GER Class Y14


The Great Eastern Railway 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 chief superintendents continued to build new batches down to 1913 with little design change, the final total being 289. During World War I, 43 of the engines served in France and Belgium.

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 number 1, indicating that they could work over nearly all routes.
YearOrderManufacturerQuantityGER Nos.LNER Nos.1946 Nos.Notes
1883Y14Stratford Works10610–6197610–7618, ——
1884K15Stratford Works20620–6397620–7639—
1884—Sharp, Stewart & Co. 3146–31641937–41, 119–124, 592–5997037, 07038–07039, —, 7600, 7119–7124, 7592–7599—41 renumbered 600 in 1912
1885N16Stratford Works10680–6897680–7689—
1885–86P17Stratford Works10690–6997690–7699—
1886M18Stratford Works10800–8097609, 7801–7809—800 renumbered 609 in 1892
1886–87X18Stratford Works10810–8197810–78195350
1887D20Stratford Works10820–8297820–78295351–5353
1887–88U20Stratford Works10527–5367527–75365354–5356
1888R21Stratford Works10537–541, 830–8347537–7541, 7830–78345357–5360
1889T22Stratford Works10835–8447835–78445361–5364
1889P23Stratford Works10845–8547845–78545365–5372
1889T23Stratford Works10855–8647855–78645373–5375
1889Y23Stratford Works10865–8747865–78745376–5381
1890U25Stratford Works10875–8847875–78845382–5388
1890Y25Stratford Works10885–8947885–78945389–5394
1891L28Stratford Works10895–9047895–79045395–5400
1891N28Stratford Works10905–9147905–79145401–5407
1891P28Stratford Works10915–9247915–79245408–5414
1891–92S28Stratford Works10925–9347925–79345414–5421
1892X28Stratford Works10936–9457936–79455422–5427
1899I45Stratford Works10507–5167507–75165428–5435
1899S45Stratford Works10517–5267517–75265436–5439
1899X45Stratford Works10640–6497640–76495440–5449
1906A60Stratford Works10552–5617552–75615450–5459
1912B70Stratford Works10562–5717562–75715460–5469
1913G73Stratford Works10542–5517542–75515470–5479

Accidents and incidents

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.
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.

Allocations

On 1 January 1923 there were 272 J15 locomotives in existence. They were allocated as follows:
On 1 January 1948 when British Railways took over the running of the nation's railways, there were 127 J15 locomotives in existence.
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.

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.

Preservation

Number 564/7564/65462 is preserved on the North Norfolk Railway and owned by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Society. In 2002 the locomotive reached the end of a major overhaul and was painted in LNER 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 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.

Models

Hornby produces a ready-to-run model of the J15 in 00 gauge in BR and LNER liveries. Also in 00 gauge, there are kits from Alan Gibson and Nu-Cast. Finley and Smith produce a 3 mm kit. A 7mm kit is made by Connoisseur Models.