Lima S160 Class No. 5197

During the second half of WW2, starting in 1942, the Alco, Baldwin and Lima companies started producing class S160 2-8-0 'Austerity' steam locomotives for the US Army Transportation Corps of Engineers. These locos were shipped around the world for the war effort, and some of them (one suggested figure is twenty) ended up on the sea bed of the Atlantic, or Pacific, due to enemy torpedoes.  Many of these locomotives were intended for use following the D-Day landings, and were used in the British national network beforehand.

A member of the Churnet Valley Railway is removing old layers of paint from the drivers with a needle gun and rotary sander.  All photos by John Bowers.

The S160s were designed more for ease of production than with longevity in mind.  In operation the 'Austerities' suffered from metal fatigue in the firebox crown which, tragically, resulted in three failures (explosions) in the UK in the 10 months following November 1943. This flaw was due to a combination of factors stemming from the 'Austerity' method of construction, and difficult wartime operating conditions.

Another (less hazardous) design feature of the S160 was the front two sets of driving wheels were separately sprung from the rear two, for operation on poor quality wartime (and post privatization?!) track.

A surviving example of the 'Austerity' class is USATC No. 5197, built by Lima in 1945 and shipped directly to China that same year. The subsequent Chinese designation was KD6.463.

The boiler tubes were due to be replaced on the 7 May, a week after this photo was taken. Normal boiler pressure is 200-225 psi.

After spending many years serving the Chinese coal industry, the loco was purchased privately by Derek Foster (who has also owned two other locomotives on the Llangollen Railway), and arrived in England in 1995. After storage and restoration at the Llangollen Railway (which the author had the good fortune to visit last year), the loco started operating as No. 5197 in 1999 at the Churnet Valley Railway (CVR) near the Peak District National Park.

The driving wheels are being stripped and will be de-greased prior to repainting.

The locomotive and tender weigh 125 tons and are currently nearing the end of an 18 month rebuild. After the 1999 restoration, the loco and tender carried a grey wartime LNER livery, but, for this second rebuild will be out-shopped in a black livery.

5197 had returned to the CVR a week before I visited, having had the motion and axle boxes re-machined off site, and new tires fitted and turned. The loco also now has a new ash pan and fire grate.  The boiler tubes were due to be installed a week after my visit.

A selection of refurbished brake rods and also the manual brake wheel. The rods require re-bushing prior to installation. Donations are welcome!

It is hoped that 5197 will operate under her own power for the Steam Gala at the CVR in June 2005, where ex-GWR 'City of Truro' is also due to make an appearance.

The tender brake system has been overhauled and the layers of new gloss paint are nearly complete.

The Churnet Valley Railway operates a '1940's' weekend, with visitors dressing in period costume, and Army vehicles on site. The Gestapo traditionally invade the line, but are repelled by the Home Guard with fixed bayonets. 5197 is an authentic addition to such an event.

You can see 5197 under full power, in a wartime temporary grey LNER livery, here in 2003.

(John Bowers)