A Crampton locomotive is a type of mostly single-drive steam locomotive designed by Thomas Russell Crampton and built by various firms from 1846. The main British builders were Tulk and Ley and Robert Stephenson and Company.

Notable features were a low boiler and two large driving wheels. The crux of the Crampton patent was that the single driving axle was placed behind the firebox, so that the driving wheels could be very large. This helped to give this design a low centre of gravity, so that it did not require a very broad-gauge track to travel safely at high speeds. Its wheel arrangement was usually or .

Design variations

Because the single driving axle was behind the firebox, Crampton locomotives usually had outside cylinders. However, some inside cylinder versions were built using indirect drive, then known as a jackshaft. The inside cylinders drove a crankshaft located in front of the firebox and the crankshaft was connected to the driving wheels by outside rods. Some long-wheelbase s were also built using this crankshaft system. The boiler feed-pump was often driven from the crankshaft as well because many Cramptons were built before the injector was invented.

Another feature on some Crampton locomotives was the use of a boiler of oval cross-section, to lower the centre of gravity. It was later seen as a major flaw, because the internal pressure would tend to push the boiler into a circular cross-section and increase the risk of fatigue.

Usage

Crampton locomotives were used by some British railways and speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) were achieved on the LNWR. They were more popular in France, southern Germany and the US. In France the expression "prendre la Crampton" meant to catch an express, and in the argot of the Saint Cyr military academy, footplate staff were known as "officiers de Crampton" (and this as late as 1971). One of the French examples has been preserved in the Cité du Train (the French Railway Museum) at Mulhouse and is still in working order. This is number 80 of the Chemin de Fer de l'Est, the Paris-Strasbourg line, which is named "Le Continent".

Locomotive list

The approximate numbers of Crampton-type locomotives built in Europe were: Great Britain: 51 France: 127 Germany: 135

Manufactured in Great Britain Built by Tulk and Ley All were of the wheel arrangement.

Works no. Date built Railway Name/no. Notes 10 1847 Namur 11 1847 Namur and Liege Railway Liege 1847 Namur and Liege Railway 12? 1847 London and North Western Railway, Southern Division 200 London 14 1847 Dundee and Perth and Aberdeen Junction Railway Kinnaird 1847 Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway 35 Pegasus 1848 Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway 36 Phlegon 17 1854 Maryport and Carlisle Railway 12

Notes:

Built by Robert Stephenson and Company

Robert Stephenson and Company built a number of Crampton type locomotives for the South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. These were all of wheel arrangement with inside cylinders and indirect drive. The inside cylinders drove a crankshaft located in front of the firebox and the crankshaft was coupled to the driving wheels by outside rods.

Works no. Date built Railway No./Name Notes 785 1851 South Eastern Railway 134 786 1851 South Eastern Railway 135 787 1851 South Eastern Railway 136 Folkstone 788 1851 South Eastern Railway 137 789 1851 South Eastern Railway 138 790 1851 South Eastern Railway 139 791 1851 South Eastern Railway 140 792 1851 South Eastern Railway 141 793 1851 South Eastern Railway 142 794 1851 South Eastern Railway 143 1851 Prussian Eastern Railway England 1851 Prussian Eastern Railway 1851 Prussian Eastern Railway 1851 Prussian Eastern Railway 1851 Prussian Eastern Railway 1851 Prussian Eastern Railway 1381 1862 London, Chatham and Dover Railway Coquette 1382 1862 Echo 1383 1862 Flora 1384 1862 Flirt 1385 1862 Sylph

Notes:

Built by Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy All except Liverpool which was .

Works no. Date built Railway No./Name Notes 355 1848 London and North Western Railway, Southern Division 245 Liverpool ? 1848 South Eastern Railway 68 ? 1848 South Eastern Railway 69 ? 1848 South Eastern Railway 72 ? 1848 South Eastern Railway 74 ? 1848 South Eastern Railway 75 ? 1848 South Eastern Railway 78 Notes:

Built by E. B. Wilson and Company

Works no. Date built Railway Name/no. Notes ? 1847 North British Railway 55 ? 1847 Eastern Counties Railway 108 ? 1847 Eastern Counties Railway 109 ? 1847 Eastern Counties Railway 110 ? 1847 Eastern Counties Railway 111 ? 1847 Eastern Counties Railway 112 ? 1847 Aberdeen Railway 26 ? 1847 Aberdeen Railway 27 Notes:

