Occasionally when scanning my archive photographs from the 1970/80s I get a big surprise. For the vast majority of my collection I can remember at least the day in question and for most I can remember actually taking the photograph. If you had asked me a few days ago if I had ever seen the Great Northern Railway Stirling Single No.1 outside of York Museum I would have sworn on a stack of Bibles I had not. However here is prove that I have and not only have I seen it outside of York Museum but had actually photographed it. Similarly if you had asked me if it had visited the Great Central Railway at Loughborough I would have said “no way”, however here it is in the shed yard at Loughborough, 31st May 1982.

Locomotive History
Great Northern Railway 4-2-2 No 1 was designed by Patrick Stirling and built at Doncaster Works in 1870. The locomotive formed the prototype for a series of similar engines and a further fifty two locomotives were built at Doncaster Works in three batches between 1870 and 1895. Each batch showed slight detail differences and improvements as Stirling gradually perfected the design. Some later improvements were applied retrospectively to the earlier engines, for example a larger firebox. The class was designed for high speed express duties between York and London. With the arrival of the Ivatt Atlantics from 1898 onwards, the class began to be displaced from the most prestigious express services and withdrawals of the 1870 series began in 1899 with No.1 being condemned in 1907. The last examples of the class were in use on secondary services until 1916.

Canon AT1, Kodachrome 64

Tags:   31st May No.1 Canon AT1 Epson 4490 Kodachrome 64

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Great Northern Railway Stirling Single No.1 on display at the National Railway Museum, York, 28th April 2023.

Locomotive History
Great Northern Railway 4-2-2 No 1 was designed by Patrick Stirling and built at Doncaster Works in 1870. The locomotive formed the prototype for a series of similar engines and a further fifty two locomotives were built at Doncaster Works in three batches between 1870 and 1895. Each batch showed slight detail differences and improvements as Stirling gradually perfected the design. Some later improvements were applied retrospectively to the earlier engines, for example a larger firebox. The class was designed for high speed express duties between York and London. With the arrival of the Ivatt Atlantics from 1898 onwards, the class began to be displaced from the most prestigious express services and withdrawals of the 1870 series began in 1899 with No.1 being condemned in 1907. The last examples of the class were in use on secondary services until 1916.

Tags:   28th April National Railway Museum New Photo Distillery

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North Eastern Railway 2-2-4T 66 Aerolite on display at the National Railway Museum, York, 28th September 2012.

Locomotive History
In theory this engine dates from 1869 when the North Eastern Railway built a new 2-2-2WT as a replacement for a 1851 built 2-2-2 engine named Aerolite damaged beyond repair in a collision in 1868. Both engines were not part of the general traffic fleet but used to haul the Chief Mechanical Engineers saloon. In 1886 extra side tanks were added and it received the number 66. In 1892 the engine was extensively rebuilt and in reality only the wheel centres and the boiler (which was actually fitted in 1886) were retained from the original engine. The wheel arrangement was changed to a 4-2-2T, and two-cylinder Worsdell-von Borries compound working was applied. The side tanks and bunker were enlarged, and the well tank was removed. Due to the scale of the 1892 rebuild this could be taken as the build date of the engine which survives today. In 1902 a less extensive rebuild switched the wheel arrangement from that of a 4-2-2T to that of a 2-2-4T. The engine remained in departmental service based at Darlington until withdrawn in 1933 and preserved in the original York Railway Museum.

Tags:   28th September

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On display at National Railway Museum annex at Shildon is Ivatt Great Northern Railway Atlantic 251, 7th February 2015.

Locomotive History
Great Northern Railway 251 was the first of a class of ninety four engines built for East Coast Main Line “Top Link” duties. It was built at Doncaster works in 1902. The class was classified C1 by the London and North Eastern Railway and remained on “top Link” duties until displaced by Gresley Pacifics in the mid 1920’s. From then onwards they were used on the lighter expresses, secondary duties and as main line pilots. Two engines of the class were withdrawn in the 1920’s however mass withdrawal did not commence until 1943 with last of the class withdrawn in 1949. Great Northern Railway 251 was renumbered 3251 by the London and North Eastern Railway in 1924 and 2800 in 1946 and was withdrawn in July 1947. Following withdrawal it was restored to an external Great Northern Railway condition complete with its original number of 251. This included the replacement of the superheater, piston valve cylinders, Ross pop safety valves, and mechanical lubricators. The replacement slide valve cylinders were taken from 2868, and the saturated boiler was taken from 3278. A new frame was fitted, probably from 2868. After this restoration, it was exhibited at Kings Cross in October 1952 as a part of the station's centenary. In 1953 it was steamed for a series of main line specials celebrating the centenary of Doncaster Works followed by a number of main line specials in 1954. After a visit to the Doncaster Paint Shop, 251 entered the York Museum in March 1957. It was then transferred to the new National Railway Museum at York in 1975 and later moved to Shildon.

Tags:   7th February 251 2800

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North Eastern Railway H class 0-4-0T shunting engine 1310 on display at the Middleton Railway, Leeds, 5th May 2014.
Locomotive History
The H class was designed by T W Worsdell in 1888 to replace the various miscellaneous 0-4-0 saddle tank shunting locomotives then used by the North Eastern Railway. The first batch was for six locomotives and they proved a great success. Their simple design easily navigated the tight curves and poor quality track in the sidings and docks where they were employed and the North Eastern Railway ordered a further ten engines in 1891 and three more in 1897. These were followed by a final batch of five ordered by the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923. The twenty four engines were designated class Y7 by the London and North Eastern Railway Duties for the class were generally found in the various docks and sidings in the Tyneside area, Hull Docks and the Darlington North Road Works yard. The economic depression of the late 1920’s and the introduction of the more modern and economical Sentinel Y1 and Y3 class small shunting engines lead to a reduction in class Y7 duties and therefore the sixteen oldest locomotives (the 1888 and 1891 built engines) were withdrawn between 1929 and 1932, although nine of these were sold to industrial users. North Eastern Railway 1310 was one of the Gateshead built 1891 engines and was withdrawn in 1931. Following withdrawal it was sold to Robert Frazer and Sons who quickly sold it on to Pelaw Main Collieries Limited in 1933. It passed to the National Coal Board in 1949, who renumbered it 63. In 1965, it was bought by the Steam Power Trust, and has been located at the Middleton Railway since 1965. Its last overhaul was completed in November 2011.

Tags:   5th May 1310

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