Hunslet “Austerity” Class

In 1942 during the early planning stages for the invasion of Europe, it was realised that large numbers of locomotives would have to be built and used on both British and European lines.

Locomotive production, which until this time had been restricted, was now a priority item and it now became necessary to select the most suitable types for the jobs in hand.

Robert Riddles was put in charge of the design work, and produced the WD Austerity 0-6-0ST design to meet the projected shunting needs which was based on a Hunslet engine that had been designed for the iron and steel industry.

The first locomotive completed at the Hunslet works in Leeds and was steamed in January 1943, and a total of 377 were built for the War Department over the next four years with other manufacturers contracted to maximise production.

Following the War, locomotives were used by the Army, National Coal Board, British Steel and many other industrial user with some being transferred to the LNER where they became known as Class J94.

The engines were so successful that construction for industrial use continued until 1964, by which time 464 had been built. Many continued in service at factories, quarries and mines until the mid-1970s and were snapped up by preserved railways across the country.

No 18

Built in 1954 as Hunslet Engine Co. No. 3809, the locomotive became NCB East Fife Area (later Fife Area) No. 18 and started her working life at Wellesley Colliery and washery near Methil in Scotland. Her duties involved working transfer traffic to and from the Wemyss Private Railway exchange sidings, plus taking trains of washed coal from the washery to Methil staithes and returning with the empties.

No. 18 was sent for an overhaul to the Dysart Central Workshops in July 1963, and returned to service at Wellesley in October 1964. She was transferred to Michael Colliery at East Wemyss in October 1966, and from March 1967 became Scottish North Area No. 18. Trains from Michael to the NCB/Wemyss Private Railway exchange sidings at Scott’s Road, East Wemyss, faced a stiff climb requiring the use of powerful locomotives such as the Austerities. Michael was abandoned in September 1967 after an underground fire, and  No. 18 returned to Wellesley and worked at the washery and coal preparation plant until closure 1970. In June 1972, after laying out of use for 2 years, No. 18 was declared ‘surplus to requirements’ and sold for scrap.

Fortunately, she was saved for preservation and after worked on the North Norfolk Railway between 1988 and 2006. She has recently been thoroughly overhauled by her current owners, Locomotive Maintenance Services or Loughborough, and restored to the green NCB livery she carried at East Fife in teh 1950s and 60s. She will be a regular performer on the NNR for the 2024 season.

An unusual feature of No. 18 is a Giesl ejector with its distinctive narrow, oblong chimney. It was fitted at NCB around 1963 and consists of an oblong blast-pipe which tapers upwards to a narrow slot, the top of which is pierced by several ovoid holes leading to the oddly shaped chimney. The arrangement is said to result in a greater efficiency than an ordinary blast-pipe, as it produces more draught with less back pressure on the cylinders, especially when the engine is working hard. This reduction in back-pressure makes possible an increase in cylinder power for any given steam rate, which results in reduced coal consumption and also permits the use of lower grades of coal as fuel. The NCB fitted approximately 50 of its engines with Giesl ejectors.