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THE INDUSTRIAL RAILWAY RECORD

No.1 - p1/20

NOVEMBER 1962

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Drawing by DOUG CLAYTON Story by KEN PLANT
Hunslet locomotives of this type were built for the War Department and used on the Continent on light railways serving the forward areas during the First World War. They were limited in weight to a load of 3 tons per axle, whilst the bogie was provided with sufficient lateral side play to allow curves of 20 metres radius to be traversed. In all no less than 155 were constructed between 1916 and 1919, but not all saw active service. The first batch to be built (War Department Light Railways 301-375) was sent to France, followed by 2323-2337 for Italy. Two (or more?) were sent to Egypt, but the remainder probably got no further than the Purfleet or Barnbow (Leeds) storage depots. After the War many were returned to Hunslet for overhaul and regauging prior to resale, and they have since been reported as working in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Burma, Chile, France, Hungary, India, Italy, Malaya, Mauritius, Spain, and the Soudan not to mention England, Scotland and Wales! No less than sixteen were to be found in the Argentine on the Buenos Ayres Great Southern Railway where they were used on Decauville feeder lines in agricultural districts. Some took on a most unusual appearance when the side tanks were removed and carried on a wagon coupled to the rear of the locomotive. This was done to reduce oscillation which was caused by the indifferent nature of the ballast. Those used in this country include several rebuilt to 3'0" gauge for Balfour Beatty & Company Ltd. and used on the construction of the pipe-line to the aluminium works at Fort William. Others were 352 at Hook Norton Ironstone Mines, 2351 (masquerading as Kerr, Stuart 4213) at Trevor Granite Quarries in North Wales, 2352 at Sydenham Ironstone Pits, 3224 at Harrogate Gas Works, and lastly the subject of our drawing. This depicts Hunslet 1356 of 1919 which was built for the War Department, WDLR 3240, but not delivered. At the time, Jees Hartshill Granite & Brick Company Ltd., near Nuneaton, were in urgent need of a locomotive and, after alteration of gauge at Hunslet from 60 cm. to 2'6", 3240 was despatched to Jees on 28th June 1919, the necessary authority having been obtained from the Ministry of Munitions on 3rd May 1919. 3240 was scrapped in August 1948, and this type of locomotive is now extinct in this country. Details of construction are as under:-

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1916 : Hunslet 1917 : Hunslet 1918 : Hunslet 1919 : Hunslet 1919 : Hunslet 1919 : Hunslet

1213 - 1250 (WDLR 1251 - 1287 (WDLR 1295 - 1328 (WDLR 1329 - 1334 (WDLR 1336 - 1355 (WDI.R 1356 - 1375 (WDLR

301 - 338) 339 - 375) 2323 - 2356) 2357 - 2362) 3220 - 3239) 3240 - 3259)

60cm. gauge 60cm. gauge 60cm. gauge 60cm. gauge 60cm. gauge 2' 6" gauge

The main dimensions of this type (Hunslet War Office class) were : Gauge Cylinders Coupled Wheels (dia.) Bogie Wheels (dia.) Rigid Wheelbase Total Wheelbase Height Width Load Hauled on Level Tractive Effort at 75% Boiler Pressure : 60 cm. : 9" x 12" : 2' 0" : 1' 6" : 5' 6" : 13' 0" : 8' 11" : 6' 3" : 286 tons : 5415 lbs. Heating Surface (Tubes) Heating Surface (Firebox) Heating Surface (Total) Grate Area Working Pressure Tank Capacity Fuel Space (Coal) Weight (Empty) Weight (Full) Total Weight on Coupled Wheels : 168 sq. ft. : 37 sq. ft. : 205 sq. ft. : 3.95 sq. ft. : 160 lbs. : 375 galls. : 15 cwts. : 10 t 18 cwts. : 14 t 1 cwts. : 10 t 10 cwts.

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