From 1-3 August, Alstom is opening the doors to its Derby Litchurch Lane rolling stock factory to display both historic and modern trains at The Greatest Gathering.
The event is part of the Railway 200 celebrations, marking 200 years of Britain’s modern railway. Included on display is the Midland Railway 1000 Class No. 1000 steam locomotive.
The Midland Railway 1000 Class was the first original engine designed by Samuel Waite Johnson. It was built in Derby in 1902 and selected for preservation in 1952. It is being displayed at The Greatest Gathering courtesy of the National Railway Museum.
The class was designed to haul express trains on the Midland Railway’s main lines, particularly between London St Pancras and the Midlands and North of England.
The steam locomotive used three cylinders: one high-pressure cylinder inside the frames, and two low-pressure cylinders outside.
The use of high- and low-pressure cylinders allowed steam to be reused, resulting in better thermal efficiency compared to many simple-expansion locomotives of the time.
