Class
D 2-Cylinder Crampton Type Express Passenger Locomotive
Designed
by Giorg Maznicek
Built
in 1849 by Cail, Denain, France
In
view of the RSR's striving for higher speeds, it can come as no
surprise
that Maznicek, like many Continental engineers, decided to try out the
Crampton type. These racers, of which just twenty were built, could go
like the wind when given their head, regularly achieving 100km/h.
Because
most of the weight of a Crampton is forward of the large rear driving
wheels,
these engines carried some seven tons of cast iron ballast under the
footplate.
The resulting adhesive weight of sixteen tons was quite high for the
period
and did raise a few eyebrows in the civil engineers' department.
Generally,
the Cramptons were well-liked by their crews, the large driving wheels
keeping piston speeds low and allowing commendably free running. The
bell
finally tolled for these flyers, as it did for so many others, when the
"Allegrettos" arrived on the scene in 1865 and took away the only job
they
could do well.
In
common with other early types, some of the Cramptons carried
six-wheeled tenders from the late 1850's.