LNWR Webb Coal Tank
No. 848 in photographic grey livery
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Francis Webb Build date 1881–1897[1] Total produced 300
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-2T  • UIC C1n2Gt Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 4 ft 5+1⁄2 in (1.359 m) Loco weight 43 long tons 15 cwt (98,000 lb or 44.5 t) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 150 psi (1.03 MPa) Superheater None Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size 17 in × 24 in (432 mm × 610 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Slide valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 16,530 lbf (73.5 kN)
Career Operators LNWR · LMS · BR Power class 2F Number in class 1 January 1923: 292, 1 January 1948: 64 Withdrawn 1921–1958 Disposition One preserved, remainder scrapped.

The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) Webb Coal Tank is a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotive. They were called "Coal Tanks" because they were a side tank version of Webb's standard LNWR 17in Coal Engine, an 0-6-0 tender engine for slow freight trains.

Design

The design was introduced in 1881 by F.W. Webb and had the same cheaply produced cast iron wheels and H-section spokes as the tender engines. A trailing radial axle supporting the bunker was added also with two similarly cast iron wheels. Three hundred were built between 1881 and 1897.

Operational history

Four (LNWR nos. 178, 484, 1257, 69) were withdrawn in January–February 1920^[2] and a further four (LNWR nos. 142, 994, 782, 1012) in July and November 1922,^[3] so at the 1923 grouping, 292 passed to the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). They were renumbered from the LNWR's random allocation based on vacant numbers, to a solid block sequence 7550–7841, and given the power classification 1F. Many locomotives still in service in 1934 were renumbered by the addition of 20,000 to their number.

Sixty-four locomotives passed into British Railways ownership in January 1948 and they were numbered 58880–58937, but not all examples survived long enough to carry their BR numbers.

Preservation

One Coal Tank number BR 58926, ex-LMS 7799, originally LNWR 1054, the 250th one built, has survived in preservation on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, normally carrying its LNWR livery and number. The locomotive is owned by the National Trust and is maintained and run by the Bahamas Locomotive Society.^[4]

Models

Bachmann Branchline released a model of the coal tanks in 2017. The three variants released were: -LNWR Black 1054 (As preserved) -LMS Black 7841 -BR Black early emblem 58900 So far, these are the only variants in production with no other liveries announced.^[5][6]