Caley 'Single'

Caledonian Railway Single No. 123 is a preserved Scottish steam locomotive. The unique 4-2-2 was built by Neilson and Company in 1886, works No. 3553, as an exhibition locomotive. In 1914 it was placed on the Caledonian Railway duplicate list, and renumbered 1123. It entered London, Midland and Scottish Railway service in 1923 and the LMS renumbered her 14010 and gave her the power classification 1P. During the 1920s it was allocated to working the directors' saloon, but it was returned to ordinary service in 1930. The locomotive was withdrawn in 1935, by which time it was the last single-wheeled express engine running in Britain, and set aside for preservation.[1]
Restored to steam by British Railways in 1958,[2] it ran railtours and enthusiast specials until the end of steam in Scotland


123 in C.R. livery 19th Century photos




https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMS-Scotland/18821890-CR-Dugald-Drummond/Drummond-Caledonian-Railway-Single-123/i-zTx9fkK

Neilson Built 1886 Drummond Caledonian Railway Single 123 - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years




https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMS-Scotland/18821890-CR-Dugald-Drummond/Drummond-Caledonian-Railway-Single-123/i-FjZq4BV

Neilson Built 1886 Drummond Caledonian Railway Single 123 - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years
as plain old 14010 in LMS days

14010 Balornock Glasgow


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMS-Scotland/18821890-CR-Dugald-Drummond/Drummond-Caledonian-Railway-Single-123/i-vv7DPqV

Neilson Built 1886 Drummond Caledonian Railway Single 123 - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

unknown location


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMS-Scotland/18821890-CR-Dugald-Drummond/Drummond-Caledonian-Railway-Single-123/i-NrqK88P

Neilson Built 1886 Drummond Caledonian Railway Single 123 - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

restored as 123 in BR days


123 Ayr 21st June 1962


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMS-Scotland/18821890-CR-Dugald-Drummond/Drummond-Caledonian-Railway-Single-123/i-HWChDWB

Neilson Built 1886 Drummond Caledonian Railway Single 123 - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years
123 Bluebell Railway Preservation Society The Blue Belle15th September 1963




https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMS-Scotland/18821890-CR-Dugald-Drummond/Drummond-Caledonian-Railway-Single-123/i-M285HhW

Neilson Built 1886 Drummond Caledonian Railway Single 123 - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

123 C.R. 4-2-2 Single Willesden No.3 S.B. September 1963 for Railtour duty


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMS-Scotland/18821890-CR-Dugald-Drummond/Drummond-Caledonian-Railway-Single-123/i-mQjZDMS

Neilson Built 1886 Drummond Caledonian Railway Single 123 - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years
123 'Caley' single St Rollox


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMS-Scotland/18821890-CR-Dugald-Drummond/Drummond-Caledonian-Railway-Single-123/i-smH4Pdn

Neilson Built 1886 Drummond Caledonian Railway Single 123 - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

123 Leeds

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMS-Scotland/18821890-CR-Dugald-Drummond/Drummond-Caledonian-Railway-Single-123/i-v8Xd4BM

Neilson Built 1886 Drummond Caledonian Railway Single 123 - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

123 unknown location



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMS-Scotland/18821890-CR-Dugald-Drummond/Drummond-Caledonian-Railway-Single-123/i-w5gV5gz

Neilson Built 1886 Drummond Caledonian Railway Single 123 - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

Neil

 

Be great to see this beast with a fire in its belly again, TBH be great to see all of the Scotish Quartet back in business. Glen Douglas to Fort Bill anyone?

 

GD would be my choice too, such a good looking machine!

It would be great to see 828 and the Single double head up to Grantown tho...

 

Sir, you are a poet, a dreamer of beautiful dreams...

 

To be purist this machine is "Drummondesque" rather than a true Drummond product. One of I believe only two gold medal winners to survive in the UK

PH

 

What about the gold medal, does that survive?

