Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes

The Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes were 0-6-0 steam tender locomotives designed by John F. McIntosh for the Caledonian Railway and introduced in 1899. They had the same boiler type as the 721 “Dunalastair” Class 4-4-0s. They could reach speeds of up to 55 mph (89 km/h).^[1]

Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes
Ex-CR 812 class No. 17596 at Corkerhill Locomotive Depot on 15 August 1948
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer John F. McIntosh Builder CR St. Rollox Works(46) Dübs & Co. (15) Neilson, Reid & Co. (20) Sharp Stewart (15) Build date 1899–1909 Total produced 79 (812) / 17 (652) / 96 (total)
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0  • UIC Cn Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 5 ft 0 in (1.524 m) Length 56 ft 2 in (17.12 m) Loco weight 45.65 long tons (46.38 t; 51.13 short tons) Water cap. 3,000 imp gal (14,000 L; 3,600 US gal) Boiler pressure 160 psi (1,100 kPa) Superheater None Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size 18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Slide valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 20,170 lbf (89.7 kN)
Career Operators Caledonian Railway London, Midland and Scottish Railway British Railways Class CR: 812 and 652 Power class LMS/BR: 3F Number in class 79 (812) 17 (652) Numbers CR: 282-293, 812-878 (812) 325-328, 652-659, 661-665 (652) LMS: 17550-17628 (812) 17629-17645 (652) BR: 57550-57628 (812) 57629-57645 (652) Locale Scottish Region Withdrawn 1948–1963 Preserved No. 828 Disposition One 812 preserved, remainder scrapped

Construction

96 locomotives were built, as follows:

Table of locomotives, 812 Class

Year	Quantity	CR Nos.	Builder	Builders No.	LMS Nos.	BR Nos.	Notes
1899	17	812–828	CR, St. Rollox	Y054	17550–17566	57550–57566	828 preserved
1899	10	829–838	Neilson, Reid & Co.	5613–5622	17567–17576	57568–57576	17567 withdrawn before nationalisation
1900	10	839–848	Neilson, Reid & Co.	5623–5632	17577–17586	57577–57586
1900	15	849–863	Sharp Stewart	4633–4647	17587–17601	57587–57597, 57599–57601	17598 withdrawn before nationalisation
c.1900	15	864–878	Dübs & Co.	3880–3894	17602–17616	57602–57609, 57611–57616	17610 withdrawn before nationalisation
1899	12	282–293	CR, St. Rollox	Y058	17617–17628	57617–57628

Table of locomotives, 652 Class

Year	Quantity	CR Nos.	Builder	Builders No.	LMS Nos.	BR Nos.	Notes
1908	8	652–659	CR, St. Rollox	Y087-Y086	17629–17636	57629–57636
1908	4	662–665	CR, St. Rollox	Y086	17637–17640	57637–57640
1909	4	325–328	CR, St. Rollox	Y086	17641–17644	57641–57644
1909	1	661	CR, St. Rollox	Y086	17645	57645

Seventeen were fitted with the Westinghouse air brakes for passenger train working, including the only surviving engine of the class, No. 828. All 96 passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 grouping. Only three, 17567, 17598 and 17610 (all 812s), had been withdrawn by the time of nationalisation in 1948. The last locomotive in service was not withdrawn until 1963.

Preservation

Locomotive 828 on the Severn Valley Railway, 25 March 2012

Locomotive 828 (LMS 17566, BR 57566) is the sole survivor of the class and is an important example of Scottish industrial heritage. It is based at the Strathspey Railway. It was returned to regular service in 2010 and then again in March 2017 following heavy repairs. 828 is the final member of the first batch of engines built in 1899. Since 2022 it has been on long term hire to the Spa Valley Railway in Kent.^[2] where it joined fellow Caledonian survivor 419 during the Scottish Steam Up over Easter 2022.^[3]

Belgian derivatives

A Type 30 engine used by the Railway Operating Division

Belgian State Railways (SNCB-NMBS) derived three series of steam locomotives (891 units) from the class 812 between 1899 and 1914. They had a shallower firebox, able to burn semi-bituminous coal and briquettes, allowing a shorter wheelbase due to its positioning above the rear axle. There were three classes:

• Type 30 – first variant with several details in common with the Caledonian engines (cab windows, gauges, and tender coupling). 82 built between 1899 and 1901.
• Type 32 (later renamed Type 44) – more powerful and fitted with a Belgian cab, higher steam pressure, new gauges and tender coupling. 502 built between 1901 and 1910.
• Type 32S [fr] (later renamed Type 41) – same features but improved with a Schmidt superheater. 307 built between 1905 and 1914.

Until 1909, they were the only new engines used with freight trains. They were also used on suburban and local passenger trains and some expresses on hilly sections. Most of them were retired between 1947 and 1959. Some of them were then used as stationary boilers and two of them (44.225 and 41.195) survive in museums. A third one (44.021) was kept as a parts donor and scrapped in 2002.^[4]

Models

Rails of Sheffield announced at the opening of Model Rail Scotland on 23 February 2018, that in conjunction with Bachmann Europe Plc they have reached agreement with The Caledonian Railway 828 Trust to produce OO scale models of the 812 Class 0-6-0 locomotives.^[5][6]

See also

• Locomotives of the Caledonian Railway