NCC Class W

The Northern Counties Committee (NCC) Class W was a class of locomotives introduced in 1933 and allocated to express passenger duties from York Road, Belfast.
==Design and build==
The design was attributed to the NCC's Chief Mechanical Engineer H. P. Stewart who was with the permission of William Stanier able to draw on designs and parts from the NCC's owners, the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). The resultant design is understood to have been an Irish 5 ft 3in gauge tender version of the LMS Fowler 2-6-4T tank engine with 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) diameter wheels which were three inches wider than its predecessor.
==Operations and performance==
On introduction the Class W moguls took over the principal main line expresses of the NCC. They proved capable of speeds of over 80 miles per hour (130 km/h). while coal consumption of the locomotives was considered extremely economical.
The class was the motive power for the North Atlantic Express introduced in 1934 with the opening of the Greenisland Loop Line and the fastest services to Portrush taking a mere 80 minutes. In 1937 the North Atlantic Express was scheduled from Ballymena to Belfast York Road at an average speed of 58.1 miles per hour (93.5 km/h) making it the fastest schedule in Ireland; that time being reduced by a further minute in 1938 to achieve a scheduled 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) start to stop.
The locomotive remained on former NCC lines until the introduction of diesel railcars on services to Londonderry in 1958 whereupon some were shifted to other lines including cross border trains to Dundalk and occasional excursions to Dublin. The final six remaining locomotives of the class were withdrawn in 1965.
==Livery and naming==
When new the locomotives were painted in LMS crimson lake red livery until the NCC was absorbed into Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) in the later forties whereafter repaints were black with red and yellow lining. The original plans were to name the class after Irish Chieftains, however there were concerns this might not be acceptable to some sections of the community. In the event the naming split between British Nobility and geographical locations, the class lead was named Duke of Abercorn after the governor of Northern Ireland.
No. 	Name 	Introduced	Withdrawn	Notes
 90	Duke of Abercorn	1933 	 	Class lead
 91	The Bush 	 	 	
 92	The Bann 	 	 	
 93	The Foyle 	 	 	
 94	The Maine 	 	 	
 95	The Braid 	 	 	
 96	Silver Jubilee 	 	 	
 97	Earl of Ulster 	 	 	
 98	King Edward VIII	 	 	
 99	King George VI 	 	 	
100 	Queen Elizabeth 	 	 	
101 	 	 	 	(not named)
102 	 	 	 	(not named)
103 	 	 	 	(not named)
104 	 	 	 	(not named)
==New build option==
While none of the original class have survived, the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland possesses a spare set of driving wheels and motion and are being used to re-construct the next locomotive of the class, to be numbered 105. It will also use a spare tender that the group have numbered 43.
== Gallery ==
==See also==
*Steam locomotives of the 21st century
Category:NCC Locomotives
Category:NCC
Category:2-6-0 steam locomotives
Category:2-6-0 locomotives
Category:Northern Counties Committee Locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:New-build steam locomotives
Category:Ireland
Category:LMS locomotives
Category:Built in 1933
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Passenger locomotives
Category:Red Livery Engines
Category:Ulster Transport Authority
Category:Locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:RPSI
Category:Irish Locomotives
Category:Scrapped steam locomotives