The Midland 0-10-0 Lickey Banker 'Big Bertha'
Introduced: 1919
Withdrawn: 1956
The two mile 1 in 37.7 Lickey incline between Bromsgrove and Blackwell on the Midland Railway line from Birmingham to Bristol necessitated provision of a stud of banking engines. Often two or three such engines were required to bank a single heavy train up the bank; an expensive operation. The desirability of a special powerful banking engine for these duties must have been obvious to all concerned, and proposals were put forward circa 1911 for the design and construction of such an engine.
Between 1911 and 1912 Derby drawing office put forward a number of interesting proposals, including a 2-10-0 tank locomotive; an articulated 2-6-6-2 tank locomotive; a rigid framed 0-6-6-0 tank locomotive and finally in 1912 the 0-10-0 'Decapod' tender engine. The Great Eastern Railway had constructed the first English 0-10-0, a tank locomotive in 1903, but the Midland design was the first and last 0-10-0 tender locomotive ever built for use in this country. It was easily the largest locomotive designed and constructed by the Midland Railway.
The Order was placed for construction of one engine at Derby in May 1914 but owing to the disruptive effects of World War 1 the engine was not completed until the end of December 1919.It was an impressive product for a railway company sworn to a 'small engine' policy.
With four cylinders, outside Walschaerts valve gear and a coupled wheelbase of 20ft 11in, it was powerful looking to say the least.
The four cylinders were 16.3/4in diameter by 28in stroke and all drove on to the centre pair of wheels which carried an axle load of 15.1/2 tons. Two outside sets of Walschaerts valve gear drove a pair of 10in diameter piston valves with 7/8in lap, mounted one on top of each outside cylinder.
She was renumbered by the L.M.S from 2290 to 22290. The L.M.S amalgamated the Midland Railway Company and changed her number in 1947. The following year she was renumbered to 58100 by BR.
No headlight was fitted to the locomotive when new, the addition came about a year later when drivers experienced some difficulties in estimating the length of the locomotive when buffering up to the rear of a train in the hours of darkness. The tender sides were also later reduced to give better rearward vision. When the engine was finally withdrawn the headlight was transferred to 9F No.92079 which was to become her replacement on the bank. Big Bertha had clocked up 838,856 miles to her credit, much of them accumulated on the 2 mile stretch of the Lickey.There was some talk of preservation after she was patched up for an open day at Derby Works in August '56. Tragically this never came about and she was cut up later that year.
To see a varied collection of Photographs of the famous locomotive click the link below:
Photographs of Midland Built 0-10-0 'Big Bertha' at work
Model Railway fans can buy the kit of 'Big Bertha' in OO Gauge form. The kit features cast one-piece boiler, firebox and smokebox with etched cab, tender body, coupling rods, chassis & valve gear .It requires a Motor, gearbox and Wheelset to complete it. It can be purchased from www.djhengineering.co.uk/ among other places.
An OO gauge Big Bertha model
