LNWR 17in Coal Engine [SEP] designer
LNWR 17in Coal Engine
The LNWR 17in Coal Engine was a class of 0-6-0 steam tender engines designed by Francis Webb for the London and North Western Railway. They were simple locomotives and in UK service they were very reliable. "17in" refers to their cylinder diameter in inches. They were called "Coal Engines" because they were used for hauling coal trains.
Design and Construction.
The "17in Coal" was the first new design of engine to be built by
Webb since he became Chief Engineer of the LNWR in September 1871. A policy of 'low costs' was in force at the LNWR, with running costs per engine mile reduced from d per engine mile in 1857 to d by 1871. The first 17in Coal was constructed in 1873, the first of almost five hundred built. Ernest L. Ahrons is quoted as regarding the type as "probably the simplest and cheapest locomotives ever made in this country", and O.S. Nock described them as "splendid".
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