BNCR Class S - History

History

The Class S was a class of six locomotives designed under the supervision of Bowman Malcolm as a narrow gauge application of the Worsdell-von Borries system of two-cylinder compound locomotives that had been adopted by the BNCR. Limited space between the frames required them to have outside cylinders and Walschaerts valve gear unlike their broad gauge counterparts. The smaller diameter high-pressure cylinder was on the left and the larger low-pressure one on the right.

Two engines were ordered from Beyer, Peacock and Company in January 1892 and left Gorton Foundry in May 1892 entering service as numbers 69 and 70. They were renumbered 110 and 111 respectively in 1897. The class would only be enlarged after the BNCR had amalgamated with the Midland Railway to become the Northern Counties Committee (NCC).

The next engines were built by the NCC at York Road works to transport valuable iron ore traffic, that had been obtained in 1907, from the mines at Parkmore to Larne Harbour via Ballymena. Two engines entered service as No.112 in October 1908 and No.113 in March 1909. They were renumbered 102 and 101 respectively in 1920.

The last two members of the class were Nos.103 and 104. Outshopped from York Road in September 1919 and March 1920 respectively, they were the last von Borries compounds to be built.

Built for service on the Ballymena & Larne and Cushendall lines of the BNCR, various members of the class were transferred to the Ballycastle Railway following that line's amalgamation with the NCC in 1924.

Nos.101 and 102 were rebuilt in 1930 and 1928 respectively with a coal bunker at the rear to reduce the need to store coal inside the cab and had the trailing radial truck extended accordingly; these were reclassified as Class S1. No.110 was heavily rebuilt in 1931 as a 2-4-4T with a standard gauge boiler and reclassified as Class S2.

Of the three unaltered Class S, 103 had the shortest existence and at the end of 1938 she was scrapped after being out of use for two years.

111 (ex-70) was renumbered a second time in December 1948, becoming No.44. Having spent her latter years on the Ballycastle line she accumulated a total of more than a million miles before being withdrawn after 58 years of service. No.44 was scrapped in February 1954.

104 was shedded at Ballymena for many years and was renumbered No.43 in October 1943. Four years later she received a heavy repair and was transferred to the Ballycastle line where she worked until the line closed in 1950. No.43 remained in stock until 1954 when she was scrapped.