4-6-0 River Class HR Profile and Models

The Highland Railway River class were a fleet of six 4-6-0 steam locomotives. They were designed by F. G. Smith, who had joined the Highland Railway in 1904 from the North Eastern Railway. The 'Rivers' were Smith's only design for the Highland Railway, and they were the largest and most powerful locomotives built for that company. They exceeded the maximum axle loading allowed by the company's Civil Engineer. However, Smith had taken this into account, and had designed the 'Rivers' to cause much lower 'hammer blow' upon the track than the existing Highland locomotives. When the effects of hammer blow were taken into account, the 'Rivers' put the same total weight onto the track as the previous 'Castle' Class 4-6-0s. The class were banned from Highland line by the HR's Civil Engineer due to their high deadweight, and the HR sided with his opinion, meaning Smith was forced to resign. The Highland Railway sold all 6 to the Caledonian Railway who modified them for use as they were out of gauge. In LMS service, the class ironically found their way onto the Highland line that they were originally intended for and were eventually withdrawn by 1946.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

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