Highland Railway Jones

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.

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.

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.

• HR 103 (1894, Riverside Museum, Glasgow)