 

What did it do from 1930 to 1935 in ordinary service?

 

Now there's a question. Anything in precious metal, however interesting or well made, is vulnerable to spikes in the bullion market, which is merciless.

On the I.O.W.S.R. we live in hope of locating W11's gold medal of 1878 which is unlikely even if it could be afforded. The illuminated address given to Stroudley by the L.B.S.C.R. board, along with the medal, has survived.

PH

 

Perth-Dundee locals I believe

 

@neildimmer wouldn't it be better to just provide a link to the respective Wikipedia articles, rather than cutting and pasting the text wholesale? Without a reference, it looks as though you're passing off the work of others as your own.

Simon

 

When I helped assess the Glen's condition it needed quite alot including:
New bogies tyres
New tender axles (heavy shunt would do in what it has now)
New tender tank
Full retube (the superheaters were more hole than steam circuit which explains it's last few runs)
Full frames and motion overhaul

And that is as far as we got before the funding gave out.

The Jones Goods boiler is totally shot and needs replacing. No real survey work done here.

123 still had a smoke box full of ash until about 15years ago

The GSWR tank mechanically is really tired and no survey work was undertaken... However

Gordon Highlander is by far the best of the bunch. It's firebox appears to be brand new and would not need much work to get working again. If Steam Railway want a new appeal, this is the loco to fund as it could be done quickly and at a low cost. Easy to transport and would fit in down south as similar variants were on the Southern. Good national appeal

The other loco of Scottish heritage that would be an interesting return to steam would be an international effort. Why not work with Belgian teams and joint restore the Belgian Dunalistair to run here and there... Change of cab and you could have both variants (more or less)

Just a few thoughts....

 

Irrespective of how interested you are in Gordon Highlander, clearly as a pre grouping 4-4-0, and Scottish to boot, she could offer a very different experience to many of the preserved loco's running today, as City of Truro did when she last ran on the main line

 

Maybe a T3 running on the mainline to Wareham would offer a similar expereince?

 

What a glorious thing it would be to see a single let loose on the mainline! To kick the old W.I.B.N around a bit, how many coaches could it take on the mainline? Not many I bet! Primo price to get your bum on that seat...

 

Well, looking at Wareham & the NYMR it seems to me that options could be explored for limited 'low cost' main line access? Also if you were to run a series of short trips on the same day then clearly the cost per seat could be reduced?

 

I think the most likely chance of this happening is when the Tyseley Bloomer is complete. I think I'm correct in saying that the last appearance of a single driver on the main line was in 1980 when the Midland "Spinner" took part in the Rainhill 150 event but it never hauled a charter train. The Stirling Single worked on the GCR and NYMR in 1982 (and may have run for a bit longer - can't remember) but ti my knowledge never ventured onto the main line.

I'd be pleased to see any single driver working on a heritage line - they are just so different from anything else and very attractive engines - but they are hardly ideal, particularly for a line with steep gradients (although GNR No. 1 seemed to be able to cope with the NYMR's fierce inclines) - after all, most of them were designed for fats running fast with light trains on moderate gradients.

 

The Stirling Single made a return visit to the Moors in the mid-Eighties for filming work associated with the Miles Kington series "Steam Days", and also steamed at York in September 1985 as part of the NRM's tenth anniversary gala.

 

Is it possible to over play that? I imagine its true of the last generation of singles, the 4-2-2s, but you can argue that for a good while the 2-2-2 singles were simply the standard passenger engine. No doubt engines were small because the flimsily built lightweight stock of the mid Victorian era meant light trains, and one reason trains were light because that was all the engines could manage, but I suppose as requirements changed the stock changed to match. I've seen it suggested that 2-2-2s were economical due to significantly lower rolling resistance.

 

MOSI Planet at the GCR would give you a single on a mainline...

 

Didn't Planet once run through the gate at MOSI and end up on Network Rail for a few yards?