BR Standard Class 8

Common card · No. 279935

The BR Standard Class 8 is a one-off 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive designed by Robert Riddles for use by British Railways. Only a single locomotive, the prototype, was constructed, which was named Duke of Gloucester. Constructed at Crewe Works in 1954, the Duke, as it is popularly known, was a replacement for the destroyed LMS Princess Royal Class locomotive 46202 Princess Anne, which was involved in the Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash of 1952. The Duke was based on the BR Standard Class 7 Britannia design. It incorporated three sets of modified Caprotti valve gear, new to British locomotive engineering and more efficient than Walschaerts or Stephenson valve gear. Due to errors made during the original construction of The Duke, it was regarded as a failure by locomotive crews due to its poor steaming characteristics and its heavy fuel consumption. Trials undertaken by British Railways also proved disappointing, revealing problems with the draughting of the locomotive, which caused...

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