The only tender locomotive on
the K&ESR, No. 19 arrived in 1971 having been purchased
privately and transported from Oslo.
No. 19 was built for the Norwegian State Railway (NSB) by
the Swedish firm of Nydquist and Holm (works No. 1163) at
Trollhattan in 1919. Eight such locomotives were constructed
and designated class 21c. They developed from an earlier series
of 2-6-0 moguls built for the NSB. The first three had been
built by Messrs Dubs and Company of Glasgow in 1891, the design
being credited to David Jones of the Highland Railway. There
is also one preserved in Norway and another (No. 377) in this
country.
Given the running number 376, this locomotive and its sisters
were built for use on the Kongsvingar line in south eastern
Norway. Displaced from there, No. 376 ended its days as motive
power for snow plough work at Grong on the Nordland line,
some 60 miles north of Trondheim. An interesting feature of
the 38 ton locomotive was the enclosed cab fitted to provide
shelter during the long hours of darkness encountered in the
north of Norway. A headlamp is also fitted above the smokebox
door, current being provided by a steam generator mounted
above the firebox.
After arrival on the K&ESR it was fitted with a vacuum
brake and retubed whilst retaining the airbrake for its own
use. As K&ESR No. 19 it was regularly in service during
1974-76, but was withdrawn in 1977 for extensive overhaul
and repairs.
Work proceeded only slowly and the locomotive changed hands
several times. During 1984 it came into the ownership of the
Norwegian Locomotive Trust. The tender had to be virtually
rebuilt as the old one had suffered bad wastage and it was
at this stage that the tender portion of the fully-enclosed
cab was dispensed with. As far as the boiler was concerned,
many stays needed to be replaced as did all tubes and superheater
elements and a new smokebox and ashpan were also required.
A particularly time consuming aspect of the overhaul was the
valve gear which was very badly worn. The locomotive re-entered
traffic in 1996 and was ceremoniously recommissioned by His
Excellency the Norwegian Ambassador, the Patron of the Trust.
Shortly afterwards the locomotive was named Norwegian.The
Locomotive has now been withdarwn for routine overhaul
TECHNICAL DATA
Class: 21c
Weight: loco 38 tons; tender 22 tons
Tractive effort: 18,560 lbs.
Cylinders (2) 17 in. dia x 24 in. stroke
Boiler Pressure: 170 lbs. superheated
Wheels: 4 ft. 6 ins. diameter
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