Greater Britain locomotive 2053 (H0 gauge)
| Past Exhibit |
|---|
Greater Britain locomotive 2053 (H0 gauge) |
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| location: |
| Arch Four , Area 36 - |
A black 00-gauge model of the LNWR "Greater Britain" locomotive, running number 2053.
Configuration
Although the Greater Britain class have four drive wheels, suggesting that they be classified as 2-4-2, the two pairs of drivers are unconnected, giving a technical classification of 2-(2-2)-2.
The LNWR Greater Britain class appeared in 1892, and the similarly configured John Hicks class showed up in 1894.
The 2-(2-2)-2 locomotives were not particularly successful, and no others were produced.
Subsequent locos with more than one pair of drive wheels usually had them coupled together and driven from a single set of pistons. However, uncoupled or partially-coupled arrangements (without bogies) did later reappear on some of the largest high-speed American locomotives, when it was realised that the oscillating weight of the coupling bar created engineering problems with wear, and track damage (due to the "hammer effect") at very high speeds.
Liveries
Although 2053 normally wore LNWR black, it was painted dark red for the queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, in 1897.
Its sister loco 2054 Queen Empress and received a more "girly" Jubilee paint job, ending up white with lavender and gold detailing. It's difficult to find illustrations of models of the white-and-lilac 2054.
