‘No. 527 Class’ 2-6-0 1878-1879

527-541

GERS Collection 7002 120

The ‘No. 527 Class’ were the first 2-6-0s to run in Britain. Fifteen were built by Neilson & Co. in 1879, the first of which was named Mogul, and this became the generic name for locomotives of this wheel arrangement. They were large and powerful locomotives, capable of hauling more loaded coal wagons than any other locomotive in the country at the time. Unfortunately, their success was short-lived, for they had separate steam connections between the smokebox and outside cylinders, fitted inside the hollow casting between the frames. The joints frequently worked loose, and fitters would spend many hours cramped inside the casting attempting to make the joints steam-tight, only for them to work loose again within a few days. As a result, they were short-lived engines, and all had been withdrawn by 1887.