![Turkish 8F at Shildon - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Turkish_8F_at_Shildon_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2531973.jpg)
The TCDD (
Turkish Republic Railways
The State Railways of the Republic of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları), abbreviated as TCDD, is a government-owned national railway company responsible with the ownership and maintenance of railway infrastructure in Turkey ...
) 45151 Class is a class of
2-8-0 steam locomotives which were acquired from the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
War Department War Department may refer to:
* War Department (United Kingdom)
* United States Department of War (1789–1947)
See also
* War Office, a former department of the British Government
* Ministry of defence
* Ministry of War
* Ministry of Defence
* D ...
to the
LMS Stanier Class 8F
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Stanier Class 8F is a class of steam locomotives designed for hauling heavy freight. 852 were built between 1935 and 1946 (not all to LMS order), as a freight version of William Stanier's successful ...
design. They had a maximum speed of 43 miles per hour (70 km/h), much like their British counterparts.
Background
On the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
British locomotive manufacturers could no longer supply an order for
2-10-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-10-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, ten powered and coupled driving wheels on five axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement ...
s similar to the
TCDD 56001 Class, derived from the German
BR 42, for TCDD at the original price and conditions. (These locomotives were eventually delivered after the war as the
TCDD 56080 Class). However,
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
stepped in to offer neutral Turkey
DRG BR 52-type Kriegsloks which became the
56501 Class. Diplomatically embarrassed, the British offered the Turks 25 of the
LMS Stanier Class 8F
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Stanier Class 8F is a class of steam locomotives designed for hauling heavy freight. 852 were built between 1935 and 1946 (not all to LMS order), as a freight version of William Stanier's successful ...
2-8-0s, which had been adopted by the
War Department War Department may refer to:
* War Department (United Kingdom)
* United States Department of War (1789–1947)
See also
* War Office, a former department of the British Government
* Ministry of defence
* Ministry of War
* Ministry of Defence
* D ...
as their standard heavy freight locomotive.
The engines selected were built by the
North British Locomotive Company of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. Originally intended for WD service but the
Fall of France saw them earmarked for the
LMS before they were diverted to Turkey.
Shipping
The locomotives were shipped as a kit of parts (other 8Fs destined for the Middle East went complete) via the
Cape of Good Hope and the
Suez Canal since the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
was too dangerous for Allied shipping. Seven failed to complete the journey. The vessel transporting them, the
SS ''Jessmore'', was involved in a collision in the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
with another ship in the convoy on 19 February 1941. The Jessmore sank with the loss of its cargo a few days later. Three more received the same watery fate when the
MV ''Berhala'' was torpedoed by
''U-38'' on 23 May 1941 off
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...
,
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
. The lost engines were:
Service
The remaining 18 locomotives were
transhipped
Transshipment, trans-shipment or transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, then to another destination.
One possible reason for transshipment is to change the means of transport during the journey (e.g. ...
at
Port Said in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
and went overland to Turkey where they were renumbered 45151-68. Re-erection was in
Sivas
Sivas (Latin and Greek: ''Sebastia'', ''Sebastea'', Σεβάστεια, Σεβαστή, ) is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province.
The city, which lies at an elevation of in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, is ...
under the direction of
R.G. Jarvis of the LMS. In 1943 they were joined by 2 more classmates, (45169/70) taking the class number to 20, in lieu of the lost engines. These were joined by a gift of 29 of the
Lend-Lease S200 Class 2-8-2s which formed the
TCDD 46201 Class.
Designed for British conditions, the 8Fs were not suited to Turkish circumstances. Though large for British engines, they were underpowered by Turkish standards and so could not ascend the steep grades unassisted. Their lack of
drop grates also prevented them from long-distance working. They were thus relegated to
shunting and local trip freights. The Turkish railwaymen referred to them as "Churchills" after
British prime minister
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
.
The locomotives lasted into the 1980s where they became of special interest of British railway enthusiasts venturing abroad after the demise of steam in Britain.
Preservation
Three of the Turkish 8Fs have been preserved. No. 45161 is a static exhibit at the
Çamlık Railway Museum
The Çamlık Railway Museum, a.k.a. Çamlık Steam Locomotive Museum, ( tr, Çamlık Tren Müzesi or ''Çamlık Buharlı Lokomotif Müzesi'') is an outdoor railway museum at Çamlık village of Selçuk district in Izmir Province, Turkey. It is t ...
. 45168 is preserved and was seen on display at Izmit Station in September 2010. No. 45160 was repatriated to
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
in 1989 by the Churchill 8F Locomotive Company Limited where it is Operational on the
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWR, GWSR or Gloucs-Warks Steam Railway) is a volunteer-run heritage railway which runs along the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire border of the Cotswolds, England.
The GWSR has restored and reope ...
.
In October 2010, two of the six remaining derelict examples in Turkey (45166 and 45170) were acquired by the 3 members of the Churchill 8F Locomotive Company Limited. The two locomotives travelled by rail from
Sivas
Sivas (Latin and Greek: ''Sebastia'', ''Sebastea'', Σεβάστεια, Σεβαστή, ) is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province.
The city, which lies at an elevation of in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, is ...
depot to
Izmir where they were loaded onto a ship for transport back to the UK.
They arrived at
Royal Portbury Dock on
Boxing Day 2010 aboard the MV Grande Scandinavia (
Grimaldi Group
The Grimaldi Group is a private shipping company owned by the Grimaldi family (Emanuele Grimaldand based in Naples, Italy. Grimaldi operates a large fleet of ro-ro, ro-ro/multipurpose, con-ro multipurpose, PCTC (Pure Car and Truck Carrier), ro ...
). The transportation of the locomotives across Turkey was the subject of an episode of the
documentary television series
Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries.
Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film.
*Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...
Monster Moves
''Monster Moves'' is a British documentary television series which began airing in 2005. A total 31 episodes have been produced across 6 seasons so far.
Format
Each episode follows the high risk jobs of moving teams on their journeys to reloca ...
in 2011.
45170 is currently stored in the Museum of Scottish Railways at the
Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway
The Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway is a heritage railway in Bo'ness, Scotland. It is operated by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS), and operates a total of over of track (between Bo'ness and Manuel Junction, via Kinneil and Birkh ...
awaiting restoration by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society. 45166, meanwhile, was sold to the municipality of
Beersheba
Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in December 2012, and has now been cosmetically restored and put on display at the
Be'er Sheva Turkish Railway Station.
References
External links
45151 to 45170''Trains of Turkey''
{{TCDD Locomotives, state=collapsed
45151
LMS Stanier Class 8F
2-8-0 locomotives
NBL locomotives
Steam locomotives of Turkey
Standard gauge locomotives of Turkey
Railway locomotives introduced in 1940