Midland Railway 1252 Class

The Midland Railway 1252 class was a class of 30 0-4-4T locomotives built by Neilson and Company in 1875–1876 to the design of Samuel W. Johnson. They were a development of the 6 Class. Originally numbers 1262–1281 and 1252–1261. Under the Midland Railway's 1907 renumbering scheme they became 1236–1265.

Midland Railway 1252 class
LMS 1251 at Ashchurch, September 1946
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Samuel W. Johnson Builder Neilson and Company Build date 1875–1876 Total produced 30
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-4T  • UIC B2′ n2t Gauge 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 5 ft 6 ^1⁄2 in (1,689 mm) Trailing dia. 3 ft 0 in (914 mm) Loco weight 53 long tons 4 cwt (119,200 lb or 54.1 t) Boiler MR type C Boiler pressure 140 lbf/in^2 (0.97 MPa) Cylinder size 17 in × 24 in (432 mm × 610 mm) Valve gear Stephenson
Performance figures Tractive effort 13,810 lbf (61.43 kN)
Career Operators MR » LMS » BR Power class 1P Withdrawn 1920–1954 Disposition All scrapped

Construction history

For this class, the Midland used nominal 5-foot-6 ¹⁄₂-inch (1,689 mm) diameter driving wheels, whereas in all later engines (starting with the 1532 Class) they used nominal 5-foot-3-inch (1,600 mm) diameter wheels. They were given the power classification 1P.

Table of orders and numbers[1]

Original No.	1907 (& LMS) No.	Manufacturer	Works Nos.	Year	Notes
1262–1274	1236–1246	Neilson & Co.	2038–2050	1875
1280–1281	1247–1248	Neilson & Co.	2051–2052	1876
1252–1261	1254–1265	Neilson & Co.	? – ?	1876
1275–1279	1249–1253	Neilson & Co.	? – ?	1876

Service history

All except one locomotive passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) at the 1923 grouping; and nine, Nos 1239/46/47/49/51/52/55/60/61 were still in LMS stock at the end of 1947 and passed to British Railways (BR). BR allocated them numbers 58030–58038, though only three 58033/36/38 received them before withdrawal. The class became extinct in 1954. None was preserved.

Table of withdrawals[1]

Year	Quantity in service at start of year	Quantity withdrawn	Locomotive numbers	Notes
1920	30	1	1245
1925	29	1	1248
1926	28	1	1254
1927	27	2	1243, 1264
1928	25	1	1256
1929	24	2	1244, 1265
1930	22	2	1237, 1262
1931	20	1	1257
1932	19	3	1241, 1242, 1250
1934	16	2	1236, 1259
1935	14	1	1238
1936	13	1	1263
1937	12	1	1258
1945	11	1	1240
1946	10	1	1253
1948	9	1	1262
1949	8	3	1239, 1246, 1247
1950	5	4	1251, 1252, 58036, 58033
1954	1	1	58038

References

1. Baxter 1982, pp. 136–137.

• Baxter, Bertram (1982). Baxter, David (ed.). British Locomotive Catalogue 1825–1923. Volume 3A: Midland Railway and its constituent companies. Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Moorland Publishing Company. ISBN 9780903485524.
• Casserley, H. C. & Johnston, Stuart W. (1974) [1966]. Locomotives at the Grouping 3: London, Midland and Scottish Railway. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan. pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-7110-0554-0.

Further reading

• Bob Essery and David Jenkinson An Illustrated Review of Midland Locomotives vol 3
• Bob Essery and David Jenkinson An Illustrated History of LMS Locomotives vol 4