What do steam train numbers mean?

What do steam train numbers mean?

In this system numbers are assigned to the leading, driving, and trailing wheels of the locomotive. The first number is the number of leading wheels. The middle number (or numbers) give the number and arrangement of drivers. The last is the number of trailing wheels (typically under the firebox).

How were steam locomotives numbered?

The LNWR inherited its numbering system from one of its constituents, the Grand Junction Railway. In short, locomotives were numbered in a series commencing at 1. No gaps were allowed in the series, so a new locomotive would either be numbered at the end of the series or would reuse the number of an older locomotive.

How many Hall class locomotives are preserved?

Preservation. Eleven locomotives of the ‘Hall’ class and seven members of the ‘Modified Hall’ class were saved for preservation and these are numbers 4920, 4930, 4936, 4942, 4953, 4979, 4983, 5900, 5952, 5967, 5972, 6960, 6984, 6989, 6990, 6998, 7903 and 7927. Boiler maximum dia.

What do the numbers on the side of a locomotive mean?

The first 4 is the number of pilot wheels – those behind the front pilot. The second 4 is the number of drive wheels – the large ones that accualy move the engine. And the 2 is for the last set of wheels under the cab. This is the total number of wheels of the engine, and does not include the tender.

How do I know what class my train is?

A single-digit number, indicating the class (type) of train, followed by. A letter, indicating the destination area, followed by. A two-digit number, identifying the individual train or indicating the route (the latter generally for suburban services).

What is a locomotive number?

Locomotive numbering. In order to identify and organise locomotives, railway companies usually give each one a number. These numbers are usually unique within the confines of the railway system and period. But they are not globally unique and not unique across time.

What do the numbers on a train engine mean?

How many Hall locomotives were built?

The Great Western Railway 4900 Class or Hall Class is a class of 4-6-0 mixed traffic steam locomotives designed by Charles Collett for the Great Western Railway. A total of 259 were built at Swindon Works, numbered 4900–4999, 5900–5999 and 6900–6958.

How did the GWR give locomotives their names?

From the start, the GWR gave names only to its broad gauge locomotive stock. However, many classes carried ‘themed’ names, e.g. stars or signs of the zodiac, which aided identification of locomotives to some extent. See List of 7-foot gauge railway locomotive names

How many Hall class locomotives were built?

A total of 259 were built at Swindon Works, numbered 4900–4999, 5900–5999 and 6900–6958. The LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 and LNER Thompson Class B1 both drew heavily on design features of the Hall Class. After nationalisation in 1948, British Railways gave them the power classification 5MT.

How were locomotives numbered in the early 1900s?

Initially standard gauge locomotive numbering was a simple sequential system, starting from 1. Numbering in this series, which included new locomotives and those absorbed from other railways, eventually reached 1297.

When were absorbed locomotives used on the Great Western Railway?

Absorbed Engines, 1854-1921. The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway. Part 3. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. LeFleming, H.M. (April 1958).