DHR 778

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway 19 (All-India No. 778)
No. 778 hauling a train on the Ffestiniog Railway
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Sharp, Stewart & Co. Serial number 3518
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-0ST  • UIC B n2t Gauge 2 ft (610 mm) Driver dia. 26 in (0.660 m) Axle load 7.75 long tons (7.87 t) Loco weight 14 long tons (14 t) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 9 sq ft (0.84 m2) Boiler pressure 140 psi (0.97 MPa) Heating surface 316 sq ft (29.4 m2) Superheater None Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 11 in × 14 in (279 mm × 356 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 7,750 lbf (34.47 kN)
Career Operators Darjeeling Himalayan Railway → Indian Railways Class DHR B Class Number in class 3rd of 34 Numbers 19, 778 in all-India scheme of 1957 Withdrawn 1960 Disposition Preserved in Great Britain

DHR19 in the station at Leighton Buzzard.

DHR 778 is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive, that was built in 1889 for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. It is preserved in the United Kingdom, and is the only member DHR locomotive outside of India.

History[]

DHR 778 is a 0-4-0ST B Class, a design built between 1889 and 1927. A total of 34 were built. By 2005 only 12 remained on the railway and in use (or under repair). The B class locomotives were designed by Sharp Stewart & Co. of Glasgow and built by them, their successors North British Locomotive Company (NBL, Glasgow), and three each by Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW, Philadelphia, USA), and the DHR works at Tindharia.

Number 778 (originally No.19) was built in 1889 by Sharp Stewart & Co at the Atlas Works in Glasgow. It is the only DHR locomotive that has been taken out of India. After many years out of use at the Hesston Steam Museum, it was sold to enthusiast Adrian Shooter in the United Kingdom and restored to working order. As of 2009, it is based on Beeches Light Railway, a private railway in Oxfordshire, and has also run on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway, the Launceston Steam Railway and the South Tynedale Railway.^[1] 778 is the only B class with a tender.^{[citation needed]}

Special events[]

In mid-2011, for the 40th anniversary of preservation of the Froissy Dompierre Light Railway in France, three British-based locomotives visited, including locomotive 778.^[2]

In 2013, locomotive 778 ran as a part of Indian Extravaganza Fest in Bedfordshire in East England, ^[3] and in 2014 it was the main attraction at the South Tynedale Railway's Indian Summer Event^[4]

References[]

• Hughes, Hugh & Jux, Frank (1980). Steam Locomotives in India. Part 1 – Narrow Gauge. Harrow, Middlesex: Continental Railway Circle. pp. 69, 79, 87. ISBN 0-9503469-5-0.