Class Q1 2-4-2 (1882)

More than fifteen years after his "Allegrettos" took to the rails, Marek Luršimonšj was still trying to give them a worthy successor. Success was proving elusive, however. The 4-4-0s of 1875 had unfortunately lacked boiler capacity and were beset with running gear problems. Hence Luršimonš's departure once more from so many of his standard design principles, as shown by this 2-4-2. The layout was clearly influenced by the Henry 2-4-2s of the French PLM. Gone were the outside frames and Stephenson valve gear; these engines had Joy's valve gear instead. The carrying axles at front and rear were mounted in Adams radial axleboxes, which didn't exactly contribute to smooth running. The valve gear suffered often from breakages and the steaming left something to be desired. The Q1s could pull quite hard when thrashed, but only at the cost of high coal and water consumption and more frequent visits to the repair shops. They were quickly superseded by the class R 4-4-2s, disappearing by the mid-1890's.

Text and graphics © Norman Clubb 2012