No. 2 'Kinnerley'

Ruston & Hornsby 40DL Diesel Locomotive

Kinnerley and Glaslyn both worked at Blockleys Ltd, Hadley, Telford, before coming to the WHR. Both are type 40DL, although Kinnerley retains a Ruston 3VRH engine rather than the Perkins 6.354 which Glaslyn has.

Kinnerley's transmission is still the standard Ruston gearbox, without any fluid flywheel or other additions. One of the selling points of the Ruston was that it has clutches inside the gearbox, and all gears constantly in mesh. Gear change is accomplished by means of a lever which engages one of the clutches, thus causing a particular combination of gears to be placed in the drive train. In industrial use this meant that the locomotive could be driven by a person standing or walking alongside the vehicle.

For use on the WHR it has been fitted with air brakes (powered by a compressor added at the side of the engine) and a cab. Some years after entering service a starter motor was fitted. Because there is no drive facility, however, there is no means of charging the battery other than through an external socket from a charger when the locomotive is in use.

Kinnerley is now used as a mobile air compressor for visiting steam locos.

Specifications

Builder Ruston & Hornsby
Built 1953
Works number 354068
Type 40DL
Wheel arrangement 4 wheel
Driving wheel diameter 17" 432mm
Engine Ruston 3VRH
Transmission Mechanical
Final drive Chains
Weight originally 5 tonnes
Maximum axle load 2.5 tonnes
Arrived W.H.R. 1975
Owners W.H.R. Ltd
Previous owners Blockleys Ltd, Hadley

See Also

  • Glaslyn, Kinnerley's sister locomotive.

red diesel locomotive with one coach
Kinnerley departs from Porthmadog station with the one-coach train during 'Dirty Chappies IV'. The locomotive carries the re-opening headboard that it had carried seventeen years earlier, having been the first operational locomotive on the restored Welsh Highland Railway. The coach, No.1, is also a veteran of those early days. So this train re-enacts the very first operations of the restored Welsh Highland Railway of 1980.
front view of red locomotive; one man in black suit on each side, wearing sunglasses
Kinnerley outside the big shed flanked by Dirty Chappies Controllers In Suits.