In 1860, the Southern section of The LNWR Mainline was faced with a miscellaneous collection of small engines. To counter that problem, locomotive superindendant J E McConnell designed a series of powerful express engines: Small, large and extra large Bloomers. These engines performed prodigious feats, including running the 133 miles from Euston to Stafford in 140 minutes start to stop including the steep climb up Camden Bank. These engines were so good that they were still hauling express trains 20 years later. At that time, F W Webb thought them so good that he spent time and money bringing them up to date, rebuilding them with new boilers and cabs. They then lasted another 10 years.
The nickname Bloomer comes from a certain ladies undergarment which appeared at the same time – the McConnell Bloomers unashamedly showed all their wheels.
No comments:
Post a Comment