GER Class Y14 explained

Powertype:Steam
GER Class Y14
LNER Class J15
Designer:T. W. Worsdell
Builder:Stratford Works (270)
Sharp, Stewart & Co. (19)
Builddate:1883-1913
Totalproduction:289
Whytetype:0-6-0
Uicclass:C n2
Driverdiameter:4feet
Length:47inchesft3inchesin (ftin)
Locoweight:37.1LT
Tenderweight:30.65LT
Fuelcap:5LT
Watercap:2640impgal
Boilerpressure:160psi
Cylindercount:Two, inside
Cylindersize:NaNx
Tractiveeffort:16940lbf
Axleloadclass:LNER/BR: Route availability 1
Powerclass:BR: 1P2F
Withdrawndate:1922 - 1962
Disposition:One preserved, remainder scrapped

The Great Eastern Railway (GER) Class Y14 is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive. The LNER classified them J15.

The Class Y14 was designed by T.W. Worsdell for both freight and passenger duties - a veritable 'maid of all work'. Introduced in July 1883, they were so successful that all the succeeding Locomotive Superintendents continued to build new batches up until 1913 with little design change, the final total being 289.[1] During World War I, 43 of the engines served in France and Belgium.[2]

Background

On 10–11 December 1891, the Great Eastern Railway's Stratford Works built one of these locomotives and had it in steam with a coat of grey primer in 9 hours 47 minutes; this remains a world record. The locomotive then went off to run on Peterborough to London coal trains before coming back to the works for the final coat of paint. It lasted 40 years and ran a total of .

Because of their light weight the locomotives were given the Route Availability (RA) number 1, indicating that they could work over nearly all routes.

Table of orders and numbers
Year Order Manufacturer Quantity GER Nos. LNER Nos. 1946 Nos. Notes
1883 Y14 10 610–619 7610–7618, — align=left
1884 K15 20 620–639 7620–7639 align=left
1884 Sharp, Stewart & Co. 3146–3164 19 37–41, 119–124, 592–599 7037, 07038–07039, —, 7600, 7119–7124, 7592–7599 align=left 41 renumbered 600 in 1912
1885 N16 10 680–689 7680–7689 align=left
1885–86 P17 10 690–699 7690–7699 align=left
1886 M18 10 800–809 7609, 7801–7809 align=left 800 renumbered 609 in 1892
1886–87 X18 10 810–819 7810–7819 5350 align=left
1887 D20 10 820–829 7820–7829 5351–5353 align=left
1887–88 U20 10 527–536 7527–7536 5354–5356 align=left
1888 R21 10 537–541, 830–834 7537–7541, 7830–7834 5357–5360 align=left
1889 T22 10 835–844 7835–7844 5361–5364 align=left
1889 P23 10 845–854 7845–7854 5365–5372 align=left
1889 T23 10 855–864 7855–7864 5373–5375 align=left
1889 Y23 10 865–874 7865–7874 5376–5381 align=left
1890 U25 10 875–884 7875–7884 5382–5388 align=left
1890 Y25 10 885–894 7885–7894 5389–5394 align=left
1891 L28 10 895–904 7895–7904 5395–5400 align=left
1891 N28 10 905–914 7905–7914 5401–5407 align=left
1891 P28 10 915–924 7915–7924 5408–5414 align=left
1891–92 S28 10 925–934 7925–7934 5414–5421 align=left
1892 X28 10 936–945 7936–7945 5422–5427 align=left
1899 I45 10 507–516 7507–7516 5428–5435 align=left
1899 S45 10 517–526 7517–7526 5436–5439 align=left
1899 X45 10 640–649 7640–7649 5440–5449 align=left
1906 A60 10 552–561 7552–7561 5450–5459 align=left
1912 B70 10 562–571 7562–7571 5460–5469 align=left
1913 G73 10 542–551 7542–7551 5470–5479 align=left

Accidents and incidents

Notable features

As built all the locomotives had a stovepipe chimney; this was replaced in LNER days by a cast chimney with a small lip. The original Worsdell and early Holden series had three-ring boilers with the steam dome placed in the middle. Also the Worsdell boilers had a flat grate, however from 1890 Holden developed a boiler with a sloping grate and a two-ring telescopic barrel with the dome located well forward. The advantage of the dome position was a short 5½ inch steam pipe which limited pressure drop between the boiler and the cylinders. This boiler was adopted as standard and persisted on all Great Eastern Locomotives down to 1898; from then on it was perpetuated on the smaller locomotives as long as these remained essentially in their original configuration - which could be down to the 1960s.[2] As with all Great Eastern classes, the Y14 had a cab with a low wooden roof covered with canvas sealed by a coat of lead paint. This was replaced in LNER days by a higher arched sheet metal roof. Some engines had special side window cabs for service on the exposed Brightlingsea and Colne Valley branches.[2]

