GWR Iron Duke Class

The Iron Duke class was a series of broad gauge steam locomotives for express trains of the Great Western Railway.

Overview

A built under the direction of Sir Daniel Gooch in the Swindon Works prototype called Great Western in 1846 initially developed as 1A1 -Type, for a fraction of the front axle, however, soon rebuilt with an additional front axle to a 2A1 -Type. The following similar series locomotives that were created between April 1847 and July 1855 had the same wheel arrangement and were referred to as the Iron Duke class.

Use

For that time these machines were very fast with a top speed of 80 mph or 128 km / h They were used for the Flying Dutchman Express, which was so for several decades the fastest train in the world. The route from London Paddington Station to Exeter ( 194 miles or 310 km ) was treated with an average speed of 53 mph or 85 km / h operated on the flat section between London and Swindon were even just 60 mph or 96 km / h reached cruising speed.

Class definition

From 1865 onwards, the Iron Duke Class was run as Alma Class. 1870 three machines were profoundly transformed. These and subsequently made ​​1871-1888 similar new buildings were then called Rover class. Apart from the three reconstructions, the Iron Duke - original machines were to ultimately put out of service in 1892 between December 1870 and June 1884, the " Rover " variants.

Single copies

The dates refer to the Indienst and decommissioning.

Iron Duke class

  • Alma (1854 - 1872)
  • Amazon (1851 - 1877)
  • Balaklava (1854 - 1871)
  • Courier (1848 - 1877)
  • Crimea (1855 - 1876)
  • Dragon (1848 - 1872)
  • Emperor (1847 - 1873)
  • Estafette (1850 - 1884)
  • Evpatoria (1855 - 1876)
  • Great Britain (1847 - 1880)
  • Great Western (1846 - 1870), first machine
  • Hirondelle (1848 - 1873)
  • Inkermann (1855 - 1877)
  • Iron Duke (1847 - 1871)
  • Kertch (1855 - 1872)
  • Lightning (1847 - 1878)
  • Lord of the Isles (1851 - 1884)
  • Pasha (1847 - 1876)
  • Perseus (1850 - 1880)
  • Prometheus (1850 - 1887)
  • Rougemont (1848 - 1879)
  • Rover (1850 - 1871)
  • Sebastopol (1855 - 1880)
  • Sultan (1847 - 1874)
  • Swallow (1849 - 1871)
  • Tartar (1848 - 1876)
  • Timour (1849 - 1871)
  • Tornado (1849 - 1881)
  • Warlock (1848 - 1874)
  • Wizard (1848 - 1875)

Rover class

  • Alma (1880 - 1892) *
  • Amazon (1878 - 1892) *
  • Balaklava (1871 - 1892) *
  • Bukeley (1880 - 1892) **
  • Courier (1878 - 1892) **
  • Crimea (1878 - 1892) **
  • Dragon (1880 - 1892) **
  • Emperor (1880 - 1892) **
  • Evpatoria (1878 - 1892) **
  • Great Britain (1880 - 1892) **
  • Great Western (1888 - 1892) **
  • Hirondelle (1873 - 1890) **
  • Inkermann (1878 - 1892) **
  • Iron Duke (1873 - 1892) **
  • Lightning (1878 - 1892) **
  • Prometheus (1888 - 1892) **
  • Rover (1871 - 1892) ** first new machine and namesake of the second series
  • Sebastopol (1880 - 1892) **
  • Sultan (1876 - 1892) **
  • Swallow (1871 - 1892) **
  • Tartar (1876 - 1892) **
  • Timour (1873 - 1892) **
  • Tornado (1888 - 1892) **
  • Warlock (1876 - 1892) **

Replica and model

A built in 1985 operative full-scale replica is located in the Maritime Heritage Centre, Bristol, a scale model in the STEAM Museum, Swindon.

Scale model in the STEAM Museum, Swindon

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