MGWR Classes F, Fa, and Fb

Midland Great Western
Classes F, Fa, and Fb

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	Walter H. Morton
Builder	Armstrong Whitworth (5), MGWR Broadstone Works, Dublin (18)
Serial number	AW 175–179
Build date	1921–1924
Total produced	23

Specifications
Configuration	0-6-0
UIC class	C h2
Gauge	5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)
Driver dia.	5 ft 8 in (1,727 mm)
Axle load	18 long tons 0 cwt (40,300 lb or 18.3 t) 18 long tons 0 hundredweight (18.3 t; 20.2 short tons)
Loco weight	49 long tons 4 cwt (110,200 lb or 50 t) 49 long tons 4 hundredweight (50.0 t; 55.1 short tons)
Fuel capacity	Coal: 7 long tons 0 cwt (15,700 lb or 7.1 t) 7 long tons 0 hundredweight (7.1 t; 7.8 short tons)
Water cap	2,500 imperial gallons (11,000 l; 3,000 US gal)
Firebox: • Firegrate area	17.3 sq ft (1.61 m²)
Boiler pressure	175 lbf/in² (1,206.58 kPa)
Heating surface: • Tubes and flues	821 sq ft (76.3 m²)
• Firebox	126 sq ft (11.7 m²)
Superheater:
• Heating area	210 sq ft (20 m²)
Cylinders	Two, inside
Cylinder size	19 in × 26 in (483 mm × 660 mm)
Valve type	8 in (203 mm) piston valves

Performance figures
Tractive effort	20,530 lbf (91.32 kN)

Career
Operators	MGWR → GSR → CIÉ
Class	MGWR F/Fa/Fb GSR/CIÉ: 623 or J5

The MGWR Classes F, Fa and Fb are a group of similar classes of 0-6-0 steam locomotives of the Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland which were designed and built between 1921 and 1924. The locomotives could be used to handle goods and also for passenger traffic.

History

The Midland Great Western Railway was looking to modernise its motive power fleet, and turned to their Chief Mechanical Engineer, Walter H. Morton, to design a locomotive which could be capable of handling goods, and if required, for local passenger traffic. The design from the Broadstone Works (Dublin) Drawing Office was for a six-coupled (0-6-0) tender locomotive, and the first appearing from the works in 1921, the last in 1924.

This was the last complete class of locomotives designed and built at Broadstone before closure and transfer of work to Inchicore Works. The only other locomotives to follow from Broadstone were the first of the "kit-built" Woolwich Moguls (GSR Class 372) before this was also transferred to Inchicore.

There was a total of 23 members of the class, the first three were Class F, the next ten (including the five Armstrong Whitworth built locomotives) were Class Fa, and the last ten were Class Fb. All were classified by the Great Southern Railways (GSR) as Class 623, or Class J5. All passed to the Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) on its formation in 1945. Examples of the class survived until 1963, almost to the end of steam on the CIÉ.

Oil firing

In the severe winter of 1946/47 coal was in short supply and, with services disrupted, the CIÉ. took the decision to convert 97 locomotives to oil-burning, the main classes chosen for this being the various 2-6-0s and the 623s, although this was extended to some 4-6-0s.

Locomotives which were converted to oil-burning had a white circle painted on the smokebox and tender sides. A supply of coal from America arrived in March 1947 but it took a further three months to build up stocks before normal services could be resumed.

Livery

The MGWR originally painted all locomotives a bright mid-green with black and white lining, but changed the livery to black around 1918. On their first visit to the workshops following the 1925 amalgamation to form the GSR the class were repainted into the standard "dark battleship grey" colours of the new company. Buffer beams were vermilion. Following the absorption of the GSR into CIÉ in 1945, and CIÉs nationalisation in 1950, the only changes which took place were the gradual replacement of the cast cabside number plates with painted pale yellow numerals, and the addition of the light green CIÉ "flying snail" logo to the tender sides. The grey livery, like on most CIÉ locomotives, remained until withdrawal in the early 1960s.

References

Clements, Jeremy & McMahon, Michael (2008). Locomotives of the GSR. Newtownards: Colourpoint Books. pp. 205–206. ISBN 978-1-906578-26-8.
Modelling Irish Steam by Drew Donaldson. "Model Railways" magazine, 1978
Irish Railway Modelling.Yuku.com (Response to a "Request for information" on liveries)

Steam locomotives of Ireland

Belfast and County Down Railway (1846–1948)	1 4 5 6 8 9 14 22 26 29

Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (1860–1903)	A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S

Northern Counties Committee (1903–1949)	A1 B1 B2 B3 D1 E1 F1 K1 L1 S1 S2 U U1 U2 V W WT Y

Great Northern Railway (1876–1958)	A AL B BP BT C D E G H J JT NQG NLQG P PG PP Q QG QGTs QGT2 QL QLG QNG RT S & S2 SG & SG2 SG3 T T2 U V UG VS 203 204

Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway (1875–1957)	Erne Faugh-a-Ballagh Glencar Leitrim Lough Pioneer Sir Henry Waterford

Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway (1849–1924)	1, 2 1, 2, 4A, 8 2 (II) 3, 4 3, 9, 10, 18 5, 6 7 (I) 7 (II) 9, 10 11 5, 6, 12, 16, 17 14, 15 19, 20 4, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20 Argadeen St Molaga Slaney

Dublin and South Eastern Railway (1854–1925)	24, 25, 32, 33 52–54 3, 10, 11, 28, 45, 46 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 28, 44–47, 49 50, 51 42–44 55–58 20, 34, 35 65, 66 8, 12, 27, 29, 30, 40 4, 5 13, 14, 18, 65, 66 17 18 69, 70 15, 16

Great Southern and Western Railway (1845–1924)	1 2 21 23 27 & 35 33 37 41 43 44 45 28 & 47 52 56 60 62 64 90 91 92 99 100 101 102 104 110 & 112 116 117 119 122 124 133 139 144 201 & 203 204 207 & 217 211 213 249 & 351 257 301 305 309 321 333 341 355 362 368 400 500 900 Fairy Jumbo Sambo Sprite

Midland Great Western Railway (1847–1924)	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7–12 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 A, As & A1 B C & Cs C & C1 D D2 E F, Fa & Fb H K L & Lm Ln P W

Great Southern Railways (1925–1944)	280 342 372 393 495 670 700 710 800 850

Córas Iompair Éireann (1945–1962)	Turf Burner No. CC1

Tralee and Dingle Light Railway (1891–1953)	1,2,3,6,8 5 7,8(4T)

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