Midland Railway 115 Class

The Midland Railway 115 Class was the third of four classes of 4-2-2 steam locomotive, nicknamed "Spinners", designed by Samuel Waite Johnson. A total of 15 of the class were built between 1896 and 1899. They were capable of reaching speeds of up to 90 miles per hour (145 km/h). One engine, No. 673, is preserved in the National Collection.
==Classes of Midland Railway 4-2-2 locomotives==
Single-driver locomotives had been superseded in the late 19th century as loads increased, but were then reintroduced when steam sanding allowed better adhesion. Five similar classes were built, with slight enlargements each time, and details as follows:
Midland Railway 4-2-2 classes
Class 	Quantity	Years built	Driving wheels 	Cylinders	Boiler pressure 	Image
25 class 	18 	1887–90 	7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) 	18 in × 26 in (460 mm × 660 mm),
slide valves	160 lbf/in2 (1,100 kPa)	
1853 class	42 	1889–93 	7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) 	18+1⁄2 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm),
slide valves	160 lbf/in2 (1,100 kPa)	
179 class 	10 	1893–96 	7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) 	19 in × 26 in (480 mm × 660 mm),
piston valves	160 lbf/in2 (1,100 kPa)	
115 class 	15 	1896–99 	7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) 	19+1⁄2 in × 26 in (500 mm × 660 mm),
piston valves	170 lbf/in2 (1,200 kPa)	
2601 class	10 	1899–1900 	7 ft 9+1⁄2 in (2.37 m)	19+1⁄2 in × 26 in (500 mm × 660 mm),
piston valves	180 lbf/in2 (1,200 kPa)	
==Construction history==
The fifteen locomotives in the 115 class were built in two batches, both at Derby Works.
Table of orders and numbers
Original No. 	1907 (& LMS) No.	Derby WorksOrder No.	Year
115–119 	670–674 	1474 	1896–97
120, 121, 123–128, 130, 131	675–684 	1659 	1899
==Service history==
It was quite common for engines of this class to pull a typical Midland express weighing 200–250 long tons (203–254 t; 224–280 short tons), which suited the Class 115 perfectly. Given a dry rail they could maintain a tight schedule with 350 long tons (356 t; 392 short tons). Speeds up to 90 mph were not uncommon, and the sight of their large, spinning driving wheels with no visible connecting rods, like a spinning wheel, earned them the nickname "Spinners". Due to the Midland's practice of building low powered locomotives and relying on double-heading to cope with heavier trains, many enjoyed working lives of up to 30 years. They made ideal pilot engines for the later Johnson/Deeley 4-4-0 classes.
===Renumbering===
In the Midland Railway 1907 renumbering scheme, they were assigned numbers 670–684. During World War I most were placed in store, but were then pressed into service afterwards as pilots on the Nottingham to London coal trains. Twelve locomotives survived to the 1923 grouping, keeping their Midland Railway numbers in LMS service. Nevertheless, by 1927 only three of the class remained, with the last engine, 673 (formerly 118) being withdrawn in 1928 and subsequently preserved.
Table of withdrawals
Year	Quantity inservice atstart of year	Quantitywithdrawn	Locomotive numbers
1921	15 	2 	675, 684
1922	13 	1 	681
1925	12 	2 	674, 676
1926	10 	8 	670–672, 677, 678, 680, 682, 683
1928	2 	2 	673, 679
==Preservation==
No. 673 is the sole survivor of its class. It was steamed around 1976–1980 when it took part in the Rainhill Trials 150th cavalcade but is currently a static exhibit in the National Railway Museum in York.
==Gallery==
Midland Railway No. 116; A Jubilee Year Record-Maker. The Engineering Magazine, XV-1, April 1898, New York, p. 97 – With caption.jpg|Caption: "A Jubilee Year Record-Maker. Midland Railway No. 116."In 1897, no 116 (shown here in photographic grey) reached a speed of 90 mph while under full load, at that time the highest recorded speed in the UK.
MR 4-2-2 673, Rocket 150, Rainhill, May 1980 Slides184 (9859805644) – edited.jpg|Preserved No 673 in Midland Railway crimson lake livery at the Rocket 150 celebration in Rain­hill in May 1980.
Hugh llewelyn 115 (6241296834).jpg|Model of No 117. Note the differences to No 673, both in con­struc­tion (smokebox door, hand­rail) and livery (base of smokebox red lined with yellow; boiler bands picked out in yellow; springs red lined with yellow; wheel spokes red; different lining on tender sides; number, coat of arms and MR initials in different locations.
==References==
*Herring, Peter (2000) Classic British Steam Locomotives, Enderby: Abbeydale, 
Category:Midland Railway locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Built in 1896
Category:Built in 1897
Category:Built in 1899
Category:Sole survivor
Category:Red Livery Engines
Category:Locomotives
Category:Derby Works locomotives
Category:Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:4-2-2 steam locomotives
Category:4-2-2 locomotives
Category:LMS locomotives