Igortxa at 01:03, 1 March 2026

2026-03-01T01:03:40Z

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{{Infobox locomotive
| name = BESA class HP
| bgcolor =
| color =
| image = File:HPS 24467.jpg
| alt =
| caption = HPS 24467 on display at the [[National Rail Museum, New Delhi]].
| powertype = Steam
| designer = [[British Engineering Standards Association]]
| builder = [[Vulcan Foundry]] [[North British Locomotive Co.]] [[Robert Stephenson & Co.]] [[Kitson & Co.]] [[William Beardmore & Co.]]
| ordernumber =
| serialnumber =
| buildmodel =
| builddate = 1906–1950
| totalproduction =
| rebuilder =
| rebuilddate =
| numberrebuilt =
| website =
| whytetype = {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| uicclass = 2{{prime}}C n2
| DRGtype =
| driver = 
| gauge = {{track gauge|1676mm}}
| leadingdiameter = {{convert|3|ft|7|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| driverdiameter = {{convert|74|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| trailingdiameter =
| tenderdiameter = 
| carrydiameter =
| minimumcurve =
| wheelbase =
| engine total =
| leading = {{convert|7|ft|0|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| coupled = {{convert|6|ft|9|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| trailing =
| tender total =
| tenderbogie = 
| wheelbasewithtender = Variant with 3000 gallon tender: 50 ft 7 1 ⁄ 2  in (15,430 mm)
| wheelspacing = 
| length =
| over couplers =
| over buffers = Variant with 3000 gallon tender: 60 ft 9 3 ⁄ 4  in (18,535 mm)
| width = {{convert|9|ft|6|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| height = {{convert|13|ft|6|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| frametype =
| axleload = {{convert|16.8|LT}}
| leadingbogie/pony= 
| coupled all = 
| coupled 1 = 
| coupled 2 = 
| coupled 3 = 
| tenderbogieload = 
| tenderaxle = 
| weightondrivers =
| emptyweight =
| serviceweight = with 3000 gallon tender: 107 t with 4000 gallon tender: 113 t with 4500 gallon tender: 126 t
| locotenderweight =
| tendertype =
| fueltype =
| fuelcap =
| watercap = {{convert|3000|or|4000|or|4500|impgal}}
| tendercap =
| sandcap =
| fireboxtype = [[Belpaire firebox|Belpaire]]
| firearea = {{convert|32|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
| boiler = 
| boilertype = 
| pitch = 
| diameterinside =
| lengthinside = 
| smalltubediameter= 
| largetubediameter= 
| boilerpressure = {{convert|180|psi|bar kgf/cm2|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}
| safetyvalvetype = 
| feedwaterheater =
| totalsurface = {{convert|2037|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
| tubearea = {{convert|1880|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
| archarea =
| fluearea =
| tubesandflues =
| fireboxarea =
| superheatertype =
| superheaterarea =
| cylindercount = Two, outside
| cylindersize = {{convert|20|x|26|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| cylinderpressure =
| valvegear = [[Walschaerts valve gear|Walschaerts]]
| valvetype = [[Slide valve|Slide]] (HP class) [[Piston valves|Piston]] (HPS/HPC class)
| valvetravel =
| valvelap =
| valvelead =
| trainheating =
| locobrakes =
| locobrakeforce =
| trainbrakes =
| safety =
| coupling =
| maxspeed =
| indicatedpower =
| poweroutput =
| tractiveeffort = Starting:
*11.2 bar boiler pressure: {{convert|101|kN|lbf|abbr=on}}
*9.3 bar boiler pressure: {{convert|84|kN|lbf|abbr=on}}
| factorofadhesion =
| operator = {{ubl|[[East Indian Railway Company]]|[[North Western Railway]]|[[Eastern Bengal Railway]]|[[Great Indian Peninsula Railway]]}}
| operatorclass =
| powerclass =
| numinclass =
| fleetnumbers =
| officialname =
| nicknames =
| axleloadclass =
| locale = [[British Raj]] (until 1947) India (from 1947) Pakistan (from 1947) Bangladesh (from 1971)
| deliverydate =
| firstrundate =
| lastrundate =
| retiredate = 1980s-early 1990s
| withdrawndate =
| preservedunits = 2 (India) 1 (Bangladesh)
| restoredate =
| scrapdate =
| currentowner =
| disposition = Three preserved, remainder scrapped
| notes =
}}

The '''Class HP''' (''Heavy Passenger'') was a {{whyte|4-6-0}} [[broad gauge]] [[Passenger train|passenger]] [[steam locomotive]] introduced in 1906 on the [[Rail_transport_in_India#History|railways]] of [[British Raj|British India]]. It was one of the BESA locomotives developed by the British Engineering Standards Committee, later called the [[British Engineering Standards Association]] (BESA).

== History ==

The HP class passenger locomotive was first catalogued in the BESA report on standard locomotive classes for the British Raj of 1907.<ref>{{cite book |author= |date=February 1907 |title=Second report of the Locomotive committee on standard locomotives for Indian railways |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435015707664&seq=1 |publisher= |pages=4–5 |isbn= |access-date=August 31, 2024}}</ref> Like the [[Indian_locomotive_class_AP|AP class]], the HP was provided with three different tenders: a small one holding 3000 gallons of water, a medium tender holding 4000, and a large tender holding 4500.

