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Preserved Steam Locomotives of Western Europe Vol 2 By P Ransome Wallis w/ DJ
Preserved Steam Locomotives of Western Europe Vol 2 By P Ransome Wallis w/ dust jacket 1971 285 pages Lots of photos.
Introduction
In Western Continental Europe, as in other parts of the world, the interest in the preservation of steam railway locomotives is growing apace. Rather belatedly, the various railways have begun to recognise this interest and many are now showing concern to secure for posterity representative examples of their individual steam locomotive practice.
Two major problems are common to all who try to preserve locomotives: To find adequate money to do so and to find suitable and adequate space for the purpose. Many praiseworthy efforts, both private and public, have foundered on the failure to obtain one or both of these requirements. In other cases, preservation of large tender locomotives has proved difficult to achieve and has been abandoned in favour of keeping some small and mechanically uninteresting tank locomotives.
It is the avowed intention of most countries to establish, at least one, railway museum, but the locations have not all been finalised and the space to be available for locomotives is, therefore, not known. As a result, a considerable number of locomotives which have been withdrawn from service is to be found in the sheds, yards and depots of most Western European countries. Some of these will, undoubtedly, find their ultimate homes in museums or as monuments. Others will go for scrap but which will survive has often not yet been decided. Frequent changes occur also, as more "candidates for preservation" arrive, their active lives completed.
In this book, I have had five objectives:
(I) To describe technically and historically, as far as possible, all those Continental Western European standard and broad-gauge steam locomotives which have been preserved and those which are stored for probable future preservation. I fully realise that some which are described will probably end their days as scrap metal rather than in a museum but, until the final decision has been made as to which they are to be, I have thought it better to include, rather than to neglect them. There may be some I have omitted, owing to my ignorance of their existence, but I do not think these are many. In the descriptions in this book, however, only complete locomotives are dealt with and the many interesting locomotive parts which are to be found in museums and technical schools have not been included.
(2) To provide as much information as possible about preserved steam locomotives from narrow gauge railways (1067 mm and less). The situation concerning these locomotives is still very fluid. In this book, an account is given of those locomotives which are known to be preserved or which are at work on "museum railways". The roster is by no means complete and neither is the technical and historical information available.
(3) To illustrate all the classes of locomotives described. I realise that this is the most important feature of the book but it has not been easy to achieve. However, for the standard and broad gauge, only in a few instances has it been impossible. Narrow gauge locomotives have proved to be much more difficult and many recorded are, unfortunately, not illustrated. No attempt is made always to show the actual preserved locomotive. A good picture of a machine of the same type and class is preferable to showing .a view of the half-dismembered remains of the actual engine "stored for restoration and preservation".
(4) To afford the reader easy identification of the locomotives described. The current running number and, wherever relevant, the previous running number(s) are given. In most cases it has been possible to provide details of the builder, works number and date of construction.
(5) To give leading dimensions of each locomotive. Here, consideration of space resulted in the decision to record only cylinder diameter and stroke, coupled (or driving) wheel diameter, grate area and boiler pressure. Again, narrow gauge locomotive records are very incomplete.
The scope of this work does NOT include industrial locomotives which are preserved. An exception is made, however, in describing SOME of those which are actually working on narrow-gauge "museum railways".
The compilation of this book became something of a major research project, complicated by the inevitable author's nightmare that frequently no two "reliable" sources of information were in agreement. I am always grateful to those who write to me offering constructive criticism and informed correction.
As a result of two World Wars, many locomotives were sent away from their railways of origin and spent most of their lives on the railways of other countries. These permanent transfers were mostly of German locomotives, though many engines of Austrian origin were also to be found "away from home". In this book, all such locomotives which are preserved are included in the lists of their countries of origin. The same plan has been followed to include locomotives built away from the country of their original design. Thus, German Series 42, built in
Austria and sold to Luxembourg, is included in Germany though preserved in Luxembourg.
Finally, a word about the locations given for stored locomotives. These are in accordance with the best information available at this time. Movements of such locomotives from one depot to another are commonplace, so it is unwise to regard all the locations given as permanent. Most railways do not allow visits to depots solely occupied by locomotives in store as a regrettably large number of thefts of number plates etc., have occurred when such facilities have been made available in the past. However, it is probable that many stored locomotives may be exhibited, on a rota basis, in the museums. This principle has already been adopted in Switzerland where the locomotives in store at Vallorbe are brought, four at a time, to the Verkehrshaus at Lucerne for six-monthly periods of exhibition. Thus there is an added incentive for students of locomotive history to visit the museum each year.
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