Austere Locomotive

An exceptional locomotive, evidently designed as an adjunct of second-front operations, is already in production in Britain, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Supply last week. Christened the Austerity Class, it can burn "any kind of fuel." More important, its wheels can be adjusted to run on any gauge track. A lightweight, the Austerity is built with only four tons of steel castings, as against 21 tons used in pre-war British locomotives; but it has plenty of power, can haul 700 tons at 30-to-40 m.p.h.

According to a BBC broadcast, "the Austerity Class will be used for hauling munitions and troop trains in countries where fuel and water supplies may be very far apart"--conditions likely to be encountered by an invading force. For this reason the little Austerities are being fitted with outsize tenders to hold extra-large quantities of fuel and water.

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