Hunslet Austerity 3193 0-6-0ST Steam Locomotive
by Gordon James
Title
Hunslet Austerity 3193 0-6-0ST Steam Locomotive
Artist
Gordon James
Medium
Photograph - Photography Digital
Description
Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 3193 at the Northampton and Lamport Railway (NLR) on 29th August 2021. As of 2023, this locomotive is now resident at this preserved railway.
HUNSLET Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 3193 of 1944 Norfolk Regiment.
No. 3193, which was built for the War Department where it was numbered WD140, later 75142, was rebuilt by Hunslet in 1962 as No. 3887.
The Austerity 0-6-0st type came about during World War II when it was realised a heavy duty shunting loco was required for UK and, ultimately, mainland European service. The design was so successful that 485 were built for military and industrial service. The design was based on an amalgam of previous Hunslet designs simplified for war time conditions.
In the early 1960s, in a bid to meet stringent restrictions on smoke emissions, Ing. L.D.Porta was commissioned by the Hunslet company to design certain modifications. Hunslet had become aware of Porta technology when, unsuccessfully, bidding for the contract to build the second batch of 75cm gauge 2-10-2 locomotives for RFIRT, Argentina.
Research suggests the locomotives may not have been quite as Porta would have wished. It is felt something could have been lost 'in the translation' between Argentina and the UK. However despite some shortcomings these locomotives did serve an important purpose in the development of steam. They were the very first application of Porta's work outside of his native Argentina.
Some locos were built with the modifications whilst other locomotives were returned for modification or even modified at NCB works through the supply of conversion kits. A few other types of locomotive were similarly modified around the same time.
It is not generally recognised that Hunslet remain the greatest users of Porta technology in terms of the number of locomotives modified or fitted from new outside of Argentina.
Uploaded
September 21st, 2021
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