# Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes

The Caledonian Railway 812 and 652 Classes were 0-6-0 steam tender locomotives designed by John F. McIntosh for the Caledonian Railway and introduced in 1899. They had the same boiler type as the 721 “Dunalastair” Class 4-4-0s. They could reach speeds of up to 55 mph (89 km/h).

## Construction

96 locomotives were built, as follows:
Table of locomotives, 812 Class :
| Year | Quantity | CR Nos. | Builder | Builders No. | LMS Nos. | BR Nos. | Notes |
| 1899 | 17 | 812–828 | CR, St. Rollox | Y054 | 17550–17566 | 57550–57566 | 828 preserved |
| 1899 | 10 | 829–838 | Neilson, Reid & Co. | 5613–5622 | 17567–17576 | 57568–57576 | 17567 withdrawn before nationalisation |
| 1900 | 10 | 839–848 | Neilson, Reid & Co. | 5623–5632 | 17577–17586 | 57577–57586 | |
| 1900 | 15 | 849–863 | Sharp Stewart | 4633–4647 | 17587–17601 | 57587–57597,57599–57601 | 17598 withdrawn before nationalisation |
| c.1900 | 15 | 864–878 | Dübs & Co. | 3880–3894 | 17602–17616 | 57602–57609,57611–57616 | 17610 withdrawn before nationalisation |
| 1899 | 12 | 282–293 | CR, St. Rollox | Y058 | 17617–17628 | 57617–57628 | |
Table of locomotives, 652 Class :
| Year | Quantity | CR Nos. | Builder | Builders No. | LMS Nos. | BR Nos. |
| 1908 | 8 | 652–659 | CR, St. Rollox | Y087-Y086 | 17629–17636 | 57629–57636 |
| 1908 | 4 | 662–665 | CR, St. Rollox | Y086 | 17637–17640 | 57637–57640 |
| 1909 | 4 | 325–328 | CR, St. Rollox | Y086 | 17641–17644 | 57641–57644 |
| 1909 | 1 | 661 | CR, St. Rollox | Y086 | 17645 | 57645 |
Seventeen were fitted with the Westinghouse air brakes for passenger train working, including the only surviving engine of the class, No. 828. All 96 passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 grouping. Only three, 17567, 17598 and 17610 (all 812s), had been withdrawn by the time of nationalisation in 1948. The last locomotive in service was not withdrawn until 1963.

## Preservation

Locomotive 828 (LMS 17566, BR 57566) is the sole survivor of the class and is an important example of Scottish industrial heritage. It is based at the Strathspey Railway. It was returned to regular service in 2010 and then again in March 2017 following heavy repairs. 828 is the final member of the first batch of engines built in 1899. Since 2022 it has been on long term hire to the Spa Valley Railway in Kent. where it joined fellow Caledonian survivor 419 during the Scottish Steam Up over Easter 2022.

## Belgian derivatives

Belgian State Railways (SNCB-NMBS) derived three series of steam locomotives (891 units) from the class 812 between 1899 and 1914. They had a shallower firebox, able to burn semi-bituminous coal and briquettes, allowing a shorter wheelbase due to its positioning above the rear axle. There were three classes:
* Type 30 – first variant with several details in common with the Caledonian engines (cab windows, gauges, and tender coupling). 82 built between 1899 and 1901.
* Type 32 (later renamed Type 44) – more powerful and fitted with a Belgian cab, higher steam pressure, new gauges and tender coupling. 502 built between 1901 and 1910.
* Type 32S [fr] (later renamed Type 41) – same features but improved with a Schmidt superheater. 307 built between 1905 and 1914.
Until 1909, they were the only new engines used with freight trains. They were also used on suburban and local passenger trains and some expresses on hilly sections. Most of them were retired between 1947 and 1959. Some of them were then used as stationary boilers and two of them (44.225 and 41.195) survive in museums. A third one (44.021) was kept as a parts donor and scrapped in 2002.

## Models

Rails of Sheffield announced at the opening of Model Rail Scotland on 23 February 2018, that in conjunction with Bachmann Europe Plc they have reached agreement with The Caledonian Railway 828 Trust to produce OO scale models of the 812 Class 0-6-0 locomotives.