GNRI Class Q information

GNR(I) Q class
GNR(I) No. 131 at Loughside.
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Charles Clifford Builder Neilson, Reid & Co. (9), North British Locomotive Co. (2), Beyer, Peacock & Co. (2) Build date 1899–1904 Total produced 13
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4-0  • UIC 2′B n2 (later 2′B h2) Gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Driver dia. 6 ft 7 in (2.007 m) Loco weight 49 long tons 4 cwt (110,200 lb or 50 t) Boiler 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m) diameter Boiler pressure 175 psi (1.21 MPa) Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size 18 in × 26 in (457 mm × 660 mm) later 18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 16,755 lbf (74.53 kN)
Career Operators GNR(I) → UTA & CIÉ Numbers 120-125, 130-136 Preserved No.131 Disposition One preserved, remainder scrapped

The GNR(I) Q Class 4-4-0 steam locomotives of the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNR) were mainly used on cross-border mixed traffic duties between Dublin and Belfast, as well as the "Derry Road" between Portadown and Derry. It was designed for the GNR under the auspices of Charles Clifford and built by Neilson, Reid and Company, North British Locomotive Company and Beyer, Peacock and Company. The Q Class is slightly smaller than the GNR class S 4-4-0 ^[1] but powerful enough to haul a rake of eight or more carriages.

Faster running was achieved with the addition of superheated boilers and widened cylinders (under the supervision of G.T. Glover in the 1920s, and sometimes known as Qs class). In 1932 a two coach newspaper train hauled by No. 135 covered Howth Junction to Drogheda at a start-to-stop average speed of 67.06 mph (107.92 km/h), the fastest run in Ireland achieved with a steam locomotive on a scheduled train ^[2]