Mentioned Victorian classes

Throughout the whole mini series, as series of steam locomotive classes from the **Victorian era** are mentioned by characters with help the younger locomotives understand how the steam locomotive was perfected over time from the design of Stephenson's Rocket.

## "Bloomer" class

### Built for

London & North Western Railway (Southern Division)

### Designer

James Edward McConnell

The **"Bloomer" class** were a class of three different versions of 2-2-2 express locomotive designed by James McConnell of the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) in 1851. They were the first steam locomotives to prove the high boiler practice of steam locomotive design.

### History

   During the time before the "Bloomer" class was being designed, James McConnell noticed that many designers were putting the boilers into the frames, since they said that having the boiler too high would make the locomotive "unstable", especially at high speed. McConnell insisted that a high boiler locomotive could work as well as a locomotive with the boiler being mounted in the frames, unless it was built "properly".

The first of this design was serial number 677 (later No. 247 and 847 'Odin' and the design featured driving wheels measuring at 7'0" (2.134m) tall and operated at a boiler pressure of 100psi, which was normal for that time. The design proved exactly what McConnell said, since the design was built properly and handled nicely at high speeds of around 50-60mph (80-96km/h). This design, by now nicknamed "Bloomers" from their "leggy" appearance, was soon followed on by a version with 6'6" (1.981m) driving wheels, known as "Small Bloomers", but were known by McConnell as "Bury's Improved".

### Trivia

The name "Bloomer" was first used as a nickname for the class by LNWR employees because of their "leggy" appearance, but it later became a standard reference name for the three different versions until the class was withdrawn by 1888.

* The word "Bloomer" came from Miss Amelia Bloomer, a American woman's rights activist who shocked Victorian society when she introduced the American dress, also called the "Turkish dress" or "bloomer".

Since the class is only mentioned, no such member of the class is shown physically, apart from a single edited photograph of the replica built in 1991.

This class set the benchmark for many inside-framed locomotives for the next 100 years.

A working replica of a "Large Bloomer" is under construction at Tyesley, but as of 2019, progress doesn't appear of have continued since they stopped work on it.

McConnell from another series Shane Sowter created (The Tri-ang Railway Series) is a fictional member of the "Small Bloomer" class. He serves as the oldest character operating in the series, being built for and entering Tri-ang Railways (TR) service in 1854.

* McConnell also has the lowest number of any TR locomotive, 1. This is due to him being the first locomotive owned by TR, hence his nickname "The Founding Engine".

The Bloomers were from the first generation of steam locomotives from the "living machine" era, 1840-1860, before locomotives began to no longer need crews to operate them.

## "Caley Single"

### Designer

Dugald Drummond

**Caledonian Railway No. 123**, nicknamed the **"Caley Single"**,is a unique express locomotive built by the Caledonian Railway in 1886, mostly for show. "She" is famous across the UK as being the last 4-2-2/"Single" in mainline operational service (withdrawn in 1935 by the LMS).

### Bio

Caledonian Railway (CR) No. 123 was built by Neilson Reid & Company of Glasgow, Scotland and designed by Dugald Drummond to represent both the locomotive builder and the CR at the 1886 International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art, which was to be held at Glasgow's rival city (Edinburgh). She and 4-4-0 No. 124 (built by Dubs & Company, another Glasgow locomotive builder) were sent off to Edinburgh and came back with a gold medal.

No. 123 was really a modified version of the CR 66 class 4-4-0 adapted for the 4-2-2 layout, which was losing favour to the railway companies of England due to their poor performance and power, let alone the CR never wanted one because of the hills along the routes. Following its gold medal award, No. 123 was put to work on the CR system but mostly double-headed with more powerful locomotives. The most well-known and recorded usage of the locomotive was it was preferred by Queen Victoria as the Royal Train Pilot. Requiring the pilot to run without a load and always 15 minutes ahead of the actual Royal Train, No. 123 was best suited for the roll.

