Highland Railway River Class - Sale To Caledonian Railway

Sale To Caledonian Railway

The Highland managed to sell all six locomotives to the Caledonian Railway, and legend has it that they made a profit of £500 per engine in the process. They were out of gauge to the 'Caley' as well, but the modifications required were slight and quickly made.

In Caledonian service they proved reliable and were well liked by their crews, despite their being outside-cylindered and the 'Caley' being an inside-cylinder line. They spent most of their lives on fast goods between Aberdeen and Carlisle. Many footplatemen and shed mechanical staff regarded them as being better than the Caley's own 4-6-0 designs. Some users even regarded them as being comparable with the later LMS Stanier 'Black Fives', although this seems unlikely given the difference in boiler pressures.

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