Glossary Results for Word "Jumbo Locomotive Class"

Jumbo Locomotive Class

“Jumbos” were not only capable of high speeds but regularly hauled heavy loads in relation to their small size, and so they well deserved their nickname. They were designed by F.W. Webb, and 166 of them were built at Crewe Works between 1887 and 1901. Known officially as the ‘Improved Precedent’ class, they were developed from John Ramsbottom’s Newton Class of 1866–73. One of the most famous ‘Jumbos’ was No.790 Hardwicke. During the ‘Races to the North’ in 1895, it set a record which was to last for almost forty years. Hauling the west coast train from Crewe to Carlisle, it covered the 141 miles of hilly road, including four miles of 1 in 75 Shap Summit, at an average speed of 67¼mph, and achieved speeds over 90 mph. It is now preserved in the National Railway Museum, York England. Even more famous in its day was No.955 Charles Dickens. This engine worked the 8.30am express from Manchester to London Euston and the 4pm return for twenty years and so covered more than 2 million miles, a record that has never been broken by any other steam engine.