NER Class H
Encyclopedia
The North Eastern Railway
(NER) Class H, classified as Class Y7 by the London and North Eastern Railway
(LNER) is a class of 0-4-0
T steam locomotive
s designed for shunting
.
Due to their small size, these engines did not have a bunker in the traditional position behind the cab, so coal was piled up on top of the side tanks immediately in front of the cab. The Y7s shared their simple domeless boiler design with the J78 and J79 classes.
The locos were originally fitted with dumb buffers, but these were changed for small round buffers during the 1930s, some also gaining vacuum brakes during this period; only hand and steam brakes were fitted when built.
Locomotives operating at Tyne Dock were altered to take shunting poles on each corner of the loco, giving the ability to pull a wagon on an adjacent line.
Two entered British Railways stock in 1948, becoming BR 68088 and 68089.
Dock work was hit hard by the depression, and between 1929 and 1932 the sixteen locomotives which made up the first two batches delivered were withdrawn, nine being sold to industrial use while the remainder were scrapped.
Two have survived to preservation:
LNER No. 985 (8088), BR 68088, was sold to the National Coal Board
in November 1952 and worked at Bentick Colliery until 1964 when it was purchased by the Y7 Preservation Society. This locomotive has been located at the North Norfolk Railway
since 2004. In December 2010 it was announced that when it's overhaul was completed, 68088 would be based at Beamish Museum
for three years.
NER No. 1310 was bought by the Steam Power Trust, and has been located at the Middleton Railway
since 1965.
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
(NER) Class H, classified as Class Y7 by 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...
(LNER) is a class of 0-4-0
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
T steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s designed for shunting
Switcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...
.
Description
Introduced in 1888 by Thomas W. Worsdell, six were built in 1888. Their simple, bare design easily navigated the tight curves and poor quality track which they ran on. The Y7 proved so successful, that the NER ordered a further ten in 1891, three in 1897 and five more were ordered by the LNER in 1923.Due to their small size, these engines did not have a bunker in the traditional position behind the cab, so coal was piled up on top of the side tanks immediately in front of the cab. The Y7s shared their simple domeless boiler design with the J78 and J79 classes.
The locos were originally fitted with dumb buffers, but these were changed for small round buffers during the 1930s, some also gaining vacuum brakes during this period; only hand and steam brakes were fitted when built.
Locomotives operating at Tyne Dock were altered to take shunting poles on each corner of the loco, giving the ability to pull a wagon on an adjacent line.
Numbering and livery
The LNER originally painted the Y7s in black with ¼inch vermillion lining; repaints after 1928 omitted this with locomotives in plain black.Two entered British Railways stock in 1948, becoming BR 68088 and 68089.
Operation and preservation
The original work of these locos was on Tyneside, at Hull docks, and within Darlington works, but LNER no.8088 was recorded working at Stratford works between 1943 and 1952.Dock work was hit hard by the depression, and between 1929 and 1932 the sixteen locomotives which made up the first two batches delivered were withdrawn, nine being sold to industrial use while the remainder were scrapped.
Two have survived to preservation:
LNER No. 985 (8088), BR 68088, was sold to the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
in November 1952 and worked at Bentick Colliery until 1964 when it was purchased by the Y7 Preservation Society. This locomotive has been located at the North Norfolk Railway
North Norfolk Railway
The North Norfolk Railway – also known as the "Poppy Line" – is a heritage steam railway in Norfolk, England, running between the coastal town of Sheringham and Holt, It cuts through the countryside to the east of Weybourne with views of its windmill and passes through the well preserved country...
since 2004. In December 2010 it was announced that when it's overhaul was completed, 68088 would be based at Beamish Museum
Beamish Museum
Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum is an open-air museum located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, County Durham, England. The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early...
for three years.
NER No. 1310 was bought by the Steam Power Trust, and has been located at the Middleton Railway
Middleton Railway
The Middleton Railway is the world's oldest continuously working railway. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd...
since 1965.
External links
- http://www.britishsteam.com/LNER/0-4-0/Y7_1310.php
- http://www.lner.info/locos/Y/y7.shtml
- http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/locos/e68088.htm