The HP class locomotives were delivered to various railways, but only the Indian States Railways (ISR)-operated railways referred to them as the HP class. They were built by several British locomotive manufacturers, including the [[Vulcan Foundry]], [[Robert Stephenson and Company]], [[North British Locomotive Company]], [[Kitson and Company]] and [[William Beardmore and Company]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=India&wheel=4-6-0&railroad=gipr#4241 |title=Great Indian Peninsula 4-6-0 Locomotives in India |last=Llanso |first=Steve |website=SteamLocomotive.com |publisher= Sweat House Media |access-date= August 31, 2020}}</ref>

A later, superheated version was fitted with a [[Wilhelm Schmidt (engineer)|Schmidt]] [[superheater]] and classified as HPS (the S means superheated). Retrofitted HPs with superheaters were classified as HPC (the C means converted).{{sfn|Hughes|1979|page=18}}

<gallery widths="250" heights="150">
BESA steam engine class HP for India with 3000 gallon tender.png|Variant with 3000 gallon tender
BESA steam engine class HP for India with 4000 gallon tender.png|Variant with 4000 gallon tender
BESA steam engine class HP for India with 4500 gallon tender.png|Variant with 4500 gallon tender
</gallery>

== Design ==
The locomotives were designed with two cylinders, a [[Belpaire firebox]], and used saturated steam. The grate was arranged between the two rear coupled wheelsets, which had their wheel base lengths increased to accommodate the grate. The cylinders were fitted on the outside and the [[Valve gear|motion]] was driven from the second [[driving wheel]]. The saturated HPs were fitted with [[Walschaerts valve gear]] with [[slide valves]]; [[piston valves]] were used in the HPS and HPC classes. The running board was positioned low, so splashers had to be fitted above the [[driving wheels]]. As with the [[Indian locomotive class AP|AP class]] locomotives, the cab running board is positioned to match the height of the tender running board, and the cab running board also arcs up to the locomotive running board. A small pilot was attached to the front buffer beam. The driver's cab was completely enclosed with a half-cab on the tender. The tender was equipped with running boards and handrails along the side walls, which made it possible to reach the train from the locomotive while running.<ref>{{cite web|title=North British Locomotive Company Glasgow (NBL) L294, Indian State Railway (ISR)-East Bengal Railway 234|periodical=|location=[[Zurich]]|publisher=[[ETH Library]]|url=http://ba.e-pics.ethz.ch/link.jsp?id=102247|url-status=|format=|access-date=August 31, 2020|archive-url=|archive-date=|last=J. Stuart|date=1907|language=de|pages=|quote=}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

== Preservation ==
Three HPS class locomotives have been preserved:
* [[Bangladesh Railway]] HPS 30 in Rajshahi<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/bangladesh01.htm|title=Preserved Steam Locomotives in Bangladesh|last=Schneider|first=Torsten|publisher=International Steam Pages |access-date=August 28, 2017}}</ref>
* Indian Railways HPS 32 at the [[Rail Museum, Howrah]]
* Indian Railways HPS 24467 at the [[National Rail Museum, New Delhi|National Rail Museum]] of India, New Delhi.{{sfn|Hughes|1979|page=91}}

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
! Working !! Class !! Number !! Location !! Built !! Zone !! Builders !! Build No !! Name
|-
| No||HPS||30||Rajshahi Railway HQ||||||||||
|-
| No||HPS||32||Regional Rail Museum Howrah||||ER||||||
|-
| No||HPS||24467||National Rail Museum||1950||RB||Vulcan Foundry Ltd, Newton Le Willows||||
|}

<gallery widths="250" heights="150">
India Delhi Museum 1993 Broad gauge class HPS2 4-6-0 Nr 24467.jpg|Preserved HPS in the National Rail Museum of India
</gallery>

== References ==
<references/>
* {{cite book |last=Hughes |first=Hugh |author-link= |date=1979 |title=Steam Locomotives in India, Part 3 - Broad Gauge |url=https://archive.org/details/steamlocomotives0000hugh/mode/2up |location= |publisher=The Continental Railway Circle |page= |isbn=0950346942 |url-access=registration }}
== External links ==
{{Commons category|Indian locomotive class HP}}

{{Broad gauge locomotives of India |state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Steam locomotives of India]]
[[Category:5 ft 6 in gauge locomotives]]
[[Category:4-6-0 locomotives]]
[[Category:2′C n2 locomotives]]
[[Category:Vulcan Foundry locomotives]]
[[Category:Robert Stephenson and Company locomotives]]
[[Category:Passenger locomotives]]
[[Category:Kitson locomotives]]
[[Category:William Beardmore and Company locomotives]]
[[Category:NBL locomotives]]
[[Category:Steam locomotives of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1906]]

Indian locomotive class HP - Revision history

Igortxa at 01:03, 1 March 2026