Allied military traffic. War Department ROD 2-8-0
and LMS Stanier 8F 2-8-0 locomotives hauled the heaviest trains but the Baldwins were also worked very hard and in 1942 six were lost to accidents. For example, 888 (works no. 50354) was wrecked by a head-on collision in Gaza and its remains were scrapped two years later.
PR had fuelled its locomotives with Welsh coal
but in June 1940 Italy declared war on the Allies
, making the Mediterranean extremely dangerous for British merchant shipping. PR therefore began converting its locomotives to burn oil, but it did not complete the conversion programme until 1943.
Despite the more powerful NBL 4-6-0 and 8F 2-8-0 locomotives, after the Second World War the Baldwins remained PR's most numerous locomotives and its maids of all work. In the Israeli War of Independence PR was a particular target of sabotage and terrorism. When in February 1948 PR's General Manager, Arthur Kirby, recorded that ...locomotives wrecked by mines have been repaired time and time again so that most of them, though blown up several times, are still working after 28 years of service – and working efficiently..., his reference to "28 years" clearly referred to Palestine's surviving Baldwins.
After the UK withdrew from Mandate Palestine in May 1948 all six H2, all five H3 and the 33 surviving H class passed into Israel Railways stock. Baldwin had designed the 4-6-0s to be simple and rugged but not to last particularly long, but the British and Israelis got good service from them for 40 years. By 1956 diesels had taken over the main line services and steam workings were largely confined to the central part of the country around Lod
(formerly Lydda). A number of Baldwins remained in service until 1959 and one, H class no. 901 (BLW works no. 50454) was still in traffic six months after steam on Israel Railways had officially ended that year. All 44 of Israel Railways' Baldwins were scrapped by about 1960.
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
mixed traffic 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...
on the Palestine Military Railway and its civilian successors Palestine Railways and Israel Railways
Israel Railways
Israel Railways is the principal passenger railway operating company in Israel, and is responsible for all inter-city and suburban rail way passenger and freight traffic in the country. All its lines are standard gauge. The network is centered in Israel's densely populated coastal plain, from...
. The PMR introduced the class in 1919 and Israel Railways withdrew the last ones in 1960.
Background and delivery
The PMR, part of the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, was created during the First World War to operate all railways in the British and Allied Sinai and Palestine Campaign
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...
. It inherited a standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
locomotive fleet from the Egyptian Expeditionary Force
Egyptian Expeditionary Force
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force was formed in March 1916 to command the British and British Empire military forces in Egypt during World War I. Originally known as the 'Force in Egypt' it had been commanded by General Maxwell who was recalled to England...
's Sinai Railway dominated by two classes of 19th-century 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
requisitioned from railways in Britain: the LNWR 17in Coal Engine
LNWR 17in Coal Engine
The LNWR 17in Coal Engine was a class of 0-6-0 steam tender engines designed by Francis Webb for the London and North Western Railway. They were simple locomotives and in UK service they were very reliable. "17in" refers to their cylinder diameter in inches...
s and LSWR 395 class
LSWR 395 class
-On the LSWR 1881-1923:The LSWR 395 class was a class of goods 0-6-0 steam locomotives designed for the London and South Western Railway by William Adams as part of his modernisation programme. All 70 were constructed by Neilson and Company between 1881 and 1886...
. In Palestine the Coal Engines proved unreliable and neither class was powerful enough for PMR traffic.
In 1918 the PMR sought a class of 50 more powerful mixed traffic locomotives to replace the Coal Engines and relegate the 395 class to lighter duties. However, British locomotive builders were so busy with War orders that none could supply a class of 50 locomotives quickly enough.
The UK War Department (WD) had already bought at least 70 4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
locomotives from Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
(BLW) in Eddystone, Pennsylvania
Eddystone, Pennsylvania
Eddystone is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,442 at the 2000 census.-Early history:The area at the mouth of Ridley Creek was first called "Tequirassy" by Native Americans. The land was owned by Olof Persson Stille, one of the early settlers from New...
in 1917. (They carried the WD numbers 801 – 870 of the same class, were transferred to Belgium at the end of the First World War, and became SNCB/NMBS type 40 in 1946.) Therefore in 1918 the PMR ordered a batch of 50 of the same class of 4-6-0 from BLW. The first 10 reached Palestine in 1919 and the remaining 40 followed in 1920. Following on from the batch sent to Europe, this batch received the WD numbers 871 – 920.
In 1920 the San Remo Conference
San Remo conference
The San Remo Conference was an international meeting of the post-World War I Allied Supreme Council, held in Sanremo, Italy, from 19 to 26 April 1920. It was attended by the four Principal Allied Powers of World War I who were represented by the prime ministers of Britain , France and Italy and...
mandated the United Kingdom to administer Palestine. The PMR was duly replaced by a civilian organisation, Palestine Railways, which designated the Baldwins class H. In the 1920s it found the class suitable for most work except shunting and powerful enough for most normal PR traffic.
In service all members of the class were painted black. From 1944 each had its number painted in very large numerals on the side of the tender or tank.
