# Crampton locomotive

A Crampton locomotive is a type of steam locomotive designed by Thomas Russell Crampton and built by various firms from 1846. The main British builders were Tulk and Ley and Robert Stephenson and Company.
Notable features were a low boiler and large driving wheels. The crux of the Crampton patent was that the single driving axle was placed behind the firebox, so that the driving wheels could be very large. This helped to give this design a low centre of gravity, so that it did not require a very broad-gauge track to travel safely at high speeds. Its wheel arrangement was usually 4-2-0 or 6-2-0.

## Design variations

Because the single driving axle was behind the firebox, Crampton locomotives usually had outside cylinders. However, some inside cylinder versions were built using indirect drive, then known as a jackshaft. The inside cylinders drove a crankshaft located in front of the firebox and the crankshaft was connected to the driving wheels by outside rods. Some long-wheelbase 0-4-0Ts were also built using this crankshaft system. The boiler feed-pump was often driven from the crankshaft as well because many Cramptons were built before the injector was invented.
Another feature on some Crampton locomotives was the use of a boiler of oval cross-section, to lower the centre of gravity. It was later seen as a major flaw, because the internal pressure would tend to push the boiler into a circular cross-section and increase the risk of fatigue.

## Usage

Crampton locomotives were used by some British railways and speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) were achieved on the LNWR. They were more popular in France, southern Germany and the US. In France the expression "prendre la Crampton" meant to catch an express, and in the argot of the Saint Cyr military academy, footplate staff were known as "officiers de Crampton" (and this as late as 1971). One of the French examples has been preserved in the Cité du Train (the French Railway Museum) at Mulhouse and is still in working order. This is number 80 of the Chemin de Fer de l'Est, the Paris-Strasbourg line, which is named "Le Continent".

## Locomotive list

The approximate numbers of Crampton-type locomotives built in Europe were:
* Great Britain: 51
* France: 127
* Germany: 135

### Manufactured in Great Britain
#### Built by Tulk and Ley

All were of the 4-2-0 wheel arrangement.
| Works no. | Date built | Railway | Name/no. |
| 10 | 1847 | Namur and Liege Railway | Namur |
| 11 | 1847 | Namur and Liege Railway | Liege |
| | 1847 | Namur and Liege Railway | |
| 12? | 1847 | London and North Western Railway, Southern Division | 200 London |
| 14 | 1847 | Dundee and Perth and Aberdeen Junction Railway | Kinnaird |
| | 1847 | Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway | 35 Pegasus |
| | 1848 | Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway | 36 Phlegon |
| 17 | 1854 | Maryport and Carlisle Railway | 12 |
Notes:
* 1 2 3 Namur was tested over 2,300 miles (3,700 km) on the LNWR speeds up to 62 miles per hour (100 km/h) were recorded. Delivery of Namur, Liege and the third engine ordered for Belgium was delayed, and they were purchased by the South Eastern Railway in December 1849, becoming SER Nos 81, 83 and 85.
* ↑ Larger boiler and cylinders than Namur. Rebuilt as a goods 0-4-2 in 1855.
* ↑ The LNWR obtained two other Crampton-type locomotives: Courier, 4-2-0, built at Crewe Works in 1847 and Liverpool, 6-2-0, built by Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy in 1848.
* ↑ the Dundee and Perth and Aberdeen Junction Railway was absorbed by the Scottish Central Railway in 1863.

#### Built by Robert Stephenson and Company

Robert Stephenson and Company built a number of Crampton type locomotives for the South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. These were all of 4-2-0 wheel arrangement with inside cylinders and indirect drive. The inside cylinders drove a crankshaft located in front of the firebox and the crankshaft was coupled to the driving wheels by outside rods.
| Works no. | Date built | Railway | No./Name |
| 785 | 1851 | South Eastern Railway | 134 |
| 786 | 1851 | South Eastern Railway | 135 |
| 787 | 1851 | South Eastern Railway | 136 Folkstone |
| 788 | 1851 | South Eastern Railway | 137 |
| 789 | 1851 | South Eastern Railway | 138 |
| 790 | 1851 | South Eastern Railway | 139 |
| 791 | 1851 | South Eastern Railway | 140 |
| 792 | 1851 | South Eastern Railway | 141 |
| 793 | 1851 | South Eastern Railway | 142 |
| 794 | 1851 | South Eastern Railway | 143 |
| | 1851 | Prussian Eastern Railway | England |
| | 1851 | Prussian Eastern Railway | |
| | 1851 | Prussian Eastern Railway | |
| | 1851 | Prussian Eastern Railway | |
| | 1851 | Prussian Eastern Railway | |
| | 1851 | Prussian Eastern Railway | |
| 1381 | 1862 | London, Chatham and Dover Railway | Coquette |
| 1382 | 1862 | London, Chatham and Dover Railway | Echo |
| 1383 | 1862 | London, Chatham and Dover Railway | Flora |
| 1384 | 1862 | London, Chatham and Dover Railway | Flirt |
| 1385 | 1862 | London, Chatham and Dover Railway | Sylph |
Notes:
* ↑ The name should have read Folkestone but was misspelled on the plate. This locomotive was displayed at The Great Exhibition of 1851. Bogie wheels 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) diameter, driving wheels 6 feet (1.83 m) diameter. Cylinders 15 by 22 inches (381 mm × 559 mm). Weight 26 long tons 5 cwt (58,800 lb or 26.7 t).
* ↑ LCDR Echo class; rebuilt as conventional 4-4-0s in 1865–1866. They were not given numbers until 1874.

