Lord Wellington
Lord Wellington was the third Murray-Blenkinsop rack-and-pinion locomotive built for the Middleton Railway near Leeds, completed in 1813. The engine was identical in design to Salamanca and Prince Regent, twin vertical cylinders driving a central rack pinion, and worked the Leeds-Middleton coal traffic alongside its sister engines.
The engine was named after the Duke of Wellington, the Iron Duke had been raised to the peerage in 1809 and was at the height of his Peninsular War fame. The class names commemorated the contemporary British political and military successes, Salamanca for the July 1812 battle, Prince Regent for the future George IV, Lord Wellington for the Iron Duke himself, and Marquis Wellington reflecting Wellington's 1812 elevation to the Marquessate.
Lord Wellington worked the Middleton Railway alongside the other Murray-Blenkinsop engines through the 1810s, 1820s, and into the 1830s. After the loss of Salamanca in the 1818 boiler explosion, Lord Wellington continued in service. By the mid-1830s the rack-and-pinion adhesion principle had been superseded by simpler wheel-rail adhesion working. The Middleton Railway abandoned its rack rails in 1834–1835, and Lord Wellington was scrapped through this period; no original component survives.
Design and development
Lord Wellington was built by Fenton, Murray and Wood of Leeds in 1813, the third engine of the Murray-Blenkinsop class for the Middleton Railway. The design was identical to Salamanca of August 1812 and Prince Regent of late 1812. The naming after the Duke of Wellington reflected the contemporary celebration of British military success in the Peninsular War, Wellington had won the Battle of Salamanca on 22 July 1812 and was widely regarded as Britain's national hero.
Service and withdrawals
Lord Wellington worked the Middleton Railway alongside the other Murray-Blenkinsop engines through the 1810s, 1820s, and into the 1830s. After the loss of Salamanca in the 1818 boiler explosion, Lord Wellington continued in service.
By the mid-1830s the rack-and-pinion adhesion principle was being superseded by simpler wheel-rail adhesion locomotives. The Middleton Railway abandoned its rack rails in 1834–1835 and converted to conventional adhesion working. Lord Wellington and the remaining Murray-Blenkinsop engines were scrapped through this period.
Identification features
Externally identical to the other three Murray-Blenkinsop engines. The class was named after political figures and military victories of the Peninsular War period: Salamanca (the August 1812 victory), Prince Regent (the future George IV), Lord Wellington (the Iron Duke himself), and Marquis Wellington (a variation on the Wellington naming).
Numbers and names
None (single locomotive)
Notable locomotives
- One of four Murray–Blenkinsop locomotives
- Part of the first successful commercial steam railway fleet
Allocations and regions
- Middleton Railway (Leeds–Middleton Colliery), 1813–1835