DHR 778

DHR 778 (originally number 19) is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive, that was built in 1889 for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. It is preserved in the United Kingdom, and is the only member DHR locomotive outside of India.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway 19
(All-India No. 778)
No. 778 hauling a train on the Ffestiniog Railway
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderSharp, Stewart & Co.
Serial number3518
Websitewww.darjeelingtank.org.uk
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte0-4-0ST
 • UICB n2t
Gauge2 ft (610 mm)
Driver dia.26 in (0.660 m)
Axle load7.75 long tons (7.87 t)
Loco weight14 long tons (14 t)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		9 sq ft (0.84 m2)
Boiler pressure140 psi (0.97 MPa)
Heating surface316 sq ft (29.4 m2)
SuperheaterNone
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size11 in × 14 in (279 mm × 356 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort7,750 lbf (34.47 kN)
Career
Operators
ClassDHR B Class
Number in class3rd of 34
Numbers19, 778 in all-India scheme of 1957
Withdrawn1960
DispositionPreserved in Great Britain
Adrian Shooter (driver, right) with Jeremy Davey (fireman, left) onboard locomotive No.19 at Beeches Light Railway in 2019.
DHR19 in the station at Leighton Buzzard.

History

DHR 778 is a 0-4-0ST B Class, a design built between 1889 and 1927. A total of 34 were built. By 2005 only 12 remained on the railway and in use (or under repair). The B class locomotives were designed by Sharp Stewart & Co. of Glasgow and built by them, their successors North British Locomotive Company (NBL, Glasgow), and three each by Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW, Philadelphia, USA), and the DHR works at Tindharia.

Number 778 (originally No.19) was built in 1889 by Sharp Stewart & Co at the Atlas Works in Glasgow. It is the only DHR locomotive that has been taken out of India. After many years out of use at the Hesston Steam Museum, it was sold to enthusiast Adrian Shooter in the United Kingdom and restored to working order. As of 2009, it is based on Beeches Light Railway, a private railway in Oxfordshire, and has also run on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway, the Launceston Steam Railway and the South Tynedale Railway.[1] 778 is the only B class with a tender.

Special events

In mid-2011, for the 40th anniversary of preservation of the Froissy Dompierre Light Railway in France, three British-based locomotives visited, including locomotive 778.[2]

In 2013, locomotive 778 ran as a part of Indian Extravaganza Fest in Bedfordshire in East England, [3] and in 2014 it was the main attraction at the South Tynedale Railway's Indian Summer Event[4]

References
  1. "Slumdog Millionaire comes to the North Pennines!". 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  2. "British-based Trio Steam in France". Rail.co.uk. 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2021. 40th anniversary of the Froissy-Cappy-Dompierre line entering preservation. … invitations extended to The Greensand Railway Museum Trust's Baldwin 4-6-0T WDLR No. 778 and Adrian Shooter's Darjeeling Himalayan Railway B-Class 0-4-0ST No. 19 (SS 3518/1888) to visit.
  3. "Historic Indian steam locos to run again in England amid extravaganza on weekend". 4 May 2013.
  4. "Indian Summer Comes to Alston". 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  • Hughes, Hugh & Jux, Frank (1980). Steam Locomotives in India. Part 1 – Narrow Gauge. Harrow, Middlesex: Continental Railway Circle. pp. 69, 79, 87. ISBN 0-9503469-5-0.
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