Midland Railway 2511 Class

The Midland Railway 2511 Class was a class of 2-6-0 steam locomotives built by the Schenectady Locomotive Works in the United States, as a supplemental order to the 2501 Class built by Baldwin that same year. As with that class, the Midland had turned to American locomotive builders, as their own Derby Works had reached capacity, and was unable to produce additional engines at the time, and many British locomotive builders were recovering from an 1897-1898 labor dispute over working hours.

Midland Railway 2511 class
Works Photograph of number 2512
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Schenectady Locomotive Works Serial number 5037–5046 Build date 1899 Total produced 10
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-6-0  • UIC 1′C n2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 3 ft 0 in (914 mm) Driver dia. 5 ft 0 in (1,524 mm) Length over buffers: 51 ft 11+1⁄4 in (15.83 m) Axle load 14 long tons 4 cwt (31,800 lb or 14.4 t) Adhesive weight 41 long tons 1 cwt (92,000 lb or 41.7 t) Loco weight 49 long tons 15.5 cwt (111,500 lb or 50.6 t) Tender weight 37 long tons 0 cwt (82,900 lb or 37.6 t) Tender type Three-axle Fuel type Coal Water cap. 3,250 imp gal (14,800 L; 3,900 US gal) Boiler pressure 160 lbf/in2 (1.10 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 18 in × 24 in (457 mm × 610 mm) Valve gear Stephenson, inside Valve type Slide valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 17,626 lbf (78.40 kN)
Career Operators Midland Railway Class 2511 Numbers New: 2511–2520, 1907: 2230–2239 Delivered 1899 Withdrawn 1912 – 1915 Disposition All scrapped

History

The engines were designed and built with more consideration to British practice than the 2501 class had been. While the engines retained some distinct features of American practice, such as the use of bar frames, they had cleaner lines, with sandboxes placed below the boilers, as well as three-axle rigid tenders.

Works Photograph of No. 2516

Numbers

Originally numbered 2511–2520, in the Midland's 1907 renumbering scheme the Schenectadies became No. 2230–2239, in the same order.

Withdrawal

Being non-standard, they had a short life and were all withdrawn between March 1912 and August 1915 and later scrapped.^[1]

Table of withdrawals^[1]

Year	Quantity in service at start of year	Quantity withdrawn	Locomotive numbers	Notes
1912	10	1	2238
1913	9	6	2230–2232, 2234, 2236, 2239
1914	3	2	2235, 2237
1915	1	1	2233

References

1. Baxter (1982), p. 172.

• Baxter, Bertram (1982). Baxter, David (ed.). British Locomotive Catalogue 1825–1923. Vol. 3A: Midland Railway and its constituent companies. Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Moorland Publishing Company. ISBN 9780903485524.
• Ellis, C. Hamilton (1966). The Midland Railway. Ashford, Middlesex: Malaga Books. pp. 111–114.
• Essery, R. J. & Jenkinson, D. (1989). An Illustrated Review of Midland Locomotives from 1883, volume 4: Goods Tender Classes. Didcot, Oxon: Wild Swan Publications. pp. 15–18. ISBN 0-906867-74-6.
• Hunt, Dave. American Locomotives of the Midland Railway (No 1 Supplement to Midland Record) ISSN 1357-6399