GER Class P43

The GER Class P43 was a class of ten 4-2-2 steam tender locomotives designed by James Holden for the Great Eastern Railway. They were the last 'singles' built for the Great Eastern, and the last in service.

GER Class P43
No. 10, the first of the class.
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer James Holden Builder Stratford Works Order number P43 Build date 1898 Total produced 10
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-2-2  • UIC 2′A1 n2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 3 ft 9 in (1.143 m) Driver dia. 7 ft 0 in (2.134 m) Trailing dia. 4 ft 0 in (1.219 m) Wheelbase 43 ft 11 in (13.39 m) Length 53 ft 3 in (16.23 m) over buffers Adhesive weight 18 long tons 0 cwt (40,300 lb or 18.3 t) Loco weight 50 long tons 0 cwt (112,000 lb or 50.8 t) Tender weight 30 long tons 12.5 cwt (68,600 lb or 31.1 t) Fuel type Oil (supplemented by coal) Fuel capacity Oil: 650–715 imp gal (2,950–3,250 L; 781–859 US gal) Coal: 1 long ton 10 cwt (3,400 lb or 1.5 t) Water cap. 2,640 or 2,790 imp gal (12,000 or 12,700 L; 3,170 or 3,350 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 21.4 sq ft (1.99 m2) Boiler pressure 160 lbf/in2 (1.10 MPa) Heating surface 1,292.73 sq ft (120.099 m2) Cylinders Two, Cylinder size 18 in × 26 in (460 mm × 660 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 13,639 lbf (60.67 kN)
Career Operators Great Eastern Railway Numbers 10–19 Withdrawn 1907–1910 Disposition All scrapped

History

Constructed with oil-burning apparatus to speed the elite from the City of London to Cromer, West Runton & Sheringham^[1] and capable of reaching North Walsham non-stop in just over two and a half hours.^[2] They had 18-by-26-inch (457 mm × 660 mm) inside cylinders and 7-foot-0-inch (2.134 m) driving wheels.^[3]

Only a single batch of ten was built, all on order P43 in 1898, numbered 10 to 19. They had a short working life, as they were incapable of handling increasing heavy trains. They were withdrawn between 1907 and 1910.

Table of withdrawals^[4]

Year	Quantity in service at start of year	Quantity withdrawn	Locomotive numbers
1907	10	2	14, 18
1908	8	5	10, 11, 15, 16, 17
1909	3	1	19
1910	2	2	12, 13