The GER Class B74 was a class of five 0-4-0T steam locomotives designed by Alfred John Hill

Alfred John Hill

Alfred John Hill was Chief Mechanical Engineer at the Stratford Works of the Great Eastern Railway from 1912-1922.His best-known design is probably the GER Class L77 0-6-2 tank locomotive which was perpetuated by Nigel Gresley of the London and North Eastern Railway after the 1923...

 for the Great Eastern Railway

Great Eastern Railway

The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...

. They all passed to the London and North Eastern Railway

London and North Eastern Railway

The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...

 at the 1923 grouping

Railways Act 1921

The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...

 and received the LNER classification Y4.

History

These locomotives had 17 by outside cylinders driving 3 in 10 in (1.17 m) wheels. They were built to replace the older, less powerful Class 209

GER Class 209

The GER Class 209 was a class of 0-4-0 saddle tank steam locomotives of the Great Eastern Railway. These locomotives were similar to the NBR G Class but had flat-topped, instead of round-topped, tanks...

 (LNER Class Y5).

Table of orders and numbers

Year	Order	Manufacturer	Quantity	GER Nos.	LNER Nos.	LNER 1944 Nos.	Notes
1913	B74	Stratford Works Stratford Works Stratford Works was the locomotive-building works of the Great Eastern Railway situated at Stratford, London, England. It was opened in 1847-1848 by the GER's predecessor, the Eastern Counties Railway...	1	227	7227	8125
1914	B77	Stratford Works Stratford Works Stratford Works was the locomotive-building works of the Great Eastern Railway situated at Stratford, London, England. It was opened in 1847-1848 by the GER's predecessor, the Eastern Counties Railway...	2	228, 226	7228, 7226,	8126, 8127
1921	A82	Stratford Works Stratford Works Stratford Works was the locomotive-building works of the Great Eastern Railway situated at Stratford, London, England. It was opened in 1847-1848 by the GER's predecessor, the Eastern Counties Railway...	2	229, 210	7229, 7210	8128, 8129

All were still in service at the 1923 grouping; the LNER adding 7000 to the numbers of nearly all the ex-Great Eastern locomotives, including the Class B74 locomotives. There were renumbered 8125–8129 in the 1944 renumbering scheme. At nationalisation in 1948, British Railways added 60000 to their numbers.

In 1952, number 68129 was transferred to the Service (departmental) list and renumbered 33. Withdrawals started in 1955 with 68125, with 68127 and 68128 going in 1956 and 68126 in 1957. The last to be withdrawn was 33, in 1963.

External links

• A. J. Hill locomotives — Great Eastern Railway Society
• The Hill Y4 (GER B74) 0-4-0 Shunters — LNER Encyclopedia