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 1,2,3,4,5,13 classes
Class 13 R&W Hawthorn No. 49 at Castlebar
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Grendon Fairbairn Longridge Hawthorn Build date 1846-1852, 1862[lower-alpha 1]
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-2-2[lower-alpha 1] Gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Driver dia. 5 ft 7 in (1,700 mm) Frame type inside Fuel type Coke Tender cap. 1,200 imp gal (5,500 l; 1,400 US gal) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 14 in × 18 in (356 mm × 457 mm)
Career Operators Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) Locale Ireland
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MGWR No.	Name	Introduced	Withdrawn
7	Dunsandle	1847	1871
8	Vesta	1847	1870
9	Venus	1847	1869
10	Luna	1847	1869
11	Juno	1847	1867
30	Pallas	1847	1875
33	Falco	1847	1875

[2]

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 withrawn within 10 years apart from Orion which was converted to a tank engine in 1852.[2]

MGWR No.	Name	Introduced	Withdrawn
1	Orion	1847	1860
2	Mars	1847	1856
3	Saturn	1847	1856
4	Mercury	1847	1856
5	Jupiter	1847	1856
6	Sirius	1847	1856

[2]

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MGWR No.	Name	Introduced	Withdrawn
12	Heron	1848	1873
13	Condor	1848	1873
14	Petrel	1848	1875
15	Pelican	1848	1873
16	Cygnet	1848	1873
17	Ouzel→Snipe	1848	1875

[2]

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 4 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MGWR No.	Name	Introduced	Withdrawn
27	Fairy→Bee	1851	1897
28	Titania→Elf	1851	1897
29	Ariel→Fairy	1851	1897

[2]

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
18	Eclipse	1851	1880
19	Childers	1851	1872
20	Arabian	1851	1873
21	Voltiguer	1851	1873
22	Harpaway	1852	1873
23	Birdcatcher	1852	1873

[2]

MGWR Class 13

The final set of six 2-2-2 passenger locomotives for the MGWR designated Class 13 built by R & 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 at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) were the largest of any MGWR 2-2-2 locomotive. They were renumbered 43-48 between 1871 and 1873 switching the number range with MGWR Class 12 so all passenger engines could be brought into the number range 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]
49	Queen	1170	1862	1880/5	45
50	Viceroy	1171	1862	1884/7	47
51	Leinster	1172	1862	1886	43
52	Munster	1173	1862	1884/7	46
53	Ulster	1174	1862	1886/7	44
54	Connaught	1175	1862	1887	48

Notes

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

References

1. Shepherd (1966), p. 82. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFShepherd1966 (help)
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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ahrons, E. L. (1954). L. L. Asher (ed.). Locomotive and train working in the latter part of the nineteenth century". six. W Heffer & Sons Ltd.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)