When the men arrived at their work at seven o'clock on the following morning, they had only to put the finishing touches to the engine, such as the funnel, dome, the remainder of the motion, and other minor adjustments, while the painters gave the entire engine a complete coat of paint. At ten minutes to three in the afternoon of the same day the engine was completed, with steam up ready for trial, having been erected in 16 hours 50 minutes, thus beating the London and North-Western record by some eight and a half hours; and although it cannot be contrasted with the accomplishment at Crewe, yet it is still a wonderful performance.
The English locomotive builders, however, were determined to wrest the laurels away from the American company, and thus retrieve their paramount position. In December 1891, the Great Eastern Railway Company, which has been the pioneer in many ramifications pertaining to railway matters, entered the field of the competition, and succeeded in establishing a record which completely eclipses the wonderful performances at Crewe and Altoona. In this last instance an engine was erected in the phenomenally short time of ten hours. The Great Eastern, however, besides lowering one record, created another at the same time. In the previous efforts, the engines erected had been only tanks, but the latest competitors beat the record with an engine and tender!
[Illustration: THIS TENDER WAS BUILT IN NINE HOURS.]
The engine erected was one of the six-wheel coupled goods type, of which there are between two and three hundred in existence already upon the Great Eastern Railway system. The cylinders are 17-1/2 inches in diameter, with a stroke of 24 inches, while the coupled wheels are 57 inches in diameter. When running in complete working order, the engine itself weighs 37 tons 2 cwt., augmented to 67 tons 12 cwt. with the tender. The latter has a capacity for 2,640 gallons of water, and three tons of coal.
The engineering works of the company at Stratford was the scene of the remarkable engineering feat conducted under the superintendence of Mr. James Holden, the designer of the style of engine selected, and also the chief engineer to the Great Eastern Railway.