Allocations

On 1 January 1923 there were 272 J15 locomotives in existence. They were allocated as follows:[11]

In 1942 during World War II, six locomotives were drafted in to assist with coal traffic in South Yorkshire with three allocated to Mexborough engine shed and three to Barnsley engine shed.[12]

On 1 January 1948 when British Railways was formed, there were 127 J15 locomotives in existence.[13]

Unusually, in 1957 a couple of the class were allocated to Aylesbury and worked freight trains on the former Great Western Railway branch from Princes Risborough to Watlington before being withdrawn in 1958.[14]

In film

In September 1936 locomotives 7541 and 7835 were withdrawn by the LNER and sold to London Film Productions for their film Knight Without Armour. The two locomotives were moved to Denham film studios and underwent cosmetic modification to look more Russian as that was where the film was set. The locomotives were then sold to the War Department and worked on the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway as WD221 and WD212. During their war service both were involved in incidents and returned to Stratford in 1944 and subsequently scrapped.[15]

Another member of the class appeared in the 1954 film Happy Ever After disguised as an Irish locomotive.[16]

Preservation

Number 564/7564/65462 is preserved on the North Norfolk Railway and owned by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Society.[17] In 2002 the locomotive reached the end of a major overhaul and was painted in LNER (numbered 7564) and BR black numbered 65462) liveries for the duration of its boiler ticket. It originally operated in these liveries when classified as a J15 in LNER and BR days. Following withdrawal from service in 2013, the locomotive received another overhaul (completed 2015) where it was outshopped in GER lined blue and sporting its original number of 564 and representing its days when classified as a Y14.

65469 was originally a candidate for preservation, but it was scrapped.[18]

Models

Hornby produces a ready-to-run model of the J15 in 00 gauge (4 mm) in BR (with the rebuilt high-arched cab roof) and LNER liveries (both as-built and high-arch cab roofs).[19] Also in 00 gauge, there are kits from Alan Gibson and Nu-Cast. Finley and Smith produce a 3 mm kit. A 7mm (O gauge) kit is made by Connoisseur Models.

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.gersociety.org.uk/loco/index.htm?jholden.htm Locomotives of the Great Eastern Railway
  2. http://www.lner.info/locos/J/j15.shtml The Class J15 (GER Class Y14) 0-6-0 Locomotives
  3. Book: Freestone. Jill. Smith. Richard W. Ipswich Engines and Ipswich Men. 1998. Under Stoke History group. Ipswich. 0-9532257-0-4.
  4. Web site: Great Eastern Railway . Lt-Col. P. G. von Donop, R.E. / Board of Trade . P. G. von Donop . 13 November 1900 . 25 July 2017.
  5. Book: Von Donop, P. G.. Report on Accident at County School station, 1915. 1915. H.M.R.I..
  6. Web site: J15 7629. BRDatabase.
  7. Web site: London and North Eastern Railway . Lt. Col A H Mount / Board of Trade . 7 January 1927 . 10 April 2016.
  8. Web site: 1930s Accident at Ongar . .
  9. Book: Atterbury, Paul.. Paul Atterbury's railway collection.. 2012. David & Charles / F & W Media. 978-1-4463-0202-6. Newton Abbot, United Kingdom. 794708326.
  10. Web site: Car collides with train on North Norfolk railway line. 19 November 2018.
  11. Book: Yeadon, W B . LNER Locomotive Allocations 1st January 1923 (The first day) . Challenger Publications . 1996 . 1-899624-19-8.
  12. James . H N . Great Eastern Wanderers Part 8 . Ipswich Transport Journal . July 1975 . 132 . 19.
  13. Web site: Steam Loco Class Information Class J15 Details . RailUK . 8 November 2010.
  14. Great Eastern Railway Society Journal No 84 - letter and photograph from Dick Riley (October 1995)
  15. Walker. Peter. Classic Camera. Great Eastern Journal. July 2017. 171. 2.
  16. James . H N . Great Eastern Wanderers Part 8 . Ipswich Transport Journal . July 1975 . 132 . 19.
  17. http://www.mandgn.co.uk/ Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Society – Home
  18. Web site: 65462 (GER 564, LNER 7564, LNER 5462 & BR 65462) . Preserved British Steam Locomotives . 10 July 2017 . 16 December 2019.
  19. Web site: National Model Rail Database . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055805/https://www.nationalmodelrail.co.uk/TrainClasses/Details/241 . dead . 4 March 2016 . National Model Rail . 13 September 2015 .