The LNER Encyclopedia

Hello there.

I wonder if anyone can help me. I am currently doing some research on locomotives that ran on the Middleton Railway in Leeds during its life as a colliery. In our archive we have an image of an 0-6-0 locomotive that we know as "No.6" and that it is possibly North Eastern, rebuilt as a saddletank (presumin from an 0-6-0 tender loco) in 1912.

Can annyone identify the locomotive, its class, or even better the actual locomotive and its works number?

Also, according to our records another locomotive listed as Jean/LNER 407 of 1897 ran on the railway around the year 1947 after working at Whitwood Chemical Company, Briggs Collierys Company and Saville Colliery. Can anyone shed any more light on this item, or even better an image or description of type?

Many thanks

Andy Hardy

After a little bit of searching on the web I have found that LNER 407 was a J79 that seems to have had a fairly interesting history. Does anyone know of any sources of information on theese locos that I can follow up? Also I presume they were built at Gateshead?

Thanks

Andy

The NER converted a number of 0-4-4WTs of the BTP class (Bogie tank passenger) to 0-6-0T with side tanks.
Your No6 could be one of these with a saddle tank conversion.
Regrerably i am away from my books till the weekend so if no concrete answer is forthcoming i will research further for you.
The book you need is Locomotives of the NER by Ken Hoole.
BTW if No.6 is an NER number the loco is originally a YN&B loco as York Newcastle and Berwick locos originally took NER Nos.1-300.

From Illustrated history of NER Locos By Ken Hoole:-
"Class 34
The 1894 list left blank the details of the engine due to take the number 1705 as it was sold to Backworth Collieries Ltd in January 1894 for £600. It was credited as originating on the Great North of England Railway as a short-coupled 0-6-0 built by Robert Stephenson & Oc in 1844, becoming York & Newcastle No34, the number it carried until becoming 1900 in 1890. It was rebuilt as a 0-6-0ST in 1873 and although in some lists it is shown as Class 287, it was not of the same pattern.
The engine was sold from Backworth in 1904, probably to a dealer, and some years later, c1912, it appeared at Middleton Colliery , near Leeds, where it spent the rest of it's days."

Thanks Bill youve saved me some research. NERA/NELPG would have loved to have saved that one.

Funnily enough one of the members at Ormesby had a photo of the same loco a few weeks ago. I'll have to ask him why he'd come across it.

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for the replys. Your pointers have set me off on another direction or research during my lunch break at the NRM.

The Middleton Railway knows this loco as No.6, presumably it had this number when at Backworth between Jan 1894 and 1904, or in the blank gap between 1904 and c1912 when it arrived at Middleton.

The quote in the Ken Hoole book says it could possibly have been a Great North of England Railway locomotive from 1884 built by Robert Stephenson & Co. At work we have the records of this firm and I requested to see various files.

The order book shows only 37 locomotives ordered in 1844, two being for the above railway in April of that year. These were works numbers 438 and 439. These were both tender locomotives and were delivered on the 10th and 25th of September respectivly.

If the Hoole statement is correct, then it is most likely No.6 was one of these locomotives prior to its rebuilding as a saddle tank in 1873.

I plan to now search at work for any records of the railway and its stock, to see if I can find a reference to either of these locomotives being ordered and number 34 as per the caption in the Hoole book. Hopefully that will give me confirmation of my thoughts.

Im also hoping the NRM may have a GA or similart drawing of the locomotives as built, it would be interesting to see what they look like.

Many thanks to everyone for the help.

Andy