Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era – 1925 – ‘Garratt’ London & North Eastern Railway

The engine as running in 1947

The largest and most powerful locomotive ever to run in the British Isles. The Garratt double engine design, patented by Beyer Peacock & Co., achieved considerable success on many foreign and colonial railways, particularly in South Africa, even on fast passenger work, but its only application in this country has been in this solitary locomotive on the LNER, a series of engines on the LMS and a few smaller examples of the 0-4-4-0 type for industrial use.
No.2395 was constructed for banking on the Worsboro’ mineral line near Wath, and when this was electrified it was transferred for a time to the Lickey Incline of the Midland Railway. For some reason, however, it did not achieve great success here, and it was finally scrapped in 1955 after being for a short period converted to work as an oil burner. In 1946 it had been renumbered 9999 and at Nationalisation it became BR No.69999.
Driving wheels – 4’ 8”, Cylinders (6) – 18½”x 26”, Pressure – 180 lb., Tractive effort – 72940 lb., Weight – 178 tons