The LNER Encyclopedia

Hi Guys

I was wondering if anyone could provide any information on the attached picture.

I know it is a K class, but which one is it. Taken at Hatfield station, Hertfordshire, from platform 2, I think, the train is therefore heading south. The date is unknown, but can anyone explain the number on the cab side it just says 92, would this help in dating the picture.

Regards

Richard

92 became 61826 under the 1948 BR renumbering scheme.It was built in Nov 1924 at Darlington and withdrawn in Sep 1962.

50c

Its a K3 Class locomotive.

LNER K3 No.92 became No.1826 in 1946. It is not an GNR original build as it would have a number in the 3xxx series therefore its an LNER build taking the first available number in this case No.92 in the ex NER series.
I am away from my sources at the moment but with certainty the pic is dated between 1923 and 1946. Someone on here should be able to give a correct build date to narrow it down a bit but im afraid even the detectives we have on here wont be able to do much better than that.
Still a nice pic of a nice class of loco.
As an aside who are/were Sherriff and Sons Hatfield.

The train is travelling on the up slow line heading south towards London having just passed HATFIELD No2 s/box. The locos headlamps donate that the train is running as a class C goods also thats a N.E. tender.

Micky wrote:The train is travelling on the up slow line heading south towards London having just passed HATFIELD No2 s/box. The locos headlamps donate that the train is running as a class C goods also thats a N.E. tender.

Do you think that it is a Darlington built example Micky, as i say im in London with no reference books.

Hello 52D this is where you loco guy's have the jump on me when it comes to 'details of locos' you guy's know loads more than me!. The tender looks like a N.E. tender to me but other than that i really wouldn't like to say anymore.

52D, if my memory serves, Sherriff & Sons were an agricultural supply company of some sort, fertilisers and such. hq1 or other locals may have a better answer than mine, though.

What I find intriguing about the photo is the rounded tops of the cab side windows. I don't remember any of the K3's in BR days having that shape. In fact, the whole cab design seems to be a little 'chunkier', for want of a better word, than I remember. Was some sort of modification made to the class in that regard?

Yes giner it was but it's no more the former goods & coal yard and the area where HATFIELD No2 s/box once stood has been redeveloped and a 'modern building' (non railway business building) now occupies the site meybe for the last 10-15 years?.

Hello
This engine was one of the first batch of K-3's built at Darlington. It has the NER style cab windows, placed low on the cab sidesheets, and an LNER group standard tender with flared coping. The photo was taken after 1928, when the engine number was moved from the tender to the cab. It is also prior to May 1931, by which time the cab windows had been moved up to just under the roof, eliminating the upper horizontal grab rails. This information found in Yeadon's. Hope this helps
Forward!
John

Hi Guys

Thanks very much for your replies.

So it is a K3 with group standard tender with flared coping, photographed some time between 1928 and May 1931 on the up slow line, running as a class C goods.

Giner is correct, Sherriff & Sons Ltd were an agricultural supplier. The building in the background was erected in 1899 as a granary, demolished in 1987 as British Rail wanted the site back for office development.

Regards

Richard

Absolutely agree with the location details already given, particularly by Micky : The up yard's single-arm miniature signal in the background was the one which permitted moves using the long 'Through' or 'ladder' crossover north of the station (jointly controlled by number 2 and 3 signal boxes) to the Hertford (single) Line, Down Fast, Down Slow, Luton (single) Line, the St. Albans branch (single) or into the curving Carriage Siding which paralleled that line.
Very occasionally a photo from much earlier times turns up, which shows an equivalent of this signal having six arms, one for each route, arranged vertically up its post.

Well done guys i didnt think there was that much to go on a good effort for less than 24 hours time and energy.

Nice picture. Is that a pair of OCTs (with sheeted vehicles aboard, I assume) behind the leading van?

Yes Jonathan they are Open Container Trucks with sheeted loads, but not GN possibly LNWR. Not really clear enough to tell.