#### Built by Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy

All 4-2-0 except Liverpool which was 6-2-0.
| Works no. | Date built | Railway | No./Name |
| 355 | 1848 | London and North Western Railway, Southern Division | 245 Liverpool |
| ? | 1848 | South Eastern Railway | 68 |
| ? | 1848 | South Eastern Railway | 69 |
| ? | 1848 | South Eastern Railway | 72 |
| ? | 1848 | South Eastern Railway | 74 |
| ? | 1848 | South Eastern Railway | 75 |
| ? | 1848 | South Eastern Railway | 78 |
Notes:
* ↑ Liverpool, 6-2-0, built by Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy works number 355 of 1848. Driving wheels 8 feet (2.44 m) diameter, grate area 21.5 square feet (2.00 m$^2$), heating area 2,290 square feet (213 m$^2$), boiler pressure 120 lbf/in$^2$ (8.4 kgf/cm$^2$; 830 kPa), cylinders 18 by 24 inches (457 mm × 610 mm). The locomotive was awarded a Gold Medal at the Great Exhibition of 1851.

#### Built by E. B. Wilson and Company

| Works no. | Date built | Railway | Name/no. |
| ? | 1847 | North British Railway | 55 |
| ? | 1847 | Eastern Counties Railway | 108 |
| ? | 1847 | Eastern Counties Railway | 109 |
| ? | 1847 | Eastern Counties Railway | 110 |
| ? | 1847 | Eastern Counties Railway | 111 |
| ? | 1847 | Eastern Counties Railway | 112 |
| ? | 1847 | Aberdeen Railway | 26 |
| ? | 1847 | Aberdeen Railway | 27 |
Notes:
* ↑ Hauled the Royal Train in 1850, withdrawn from service in 1907.

#### Built by R and W Hawthorn

| Works no. | Date built | Railway | Name/no. |
| 890 | 1854 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | Roeskilde |
| 891 | 1854 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | Ringsted |
| 892 | 1854 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | Sorø |
| 893 | 1854 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | Slagelse |
| 1006 | 1858 | East Kent Railway | Lake |
| 1007 | 1858 | East Kent Railway | Sondes |
| 1008 | 1858 | East Kent Railway | Faversham |
| 1009 | 1858 | East Kent Railway | Chatham |
| 1010 | 1858 | East Kent Railway | Sittingbourne |
| 1011 | 1858 | East Kent Railway | Crampton |
Notes:
* 1 2 3 4 Originally built by Tulk and Ley in 1849, rebuilt with new works number by Hawthorn
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 LCDR Sondes class 4-4-0ST. Rebuilt by Kirtley as LCDR F class 2-4-0T in 1865.

#### Other builders

| Builder | Works no. | Date built | Railway | Name/no. |
| Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company | 53 | 1846 | South Eastern Railway | 92 |
| LNWR Crewe Works | ? | 1847 | London and North Western Railway, Northern Division | 176 Courier |
| Kitson and Company | ? | 1848 | Midland Railway | 130 |
| Kitson and Company | ? | 1848 | Midland Railway | 131 |
| Timothy Hackworth | ? | 1848 | London, Brighton and South Coast Railway | 56 |
| Timothy Hackworth | ? | 1848 | London, Brighton and South Coast Railway | 58 |
| A. Horlock and Co | | 1848 | Padarn Railway | Fire Queen |
| A. Horlock and Co | | 1848 | Padarn Railway | Jenny Lind |
| R. B. Longridge and Company | ? | 1851 | Great Northern Railway | 200 |
Notes:
* ↑ Originally built as a 2-2-2, rebuilt as a Crampton 2+2-2–0 December 1848.
* 1 2 0-4-0 locomotives, 4 ft (1,219 mm) gauge, Fire Queen preserved at Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum. Jenny Lind named after the opera singer, a friend of Crampton's wife Louisa.
* ↑ Sources differ on how many Crampton locomotives Longridge built for the Great Northern Railway. Number 200 was later converted from a 4-2-0 to a conventional 2-2-2. There were nine similar 2-2-2 locomotives numbered 91-99 and it is uncertain whether these were built as 2-2-2 or whether they were converted from 4-2-0 like number 200.

