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IN DEPTH: Locomotive "Singapore"

Published Tuesday 21st June 2005

Locomotive 'Singapore', which was used at Singapore Royal Navy Dockyard from 1936-1953, arrives at St James's Park
Locomotive 'Singapore', which was used at Singapore Royal Navy Dockyard from 1936-1953, arrives at St James's Park

Locomotive "Singapore" was built to the standard design specification produced for the "Munition" Class steam locomotive by makers Hawthorn Leslie Engineers of Forth Bank Works, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

It was ordered from Hawthorn Leslie by the Director of Navy Contracts in 1935 for use in the Royal Navy Dockyard on the strategically important island of Singapore.

The locomotive was completed in 1936 as works No 3865 being lettered loco No 1 Yard No 102 and dispatched as deck cargo to Singapore.

Dimensions

Weight: 21 tons
Length: 19' 6"
Cylinder diameter and stroke: 12"x18"
Wheel Diameter: 3'
Water tank capacity: 500 gallons
Max. working steam pressure: 160 lb/sq inch
Fuel: coal
Hauling capacity: 783 tons on the level

Special non-standard design features: Double metal and wood skinned tropical cab roof in order to keep the footplate cool.

During the regular air attacks on the dockyards the steam locomotive received superficial bullet and shrapnel damage to cylinder and boiler cladding which can still be seen today.

Two areas of war damage are easily visible:

On the underside of the driver’s side outside cylinder casing separate bullet entry and exit holes can be witnessed.  The bullet struck the cylinder casing from above at an angle (probably caused by an aircraft strafing the docks).  The round pierced the outer thin casing and ricochet off the main cylinder casting.  The bullet then created an exit hole bending the thin metal outwards and backwards before burying itself in the ground.

About half way along the length of the boiler barrel underneath the saddle tank is a hole torn in the thin boiler-cladding sheet by shrapnel from a bomb, which had been dropped and exploded nearby.

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