Highland Railway Jones
The Highland Railway Jones Goods Class, officially the HR Class F, was a series of six 4-6-0 tender locomotives designed by David Jones and introduced at Lochgorm Works, Inverness, in 1894 — the first 4-6-0 tender locomotive class to operate in Britain, predating all other British 4-6-0 designs by several years and establishing a wheel arrangement that would become one of the dominant British mixed-traffic and express configurations of the twentieth century.
Jones designed the class to handle the Highland Railway's growing goods traffic, particularly the seasonal movements of cattle and sheep from the Highland estates to southern markets, and the fish specials that carried freshly caught herring and other fish from the northern ports at high speed to Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London. The 4-6-0 wheel arrangement — four leading wheels and six coupled driving wheels — was at that point untried in Britain for tender engines; Jones adopted it after studying American practice, where the 4-6-0 had been a standard freight type since the 1850s. The six coupled driving wheels gave the adhesion needed for the severe Highland grades, while the generous boiler capacity provided sustained steaming for the long Highland distances.
All fifteen Jones Goods locomotives were named after Highland glens, estates, and geographical features: Loch Tay, Ben y Gloe, Dùn Deàrd, and similar. In service they demonstrated that the 4-6-0 was an excellent configuration for the Highland's demanding mixed-traffic requirements, influencing subsequent British 4-6-0 design across several companies.
One example, No. 103, was preserved by the LMS in 1934 and is now a static exhibit at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. It is one of the most historically significant preserved locomotives in Britain as the original of its wheel arrangement class.
Design and development
Jones recognised in the early 1890s that the Highland Railway's increasingly heavy goods traffic over the Drumochter and Slochd summits required more adhesion than any 0-6-0 could provide. His 1894 solution was a 4-6-0 — the first of the layout in Britain — combining six coupled wheels for adhesion with a leading 4-wheel bogie for stability at speed. The leading bogie also allowed the much longer rigid wheelbase to traverse the HR's tight curves.
15 engines were ordered from Sharp Stewart of Glasgow and delivered in 1894. They proved highly successful, and the 4-6-0 layout — pioneered in Britain by Jones — would dominate British heavy goods practice for the next 60 years.
Service and withdrawals
The Jones Goods worked Highland heavy mineral traffic from 1894 until grouping in 1923, then continued in LMS service until 1934. HR No. 103 was preserved by the LMS as a heritage engine, restored to working order in 1959, and ran on enthusiast specials in the 1960s. The engine is now on static display at the Riverside Museum, Glasgow, finished in Stroudley-style yellow livery as the LMS chose to display it.
Identification features
4-6-0 with 5 ft 3 in coupled wheels, leading 4-wheel bogie, outside cylinders, parallel boiler with louvred chimney typical of HR practice. Striking yellow livery in preserved form.
Numbers and names
103–117Numbered 103–117; all named after Highland glens and estates
- 103
- 104
- 105
- 106
- 107
- 108
- 109
- 110
- 111
- 112
- 113
- 114
- 115
- 116
- 117
15 locomotives; all named. No. 103 preserved at National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
Notable locomotives
Allocations and regions
Inverness (Lochgorm Works depot) for the HR's principal goods and mixed-traffic workings: Inverness–Perth main line goods, cattle and sheep specials, and fish trains from the northern ports.
