MR 0-10-0 Lickey Banker

The nickname Big Bertha, after a gun used in World War I, was used in the United Kingdom for a steam locomotive banking engine with the unusual wheel configuration of 0-10-0.

Related Topics:
World War I - United Kingdom - Steam locomotive - Banking engine - 0-10-0

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The railway term for such a locomotive is a 'banker'. The locomotive's function was to provide extra power on steep inclines by being added to the rear of other trains. Bankers were also used to protect against wagons or coaches breaking way, in which case they might run in front of a train going downhill. They went out of use with the introduction of advanced braking systems and diesel powered locomotives.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was designed by James Clayton specifically for use on the Lickey Incline south of Birmingham, England.

Related Topics:
James Clayton - Lickey Incline - Birmingham, England

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was constructed at the Derby works of the Midland Railway in 1919 and was in use up to the year 1956 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and British Railways (BR). It was numbered 2290 from new, later being renumbered to 22290 under the LMS numbering system. It was renumbered again in 1948, to 58100 when British Railways was formed.

Related Topics:
Derby works - Midland Railway - 1919 - 1956 - London, Midland and Scottish Railway - British Railways - 1948

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tractive effort was 43,300 lb., and the 10 driving wheels with a diameter of 4' 7.5" provided considerable grip on the steel rails. The weight of 105 tons also assisted in this power transfer. It was the only locomotive not given a power classification by either the LMS or BR, since it was designed specifically for the job, and was unsuitable for normal train working.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Just why a single locomotive of this type was constructed does not seem to have come to light. Between 1956 and 1962 a BR standard class 9F number 92079 took over, being relieved during overhauls by other locos of the same class. The other banking turns on the Lickey were operated by LMS Class 3F "Jinty" 0-6-0T tanks, often in pairs, operation being controlled by a complicated system of whistle codes.

Related Topics:
1956 - 1962 - BR standard class 9F - LMS Class 3F "Jinty" 0-6-0T

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The 0-10-0 was not the only specialised engine to bank on the Lickey. The first dedicated Lickey Banker had been the Midland Railway's Great Britain built in Bromsgrove in 1845. In 1949 the pending electrification of the Woodhead route made the 2-8-0+0-8-2 Beyer-Garratt machine (2395/69999), used on that route since 1925, potentially surplus and it was tried on the Lickey. This was not wholly successful and the engine was withdrawn for modifications. A second trial was made in 1955, but was also unsuccessful. (One problem apparently was that the unique construction of the engine made it difficult for the crew to judge the distance to the train they were banking up to.)

Related Topics:
Bromsgrove - 1845 - 1949 - Woodhead - Beyer-Garratt - 1925 - 1955

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~