User:Djm-leighpark/MGWR Class 1

The Great Southern Railways Classes 372 and 393 were 2-6-0 ("mogul") mixed-traffic steam locomotives introduced in 1925 and 1930 that hauled heavy passenger and freight trains until the end of steam in Ireland. They were built from surplus kits of part exported to Ireland from Great Britain.

Origins
Originally the plan in 1915 had been for the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich to produce a new standard locomotive, in practice the design did not come to fruition and the UK Government contract was altered to produce 100 locomotives based on Richard Maunsell's in 1914 design of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) for the the SECR N class of mixed-traffic engines. Boilers were supplied by various locomotive companies. In the event with delays and rising prices the locomotives were not built and kits of parts become available as war surplus. Walter H. Morton of the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) of Ireland purchased 12 sets of parts at the advantageous price of £2,000 each in 1923. 15 further kits were later purchased by the MGWR's successor the Great Southern Railways and others by the UK's Metropolitan Railway railway.

The kits were far far from complete. As assembled the changes to the SECR design but with frame components, smokebox saddles and wheelsets modified to Irish Gauge. Buffer beams and platforms were widened to the Irish Gauge but cab and tender widths were left unchanged.

The Midland Great Western Railway bought 12 kits which were then assembled at its Broadstone works in Dublin. The first entered service as MGWR number 49 but the company then became part of the new Great Southern Railways and the locomotive was renumbered 375 and the remaining 11 kits were completed as GSR engines. The final one of the batch, number 383, was the last locomotive completed at Broadstone. The GSR designated them Class 372 or Class K1.

The GSR bought a further 15 kits. It assembled 14 of them between 1927 and 1930 at the Inchicore Works of the former Great Southern and Western Railway and kept the last for spares. The first eight were class 372 like their predecessors, but the last six were given larger driving wheels and designated class 393 or Class K1a.

The GSR numbered the 372 class 372–391 and the 393 Class 393–398. The number 392 was left vacant with the frames left for spares.

Variations
Cylinder bypass valves were fitted to 372 and possibly 373 only. Footsteps on the motion brackets and piston tailrods were dispensed with from the 1930s. Tablet exchange brackets were fitted later. Nos. 373, 380, 380 and 384 were converted to oil burners from 1947 but were reverted to coal in 1948.

The K1a/393 Class had 6 ft driving wheels with the boiler centreline raised to 8 ft. The platform front and rear drops were given the necessary alterations to give the correct buffer beam and dragbox height.

Context
The design of the class, Maunsell, had previously been an apprentice in his first spell at Inchicore, and risen to Locomotive Superintendent in the second, and it is of note his locomotive design for the SE&CR should end up being also built at Inchicore. His prototype design GS&WR Class 341 which was regular on the Cork Mails was withdrawn during the period during the construction of the moguls, yet the Class 393 which were built in 1930 with 6 ft driving wheels for hauling the Cork Mails were removed from that service as unsuitable for it.

Service
The class was a useful intermediate between the 4-6-0 locomotives that were restricted to the Cork main line and the smaller 4-4-0 and 0-6-0 classes.

MGWR
Although ordered for the MGWR that company was merged in 1924 to what was to become the GSR and never operated for the MGWR. It was however used on the former MGWR section throughout its service life and particular on heavy Galway mail expresses.

GSR
The majority of the class were employed on the GSR's Midland section, initially on the Galway line but to Sligo from 1933 and Claremorris from 1941 when longer turntables were provided.

Other use was on the Dublin Kingsbridge to Cork Glanmire Road main line and on services between Dublin and Waterford via Kilkenny, Mallow to Rosslare, Waterford to Limerick and Mallow to Killarney. Also {{stnlnk|Tralee} by 1950.

CIÉ
Córas Iompair Éireann succeeded the GSR in 1945 (and was nationalised in 1950), retaining the same classification system and numbering for its locomotives. In 1954 CIÉ withdrew four of the 1924 327s, but in the winter of 1954–55 CIÉ overhauled another seven of the class for further service.

In the 1950s CIÉ continued to operate freight trains without continuous brake. On 21 December 1955, number 375 was in charge of such an unfitted train consisting of 32 wagons laden with sugar beet. The train was on the line between Waterford and Limerick Junction on CIÉ's Southern section when it ran away descending the gradient to Cahir. The signalman diverted the runaway train into a siding to protect a mail train that was standing in the station. 375 smashed through the buffer stop at the end of the siding and onto the viaduct over the River Suir beyond the station, demolishing the first span of the viaduct. The locomotive and 22 of the wagons plunged into the river, killing the driver and fireman. 375 was recovered from the river but considered beyond economic repair and scrapped.

The class tended to be used more on freight work in their final years.

CIÉ withdrew the Class 393 and remaining Class 372 by 1965.

Livery
The class lead 372 carried two temporary liveries and two temporary numbers before introduction. It first carried MGWR No. 49 and then GSR No. 410. All were then introduced in GSR near-black dark-grey. From 1948 CIÉ painted them first dark green with black edging, then light green with black edging and white lining. No. 388 was painted black in 1952 and that livery became standard after 1954.

Model
The Fry Collection holds an O-Gauge model of a class 372.