Built by R and W Hawthorn

Works no. Date built Railway Name/no. Notes 890 1854 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab Roeskilde 891 1854 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab Ringsted 892 1854 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab Sorø 893 1854 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab Slagelse 1006 1858 East Kent Railway Lake 1007 1858 East Kent Railway Sondes 1008 1858 East Kent Railway Faversham 1009 1858 East Kent Railway Chatham 1010 1858 East Kent Railway Sittingbourne 1011 1858 East Kent Railway Crampton Notes:

Other builders

Builder Works no. Date built Railway Name/no. Notes Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company 53 1846 South Eastern Railway 92 LNWR Crewe Works ? 1847 London and North Western Railway, Northern Division 176 Courier Kitson and Company ? 1848 Midland Railway 130 Kitson and Company ? 1848 Midland Railway 131 Timothy Hackworth ? 1848 London, Brighton and South Coast Railway 56 Timothy Hackworth ? 1848 London, Brighton and South Coast Railway 58 A. Horlock and Co 1848 Padarn Railway Fire Queen A. Horlock and Co 1848 Padarn Railway Jenny Lind R. B. Longridge and Company ? 1851 Great Northern Railway 200 Notes:

Manufactured in France

Builder Works no. Date built Railway Name/no. Notes Société Ch.Derosne et Cail 139–150 (12) 1849 Chemins de fer du Nord 122 Crampton to 133 Linné Société J. F. Cail & Cie 188–199 (12) 1852 Chemins de fer de l'Est 79 Le Globe to 90 L’Amérique Société J. F. Cail & Cie 219–230 (12) 1853–54 Chemins de fer du Nord 134 Pradier to 145 Van Eyck Société J. F. Cail & Cie 329–340 (12) 1854 301 to 312 Société J. F. Cail & Cie 387–392 (6) 1855 313 to 318 Société J. F. Cail & Cie 414–429 (16) 1855 Chemins de fer du Nord 146 Alibert to 161 Volney Société J. F. Cail & Cie 544–555 (12) 1857 319 La France to 330 La Grèce Société J. F. Cail & Cie 443 1856 Chemin de fer du Nord 162 Alma Société J. F. Cail & Cie 444 1856 Chemin de fer du Nord 163 Inkerman Schneider et Cie 196–210 (15) 1856 Chemins de fer de l'Est 174 Eupatoria to 188 Taganrok André Koechlin et Cie 820–829 (10) 1864 Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée 31 Sylphie to 40 Moucheron Notes:

Manufactured in Germany

Builder Works no. Date built Railway Name/no. Notes J. A. Maffei ?–? (4) 1853 Pfälzische Eisenbahnen 26 to 29 Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe 3–4 (2) 1854 Baden State Railway 67 Adler and 68 Falke Borsig 553 1854 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab Thor Borsig 554 1854 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab Njord Borsig 555 1854 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab Baldur Borsig 556 1854 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab Fenris Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe 5–9, 11–12, 10 (8) 1854–56 Baden State Railway 69 Comet to 76 Basel Borsig 557 1855 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab Skirner Borsig 558 1855 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab Vidar Maschinenfabrik Esslingen ?–? (14) 1855–63 Pfälzische Eisenbahnen 36–41, 46–49, 60–63 — (3) 1856 Baden State Railway 1, 2, and 4 J. A. Maffei ?–? (12) 1857–58 Bayerische Ostbahn A1 to A12 Maschinenfabrik Esslingen 424 1858 Sjællandske Jernbane Selskab H.C. Ørsted Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe 74–77, 89-92 (8) 1858–59 Baden State Railway 83 Rheinfelden to 90 Pfalz Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe 195–202 (8) 1863 Baden State Railway 7 Badenia to 14 Offenburg Notes:

See also Long Boiler locomotive 6-2-0 for Crampton locomotives in the USA

References

Sources

External links

The Cité du Train museum (in English) Crampton type Locomotive Video of (2-2)-2-0 No. 80 "Le Continent" in steam