London & North Western 5ft 6in Tank
The 5ft 6in Tank was a 2-4-2T locomotive designed by Webb for fast passenger service. In general, it was a tank version of Webb's Precursor class. The wheels actually had a diameter of 5 feet and 8½ inches with tires and the 5 feet and 6 inches from the class designation only stood for the diameter of the wheel centres. The cylinders were 17 inches in diameter and 24 inches in stroke and were operated by Allan valve gear.
The LNWR built 160 between 1890 and 1897 in their Crewe shops. When the LNWR became part of the LMS in 1923, only three had been withdrawn. They were now assigned to power class 1P and between 1929 and 1932, 42 were fitted for working push-pull trains. Two were sold to the War Department in 1930 and 1931. When British Railways were founded in 1948, only 43 were remaining. The last ones were withdrawn in 1955 and none were preserved.
Technical data
General
- Built
- 1890-1897
- Manufacturers
- Crewe
- Wheel arrangement
- 2-4-2WT (Columbia)
- Gauge
- 1,435 mm (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and weights
- Wheelbase
- 6.83 m
- Service mass
- 51.8 t
- Adhesion mass
- 29.4 t
- Rigid wheelbase
- 2.52 m
- Axle load
- 15.1 t
- Water capacity
- 6,136 l
- Fuel capacity
- 3 t (coal)
Boiler
- Grate area
- 1.589 m²
- Firebox surface
- 8.789 m²
- Tube heating surface
- 91.045 m²
- Evaporative heating surface
- 99.834 m²
- Total heating surface
- 99.8 m²
Power plant
- Driver diameter
- 1,740 mm
- Boiler pressure
- 10.3 bar
- Expansion type
- simple expansion
- Cylinders
- two, 432 x 610 mm
Power
- Power source
- steam
- Estimated power
- 373 kW (507 PS)
- Starting effort
- 57.4 kN
Calculated values
- Factor of adhesion
- 1 : 5.02
- Optimal speed
- 40 km/h
- Power-to-weight ratio
- 7.2 kW/t
- Heating Surface Equivalent
- 143.8 m²
- Cylinder volume/HSE
- 1 : 1,241.75
- Adhesive weight/Total
- 1 : 1.76
- Tractive force/Heating surface
- 1 : 12.01
- Grate area/Heating surface
- 1 : 62.83
- Firebox/Tube surface
- 1 : 10.36
