The GNR(I) class U was a class of

4-4-0 4-4-0, in the Whyte notation, denotes a steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels. First built in the ...

steam locomotives built for the

Great Northern Railway (Ireland) The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNR(I), GNRI or simply GNR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway (INW), Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. Th ...

History

Five were built by

Beyer, Peacock and Company Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English general engineering company and railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson founded the company in 1854. The company clo ...

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 They retained the Edwardian appearance of their previous counterparts. 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 purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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

Lough ''Loch'' ( ) is a word meaning "lake" or " sea inlet" in Scottish and Irish Gaelic, subsequently borrowed into English. In Irish contexts, it often appears in the anglicized form "lough". A small loch is sometimes called a lochan. Lochs whic ...

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 that operated from 1948 until 1967. Formation and consolidation The UTA was formed by the , which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board (NIRTB) ...

(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 No. 198 ''Lough Swilly'' was the first to be withdrawn in 1959 before its CIÉ number (198N) was applied.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

00 gauge OO gauge or OO scale (also, 00 gauge and 00 scale) is the most popular Standard-gauge railway, standard gauge model railway standard in the United Kingdom, outside of which it is virtually unknown. OO gauge is one of several 4 mm scale, 4 mm-sca ...

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 Steam locomotives of Northern Ireland Steam locomotives of Ireland Passenger locomotives Scrapped locomotives 5 ft 3 in gauge locomotives 2′B h2 locomotives