The LNER Class Y1 was a class of

0-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were ...

geared steam locomotive A geared steam locomotive is a type of steam locomotive which uses gearing, usually reduction gearing, in the drivetrain, as opposed to the common directly driven design. This gearing is part of the machinery within the locomotive and should not ...

s built by

Sentinel Waggon Works Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd was a British company based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire that made steam-powered lorries (steam wagons), railway locomotives, and later, diesel engined lorries, buses and locomotives. History Alley & MacLellan, Sen ...

for the

London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...

and introduced in 1925. They passed into

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

ownership in 1948 and were numbered 68130-68153 but 68134 was withdrawn almost immediately and may not have carried its BR number.

Power unit

The

superheated A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into superheated steam or dry steam. Superheated steam is used in steam turbines for electricity generation, steam engines, and in processes such as steam reforming. There are ...

vertical water-tube boiler and the

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

were similar to those used in Sentinel

steam wagon A steam wagon (or steam lorry, steam waggon or steamtruck) is a steam-powered truck for carrying freight. It was the earliest form of lorry (truck) and came in two basic forms: ''overtype'' and ''undertype'', the distinction being the position of ...

s. There were variations within the class as regards boiler size and fuel capacity and these were denoted by sub-classes Y1/1 to Y1/4. The engines had

poppet valve A poppet valve (also called mushroom valve) is a valve typically used to control the timing and quantity of gas or vapor flow into an engine. It consists of a hole or open-ended chamber, usually round or oval in cross-section, and a plug, usual ...

s and reversing was by sliding

camshaft A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams, in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition systems ...

. The advantage of the water-tube boiler was that steam could be raised much more quickly than with a conventional

fire-tube boiler A fire-tube boiler is a type of boiler in which hot gases pass from a fire through one or more tubes running through a sealed container of water. The heat of the gases is transferred through the walls of the tubes by thermal conduction, heating t ...

Transmission

Final drive to the wheels was by sprocket chain. Some engines had a gear ratio of 11:25 and some 9:25. Tractive effort was: * Ratio 11:25, 7,260 lbf (68130-68142 and 68152-68153) * Ratio 9:25, 8,870 lbf (68143-68151)

Sub-classes

* Y1/1, 68130-68135 and 68152 (total 7) * Y1/2, 68137, 68138, 68140-68151, 68153 (total 15) * Y1/3, 68139 (total 1) * Y1/4, 68136 (total 1) There is disagreement between sources. According to LNER Encyclopedia there were six Y1/1s and sixteen Y1/2s.

Preservation

* Class Y1 number 68153 is preserved on the

Middleton Railway The Middleton Railway is the world's oldest continuously working railway, situated in the English city of Leeds. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway, run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd. since 1960. The rail ...

References

External links

Middleton Railway Stock List Sentinel
Sentinel locomotives Y01 0-4-0T locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1925 Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain {{UK-steam-loco-stub Shunting locomotives