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This page is a sandbox for the BESA design M class locomotives. WIP

BESA class M
Pakistan Railways MS no. 63
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer British Engineering Standards Association
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0  • UIC 2'C n2 Driver 2nd driving wheel Gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) Coupled dia. 48 in (1,200 mm) Wheelbase: ​  • Axle spacing (Asymmetrical) First and second drivers: 5 ft 4+1⁄2 in (1.638 m) Second and third drivers: 6 ft 7+1⁄2 in (2.019 m)  • Engine 21 ft 1 in (6.43 m)  • Leading 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m)  • Coupled 12 ft (3.7 m)  • Tender 11 ft (3.4 m)  • Tender bogie 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)  • incl. tender 42 ft 1+1⁄4 in (12.833 m) Length: ​  • Over buffers 52 ft 7+13⁄16 in (16.048 m) Width 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) Height 11 ft (3.4 m) Axle load 8.7 t (8.6 long tons; 9.6 short tons) Service weight 33.5 t (33.0 long tons; 36.9 short tons) Firebox: ​  • Type Belpaire Safety valve Ramsbottom Cylinders Two, outside Valve gear Walschaerts, Caprotti Valve type Slide, piston
Career Locale British Raj, later India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh Myanmar Thailand Cambodia Aden Province Iraq Preserved 10 (Thailand)
Reference(s):

The Indian locomotive class M (Mixed) were a class of 4-6-0 mixed traffic metre gauge locomotives introduced in 1903 that were one of several standard locomotive designs developed by the British Engineering Standards Committee (BESC) (later the British Engineering Standards Association (BESA)) for the railways of British India.

Background

British Indian railways operated numerous steam locomotives built to their own design standards, and at the turn of the century, this created a considerable strain on British locomotive manufacturers who could not keep up with demand. This led to British Indian railways outsourcing production of locomotives to non-British companies, which generated complaints from British locomotive manufacturers, so the BESC was requested by the British Indian government to assemble a locomotive committee which included British locomotive manufacturers to develop standard locomotive classes for British Indian railways in order to ease the strain placed on British locomotive manufacturers. Its first report, compiled in 1903, outlined plans for British Indian standard locomotives, being revised in 1907 and in 1910.

History

BESA drawings of the M class

The M class locomotives were first catalogued in the first report of the BESC on British Indian standard locomotive classes (1903). They then found their way into British Indian (later Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi), Burmese, Cambodian and the Thai railways who then operated locomotives built to this design.

Design

The locomotives were designed to use the same boilers as the class G (Goods) 4-8-0 and the P (Passenger) 4-6-0 locomotives—also of the metre gauge, two outside cylinders, a Belpaire firebox and saturated steam; superheated versions were classified as MS (S means superheated). The valve gear used was the Walschaerts valve gear (some Thai locomotives were converted to Caprotti) with slide valves; superheated variants were equipped with piston valves. The reversing gear was located on the right-hand side of the cab, controlled by a screw reverser. The wheelbase between the two rear driving wheels are longer than those of the two front driving wheels to accommodate the firebox and grate. The size of the drivers did not neccessitate the need to fit splashers above the wheels on the running board. The tender had a fuel capacity of 4 tons, a water capacity of 4000 gallons, and a half-cab.

Foreign operators

Burma (Myanmar)

Several locomotives of this BESA design were delivered to Burma Railways and were classified as class K. Superheated versions were classified as Ks (S means superheated).

Thailand

The Royal State Railways of Siam/Thailand (RSR(S/T)), later the State Railways of Thailand (SRT), had several locomotives of this BESA design and were classified as the class E. Some were later donated to Cambodia in the 1970s, by then considered surplus by the SRT.

Several E class locomotives are preserved at various locations in Thailand.

Cambodia

As stated earlier, some Thai E class locomotives were donated by the State Railways of Thailand (SRT) to Cambodia in the 1970s. They were classified under the 230-0xx number series, upon withdrawal of the Indonesian C52s that were brought over from Java to Cambodia during the Japanese occupation which were numbered in the same number series.

Aden Province

See also: Transport in Yemen § Railways

Construction on a metre gauge railway from Aden—the Aden Railway—were undertaken by the Royal Engineers during 1915-16, with administration being handled by the North Western Railway of India. An engine of this design became part of the Aden Railway's motive power fleet, built by Nasmyth, Wilson and Company, being numbered 1.

Iraq

The Iraqi State Railways had several locomotives built to this design for the railway's metre gauge network, which were designated as their HG and HGS (superheated) class locomotives.

References

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• Steam locomotives of India
• 4-6-0 locomotives
• Metre gauge locomotives