​Big Bertha

(Work in progress.)

Details from locomotive history card available to be viewed at York Museum.

​The tender plate bought at auction by a local railwayana collector.

​​Built December 1919 at Derby

Number 2290

Wheel arrangement 0-10-0

Wheels 4ft 7 1/2 ins

cylinders (4) 16 3/4 by 28ins

Walschaerts valve gear

Superheated

T/E 43313 at 85% boiler pressure

Working weight 73 tons 13 cwt

Length 61ft 5/8 ins

Wheelbase 46 ft 3 3/4 ins

Boiler pressure 180lbs

Boiler G10S number 4886

145 small tubes

27 large tubes

Spare boiler built 1922 first fitted November 1923 number 5395

​Ramsbottom safety valves changed to Ross Pop

Original cost Engine £7209

Tender £1249

Total £8450

Total mileage when withdrawn 835,331

Withdrawn W/E 19-5-1956

Number changed 22290 W/E 27-9-1947

58100 W/E 29-1-1949

​Livery plain black. given lined black in February 1950

The continuous blowdown valve fitted 12-10-1937 which went through the tender was changed to emptying into the ashpan 19-4-1952.

​Jumper blast pipe blower cap and blower ring and chimney extension 29-12-1929 and 4-1-1936 at a cost of £14-4-9d.

Tender No 343

6 wheels

2050 gallons

4tons of coal

weight empty 18 tons 8 cwt

weight working 31 tons 11 cwt

Withdrawn from stock w/e 16-6-1956

broken up w/e 18 5-1957

Other changes not mentioned on History Card

All footstep corners turned up.

Two extra lugs fitted on bottom of smokebox door some time after September 1953. Door had dropped and these had to be tightened up first with a 7/8  spanner.

Some time between 1951 and 1953 the front frames were altered to allow two lifting holes. 

Before electric headlamp was fitted in November 1921 she carried a normal lamp on a bracket fitted to front right handrail.

Oil fired during 1921 and 1926 strikes.

Tender sides cut down in 1922.

once fitted with device to blast sand through tubes, later removed. Location of control in cab can be seen in photos showing blanking plate.

Steam reverser removed in 1938 replaced by manual.

A former Bromsgrove fireman states when smokebox was opened there was not a lot of char to be emptied, I suppose most of it had been blasted up the chimney.

Another former fireman remembers when he was a cleaner and would be sent down to the South where a steam lance was kept. here he would connect it up and blow out the tubes.

When first arrived at Bromsgrove she was fitted with an indicator shelter. a picture survives of her in the bank engine siding at Bromsgrove although I have seen it captioned as being at Derby which is wrong.

The routing of the wiring for the electric headlamp was changed at some time.

A Henry Casserley photograph from 1948 when she carried the number 22290

LIFE ON THE LICKEY

​The plate still in place 10 March 1957. Photographer unknown.

A page from Pat Wallace's notebook.

Successor to 58100 was 92079

With the conversion of 69999 not a success and 92008's trials being successful the writing was on the wall for Big Bertha.

92079 from it's history card

Built 29-3-56 at Crewe at a cost of £28,851 and allocated to Toton.

Single chimney

Steam sanding apparatus (back)

Everlasting blow off cock

BR1C tender 1168

Taken out of traffic 7-5-56 at Derby until back into traffic 12-5-56 having covered 8454 miles.

Tender changed to BR1G period ending 19-5-56

Allocated to Bromsgrove 19-5-56

Provision of safety links 5-10-57 at a cost of £17-8-4d

At Crewe works 3-8-57 to 28-9-57

At Crewe works 17-2-58 to 29-3-58

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