A question about G.W.R. engines

Hi there!

If I`m right (as a norwegian) the majority of British steam are left hand driven (if that`s the correct notion?)
But looking at the G.W.R. steam locomotives the driver stands at the right side of the cab.

Why that? Is it any particular reason or story behind it?

thanks in advance!

regards

Knut

 

the same reason why the British drive cars from the right, it's the best way.

Sensible answer coming right up I expect.

 

The GWR wasn't alone in having RHD locomotives, I'm almost certain GER locos were RHD and LNER 4472 was originally RHD too but I'm sure someone with better knowledge of this will confirm.

 

Several railways in the UK used Right hand drive, GWR, Midland, GNR, Cambrian and others. Austerity tanks and a lot of industrials were RHD... Several 8f's were RHD, so the GWR was not alone.

 

Industrial locos generally are right hand drive. Main line locos are left hand drive.

 

It's because GWR locomotives were driven on the left hand track of a double track, where other companies drove on the right.

I'm pretty sure that's correct...

 

I don't think that there were any RHD 8Fs in this country back in the day, were there? Those build with RHD were all for overseas use.

Peter James

 

Could the position of a right-handed fireman have anything to do with it?
Kind regards
Jos Koopmans

 

With a few exceptions in the very early days, all British railways used the left hand track. The reasons for left hand drive were because that's the side where the platforms usually were (there were exceptions) so it was easier for the driver to judge his stopping point; and it was also easier to site the signals on the left hand side and for the driver to see them from that side of the footplate.

There were many individual Railways prior to the Grouping which used right hand drive, but three of the Big Four standardised on placing the driver to the left; as usual the GWR was the odd one out. But there were right hand drive locos in use on other regions almost to the end of steam. And indeed, all the right hand driven 8Fs went abroad, all to Turkey, I think, and were never used in Britain.

 

Were'nt some 4Fs and Compounds right hand drive?

 

All the Midland built ones and early LMS ones were RHD. Later LMS ones used LHD. Same for the 2Ps, but all Jinties were RHD, whoever and whenever built.

 

SE&CR loco were right hand drive, and it continued into some Ashford designs build by the Southern Railway - most of the N and U class moguls were RHD.

Tom

 

Just to fool the engine pickers there are some RHD 4Fs in the middle of the later number series, the ex S&D. locos

 

The story I got from an exGW driver was that the GW had righthand drive to enable the driver to observe passing trains and report anything out of the ordinary. I'm not sure I buy that but one of the reasons the BR Standards were disliked was the LHD, surprising considering cab comfort on a Standard was way ahead of a GW open cab with a wooden tip up seat.

 

Some engines were constructed as RHD long after many lines standardized on left hand drive, So there must have been a very good reason many of these engines were designed as goods/ mixed traffic, so prehaps it was not to critical that the fireman would have sighted signals before the driver, as both would need to see the road anyway.

 

The fireman generally had enough work to do maintaining the fire and, more so, the boiler water level. It would be foolish to depend on him to observe ALL signals for the driver. Even on a LHD loco, there were a few signals which were easier seen from his side. The crew knew where these signals were located and normally the fireman would ensure that he was free of other duties and would sight them, but he couldn't do this for every signal, especially in a congested area surrounding the big cities.

On the ex-GWR lines the signals were specially sited for viewing from the right hand side and the Standards' LHD would be, and was, particularly difficult.

 

I don't know of any British railway company that adopted righthand running. The NB did have one quirk on the West Highland Line where righthand running was generally the rule through the loops

 

I forgot to add one of these to my post: ...

... I was enjoying the imagined confusion on joint lines.

 

I don't think so John. I cannot think of anywhere on the West Highland that had right hand running through a crossing loop. This changed somewhat with the closure of signal boxes and the introduction of RETB working in the late 1980s. This was done to enable access to sidings without the need to reverse, clip and scotch hydraulic loop points when shunting but it certainly was not a NB way of doing things in the old days.

Peter James

 

Simple reason the GWR had to be different to everybody else.