Modifications
The Jerusalem terminus of the Jaffa and Jerusalem lineJaffa–Jerusalem railway
The Jaffa–Jerusalem railway is a railroad that connected Jaffa and Jerusalem. The line was built in Ottoman Palestine by the French company Société du Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa à Jérusalem et Prolongements and inaugurated in 1892, after previous attempts by the Jewish philanthropist Moses...
suffered from restricted space, and after conversion to standard gauge never had a facility to turn 4-6-0 tender locomotives. Running tender first was unpopular in any location, but especially on this route which had tight curves and steep gradients through the Judean hills, so PR sought a tank locomotive
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
powerful enough for the job. In 1922 PR introduced the 2-8-4T K class tanks from Kitson and Company in England, which were powerful enough to haul 250 ton trains up the 2% (1 in 50) ruling gradient
Ruling gradient
The term "ruling grade" is usually used as a synonym for "steepest climb" between two points on a railroad. But if the steepest climb is, say, a quarter-mile of 2% upgrade preceded and followed by 1.5% grade the "ruling grade" can only be defined arbitrarily....
to Jerusalem but suffered derailments caused by their eight-coupled wheel arrangement.
Therefore in 1926 PR sent H class locomotives 895, 904, 905, 909, 915 and 918 to Armstrong Whitworth
Armstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
in England whose works at Scotswood in Newcastle-upon-Tyne converted them into 4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
T tank locomotives. PR renumbered them consecutively 7 – 12 and designated them class H2. On the steep climb up to Jerusalem these could haul only trains of 200 tons compared with the K class's 250, but this were the best PR could achieve with its limited resources.
Baldwin had built the class with round-topped steel firebox
Firebox
In a steam engine, the firebox is the area where the fuel is burned, producing heat to boil the water in the boiler. Most are somewhat box-shaped, hence the name.-Railway locomotive firebox :...
es but the PR found these unsatisfactory. It therefore sent six more H class to Armstrong Whitworth who fitted copper fireboxes instead. On other H class locomotives PR made modifications themselves, fitting Belpaire firebox
Belpaire firebox
The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...
es and reducing the number of domes from three to two.
In 1933 PR opened its own railway workshops in Haifa. In 1937–38, with the help of some parts supplied by Nasmyth, Wilson and Company of Salford, England, the Qishon works converted numbers 881, 896, 897, 910 and 912 to tank locomotives. PR gave this batch a 4-6-4
4-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification:...
T wheel arrangement, numbered them consecutively 13–17 and designated them class H3.
Latter years
In 1935 the Baldwins were relegated from the heaviest traffic by the arrival of six more powerful P class 4-6-0 locomotivesPalestine Railways P class
The Palestine Railways P class was a type of standard gauge mixed traffic steam locomotive on Palestine Railways and its successor Israel Railways. The PMR introduced the class in 1935 and Israel Railways withdrew the last ones in 1960.-Background:...
from the North British Locomotive Company
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland. During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
PR carried increasing amounts of British and Allied military traffic. War Department ROD 2-8-0
ROD 2-8-0
The Railway Operating Division ROD 2-8-0 is a type of 2-8-0 steam locomotive which was the standard heavy freight locomotive operated in Europe by the ROD during the First World War.-ROD need for a standard locomotive:...
and LMS Stanier 8F 2-8-0 locomotives hauled the heaviest trains but the Baldwins were also worked very hard and in 1942 six were lost to accidents. For example, 888 (works no. 50354) was wrecked by a head-on collision in Gaza and its remains were scrapped two years later.
PR had fuelled its locomotives with Welsh coal
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
but in June 1940 Italy declared war on the Allies
Italian invasion of France
The Italian invasion of France in June 1940 was a small-scale invasion that started near the end of the Battle of France during World War II. The goal of the Italian offensive was to take control of the Alps mountain range and the region around Nice, and to win the colonies in North Africa...
, making the Mediterranean extremely dangerous for British merchant shipping. PR therefore began converting its locomotives to burn oil, but it did not complete the conversion programme until 1943.
Despite the more powerful NBL 4-6-0 and 8F 2-8-0 locomotives, after the Second World War the Baldwins remained PR's most numerous locomotives and its maids of all work. In the Israeli War of Independence PR was a particular target of sabotage and terrorism. When in February 1948 PR's General Manager, Arthur Kirby, recorded that ...locomotives wrecked by mines have been repaired time and time again so that most of them, though blown up several times, are still working after 28 years of service – and working efficiently..., his reference to "28 years" clearly referred to Palestine's surviving Baldwins.
After the UK withdrew from Mandate Palestine in May 1948 all six H2, all five H3 and the 33 surviving H class passed into Israel Railways stock. Baldwin had designed the 4-6-0s to be simple and rugged but not to last particularly long, but the British and Israelis got good service from them for 40 years. By 1956 diesels had taken over the main line services and steam workings were largely confined to the central part of the country around Lod
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
(formerly Lydda). A number of Baldwins remained in service until 1959 and one, H class no. 901 (BLW works no. 50454) was still in traffic six months after steam on Israel Railways had officially ended that year. All 44 of Israel Railways' Baldwins were scrapped by about 1960.