No. 123 became famous among railway enthusiasts and locomotives across the UK when she played a role in the East Coast's defeat in the 1888 Races to the North, which she showed the railways of both England, Scotland, Wales and abroad of her performance, and to show she wasn't just a simple showgirl. In 1914, No. 123 was put on the duplicate list and ended up having her number changed to '1123', which she didn't make a huge fuss about (according to Douglas during his time with her). In 1919, just after WWI ended, she met Douglas (No. 295 in those days) and the two became great friends since then. In 1923, when the CR was grouped with the Highland Railway (HR) and a few in England to form the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS), No. 1123 had her number changed (again) to '14010', which was ne number she never liked.

During the 1920s and until 1930, she was used as the locomotive to haul the director's saloon along the routes that the LMS inherited from its Scottish companies. By 1930, No. 14010 was put back onto proper mainline locomotive dues, normally two-three coach trains, even going to south towards London. One thing she didn't notice was that during a re-boiler, she didn't know that her safety valves have been moved from her dome to her firebox, which did make locomotives confused if she was the same locomotive they knew as a showgirl. No. 14010 was withdrawn from traffic in 1935 but because she was the last 4-2-2 working on the mainlines and the only "single" that operated for a "Big Four" railway company, she was preserved.

Her preservation career was more surprising because in 1958, she was returned to service by British Railways (BR) for excursion trains with four other Scottish celebrities of the steam era (her favourite being Gordon Highlander, used by the LMS's rival, the LNER and the GN&SR locomotive left) in fill Caledonian colours, which was inauthentic for her condition. This operational life also lead to England and she got to double-head with another locomotive designed by Duglad Drummond, an ex-London & South Western Railway (LSWR) T9 4-4-0, known as a "greyhound", on the Blue Belle railtour.

### Basis or real locomotive

   Caley 123 is based on the real locomotive. It was built in 1886 by Neilson Reid & Co and became famous across the country during the Race to the North. It's famous for being the last 4-2-2 to be working on the mainline (withdrawn by the LMS in 1935) and spent a brief period operational by British Railways. It's currently on static display at the Riverside Museum at Glasgow.

### Trivia

Shane Sowter in fact owns a Tri-ang Hornby Caledonian Railway No. 123 which he is refurbishing himself to mostly modern standards.

## LNWR Special Tank

The **LNWR Special Tank** was a class of saddle tanks from the early years of the grouped LNWR. They became known as shunters at Wolverton Works.

### Trivia

The original Christina, mentioned by her successor, was a member for this class.

## Midland 1532 "1P"

### Other number

MR 1532-1551, 1632-1656, 1718-1738 ,MR/LMS 1266-1330, S&DJR 54

### Designer

Samuel Waite Johnson

The **Midland Railway 1532 class**, commonly known as **"Midland 1Ps"**, are a type of suburban tank built by the Midland Railway (MR). They were known for being old but reliable for outer branchlines.

### History

The MR 1532 was a development of the 1252 class 0-4-4Ts built from 1875 to 1876 and were introduced in 1881 to 1886 to replace older tank engines on suburban duties. The class saw heavy usage out of London with services around the city on their Metropolitan lines (resulting in some fitted with condensing gear to operate in tunnels) and around the rest of the MR system.

They were starting to be retired by the MR in 1919 as new designs created during WWI had shown to be better in performance to the 1532 class and at least one being transferred to the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR) in 1921 (No. 1305, aka S&DJR No. 54). As a result, 62 were inherited by the LMS in 1923. By the time of Nationalisation in 1948, fourteen locomotives remained with the last retired in 1956. One has been reported to have been preserved privately and based on another heritage railway.

### Trivia

One was said to have worked with Ella Johnson before her line closed to the Beeching Axe in 1964.

In real life, all of the MR 1532s have been scrapped. The "preserved" engine is never seen in the series due to the model, which Shane Sowter owns one, not being used for the series.

The MR 1532 class is commonly known as "1Ps" due to their power rating and a habit with many Midland Railway/LMS classes e.g. the 3835 class 0-6-0 referred to as "4Fs" and 483 class 4-4-0 referred to as "2Ps".