Cornish Steam Locomotive
Preservation Society
Bagnall
Fireless 0-4-0F No 3121
The
firm of W.G.Bagnall Ltd. had roots in Stafford in 1870 and started building
locomotives in 1876 at their Castle Engine Works there. They dabbled with
various types of locomotives and built their
first Fireless locomotive in 1924. A further 13 were built with the last
example being 3121 built in 1957. The basic principle involved
high
pressure
steam being piped from a
charging point situated at a source such as a
coal
fired
power station in to a reservoir which is connected via a reducing valve to
cylinders which work rods connected to driving
wheels similar to a normal locomotive.
All of their fireless locos had a reducing valve, square bore cylinders at the rear and were fitted with Walschaerts valve gear.
3121 was ordered in December 1955 and delivered to the Marsh Mills Works of English Clays Lovering, Pochin & Co Ltd. near Plympton in Devon in May 1957. It was fitted with a later diesel type cab with sliding windows and half doors. It could run for 4 hours without recharging and worked until 1976 when it was replaced by a diesel loco.
Details are: Cylinders 18½" X 18", Driving wheels 3' ¼", Wheelbase 5'-6", Weight 27 Tons, Maximum Reservoir pressure 250 psi. Working pressure 80 psi. Tractive Effort at 85% wp 11480 lbs
On permanent loan from ECLP it moved to the Bugle Steam Railway in 1977, being the first piece of rolling stock at the site leased by the Cornish Steam Locomotive Preservation Society Ltd. On 17/18 June 1987 it moved to the Bodmin Steam Railway and is stored in Bodmin Parkway yard.