### Manufactured in France

| Builder | Works no. | Date built | Railway | Name/no. |
| Société Ch.Derosne et Cail | 139–150 (12) | 1849 | Chemins de fer du Nord | 122 Crampton to 133 Linné |
| Société J. F. Cail & Cie | 188–199 (12) | 1852 | Chemins de fer de l'Est | 79 Le Globe to 90 L’Amérique |
| Société J. F. Cail & Cie | 219–230 (12) | 1853–54 | Chemins de fer du Nord | 134 Pradier to 145 Van Eyck |
| Société J. F. Cail & Cie | 329–340 (12) | 1854 | Chemin de fer de Paris à Lyon [fr] | 301 to 312 |
| Société J. F. Cail & Cie | 387–392 (6) | 1855 | Chemin de fer de Paris à Lyon [fr] | 313 to 318 |
| Société J. F. Cail & Cie | 414–429 (16) | 1855 | Chemins de fer du Nord | 146 Alibert to 161 Volney |
| Société J. F. Cail & Cie | 544–555 (12) | 1857 | Chemin de fer de Paris à Lyon [fr] | 319 La France to 330 La Grèce |
| Société J. F. Cail & Cie | 443 | 1856 | Chemin de fer du Nord | 162 Alma |
| Société J. F. Cail & Cie | 444 | 1856 | Chemin de fer du Nord | 163 Inkerman |
| Schneider et Cie | 196–210 (15) | 1856 | Chemins de fer de l'Est | 174 Eupatoria to 188 Taganrok |
| André Koechlin et Cie | 820–829 (10) | 1864 | Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée | 31 Sylphie to 40 Moucheron |
Notes:
* ↑ First Crampton locomotives in France.
* ↑ No. 80 Le Continent preserved in the Cité du Train.
* ↑ Became PLM 1 to 12 from 1857.
* ↑ Became PLM 13 to 18 from 1857.
* ↑ Became PLM 19 to 30 from 1857. Sold to the Chemins de fer de l'Est in 1869 as their 601 to 612.
* ↑ A 6-2-0 locomotive, converted to the Petiet system in the 1860s, withdrawn and scrapped in 1873.
* ↑ Last of 30 locomotives built for the P-L between 1855 and 1857, plus 10 locomotives built for the PLM between in 1864.

### Manufactured in Germany

| Builder | Works no. | Date built | Railway | Name/no. |
| J. A. Maffei | ?–? (4) | 1853 | Pfälzische Eisenbahnen | 26 to 29 |
| Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe | ?–? (2) | 1854 | Baden State Railway | 67 Adler and 68 Falke |
| Borsig | 553 | 1854 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | Thor |
| Borsig | 554 | 1854 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | Njord |
| Borsig | 555 | 1854 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | Baldur |
| Borsig | 556 | 1854 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | Fenris |
| Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe | ?–? (8) | 1854–56 | Baden State Railway | 69 Comet to 78 Basel |
| Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe | ?–? (8) | 1854–56 | Baden State Railway | 69 Adler to 78 Falke |
| Borsig | 557 | 1855 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | Skirner |
| Borsig | 558 | 1855 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | Vidar |
| Maschinenfabrik Esslingen | ?–? (14) | 1855–63 | Pfälzische Eisenbahnen | 36–41, 46–49, 60–63 |
| Ausbesserungswerk Karlsruhe [de] | ?–? (3) | 1856 | Baden State Railway | 1, 2, and 4 |
| J. A. Maffei | ?–? (12) | 1857–58 | Bayerische Ostbahn | A1 to A12 |
| Maschinenfabrik Esslingen | 424 | 1858 | Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab | H.C. Ørsted |
| Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe | ?–? (8) | 1858–59 | Baden State Railway | Rheinfelden to Pfalz |
| Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe | ?–? (8) | 1863 | Baden State Railway | Badenia to Offenburg |
Notes:
* 1 2 Palatinate Railway 26 to 63 [de].
* ↑ 1925-built replica of No. 28 Die Pfälz preserved in Neustadt/Weinstrasse Railway Museum.
* 1 2 3 4 5 Baden IX [de] class locomotives.
* ↑ Baden I c [de] class locomotives.
* ↑ Bavarian B IX (Ostbahn). Rebuilt as 2-4-0 locomotives (1869–71)
* ↑ Phoenix of this series in service until 1903, length 12.90 metres (42 ft 4 in), top speed 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph), weight 28½ tonnes. Preserved in the Deutsches Bundesbahn Museum, Nuremberg.