Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST

The Hunslet Engine Company Austerity 0-6-0ST is a design of steam locomotive designed for shunting. The class became the standard British shunting locomotive during the Second World War, and a total of 485 were built right through until 1964.

Background

The 48150 class were built for the Guest Keen Baldwins Iron & Steel Company in 1937, being an enlarged version of a design dating from 1923. These developed into the 50550 class of 1941-2, with various modifications.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the War Department had initially chosen the LMS 'Jinty' 3F 0-6-0T as its standard shunting locomotive, but was persuaded by Hunslet that a simplified version of their more modern 50550 design would be more suitable. The first was completed at their Leeds works at the start of 1943.

Construction

Hunslet subcontracted some of the construction to Andrew Barclay, W. G. Bagnall, Hudswell Clarke, Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns and the Vulcan Foundry.

After D-Day they were used on Continental Europe and in North Africa as well as at docks and military sites in Britain.

A total of 337 were built for the War Department by 1947 (on orders placed during the war), with two further engines having been built for collieries (without the permission of the Ministry of Supply). With the end of the war and then the reduced need for locomotives, the military started to review its fleet:

* 90 locomotives were kept by the military
* 75 locomotives were sold to the LNER and classified as J94
* 27 had been loaned to Nederlandse Spoorwegen who bought them in 1947 (NS Class 8800, numbers 8801-27)
* 11 were loaned to the Nederlandsche Staatsmijnen, who bought 9 of those

Others were sold for industrial use. A number of those used on the continent are believed to have worked on light and industrial railways in France, six going to the Chemins de Fer Tunisiens.

Post-war construction

As the final War Department locomotives were being delivered, the National Coal Board was placing orders for identical locomotives to be used at collieries. Between 1948 and 1964, 77 new "Austerity" locomotives were built for the NCB.

Needing more locomotives for military depots, the Army ordered 14 locomotives in 1952 to supplement the original 90 they had retained.

The Yorkshire Engine Company also built 8 locomotives in 1954 for use in ironstone quarries and at Scunthorpe Steelworks. It is thought the design and many parts were sold to them by Hunslet as part of a subcontract for Yorkshire Engine Co built GWR 9400 Class 0-6-0PTs (ordered from Hunslet).

Hunslet undertook the rebuilding of many NCB locomotives and when the Army started to sell off locomotives again in 1959, they bought 15 examples that were to be rebuilt and sold on. The NCB bought 13 of these, the 14th was sold directly into preservation and the final locomotive was scrapped without being rebuilt.

The total number Austerity 0-6-0STs built to 485.

The Austerities continued in industrial use with the NCB into the 1970s with a small number surviving until the early 1980s. The examples that survived the longest were those fitted with mechanical stokers and Kylpor Blast pipes or Giesel ejectors to improve their performance and reduce smoke.

Preservation

Austerities have become a favourite of the heritage railway scene, and around 70 examples have escaped the cutter's torch. Indeed, the stereotypical image of a small British preserved railway is an Austerity saddle tank hauling 2 or 3 British Railways Mark 1 coaches. Several of these have become "faux" Class J94, to represent mainline rather than industrial steam.

Not all have survived intact; the boiler of RSHN 7135 of 1944 was used on the replica Broad gauge locomotive "Iron Duke" built in 1985. At least one has been turned into a Thomas the Tank Engine look-a-like, and another into one of Donald and Douglas also from "The Railway Series".

The Kent and East Sussex Railway has three preserved austerity tanks.

In fiction

This class of engine forms the basis of Wilbert the Forest Engine and Sixteen the Steelworks Engine from the Railway Series of children's books by Christopher Awdry. Wilbert is named after the author's father the Rev. W. Awdry who created the series.

References

* "Continent, Coalfield and Conservation - The Biographical History of the British Army Austerity 0-6-0 Saddle Tank" by A.P.Lambert & J.C.Woods ISBN 0-901096-63-6
* "Locomotives Illustrated No.61 - The Hunslet 'Austerity' 0-6-0STs" (Introduction by Don Townsley) Ian Allan Ltd, 1988

External links

* http://www.cirsel.freeserve.co.uk/wdindex.htm
* http://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/23/18in_Hunslets.htm