The GNR(I) class U was a class of 4-4-0 steam locomotives built for the Great Northern Railway (Ireland).

History

Five were built by

Beyer, Peacock and Company Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson, it traded from 1854 until 1966. The company exported locomotives, ...

in 1915. The class was so successful that an additional batch of five was built in 1947, making them the last inside-cylinder 4-4-0 locomotives to be manufactured anywhere in the world.Kelly (1993) p.21 The earlier locomotives were initially unnamed. However, after the later locomotives were delivered with names of

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

along the GNR(I) route, the earlier locomotives received names of

Lough ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is cognate with the Manx lough, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh words for lake, llwch. In English English and Hiberno-English, the anglicised spel ...

Withdrawal

All were still in service in 1958 when the GNR(I) was divided between the

Ulster Transport Authority The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966. Formation and consolidation The UTA was formed by the Transport Act 1948, which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board (NIRT ...

(UTA) and Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), with each receiving five locomotives. No. 198 ''Lough Swilly'' was the first to be withdrawn in 1959 before its CIÉ number (198N) was applied. CIÉ withdrew steam traction in 1963, whereas the UTA withdrew their U class fleet between 1961 and 1965. None of the class were preserved.

Fleet list

Model

An 00 gauge model of No. 205 ''Down'' is currently available as an etched-brass kit from Studio Scale Models. It includes transfers, brass etches and cast white metal parts.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gnri Class U U 4-4-0 locomotives Beyer, Peacock locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1915 Passenger locomotives Scrapped locomotives 5 ft 3 in gauge locomotives 2′B h2 locomotives