Steam Locos of a Leisurely Era 1872 – Fletcher 2-4-0 – North Eastern Railway

Steam Locos of a Leisurely Era

1872 – Fletcher 2-4-0 – North Eastern Railway

Illustration: No 853 as originally built.

E.Fletcher was responsible for the construction of several classes of 2-4-0 during his period of office at  the North Eastern from 1854 to 1883, but the ‘901’ Class introduced in 1872 was easily the best of them and remained the principal express type on the line for a number of years.  There were 55 of the large main type with 7’ 1¼” wheels, built between 1672 and 1882, numbered 901-12, 844-53, 824-33 and 25 others with scattered numbers.  There was also a smaller class of fifteen engines with 6’ 1¼” wheels, numbered 1440—9 and five others which were renumbered two or three times.

Both classes underwent sundry rebuildings in the course of time, particularly the’901; Class, which were altered somewhat in appearance by McConnel and T.W.Wordsell who followed Fletcher, and in 1906 Wilson Wordsell gave 833 a considerably larger boiler and a bogie.  Withdrawals commenced in 1913, but ten of them survived into LNER days, the last to go being No. 367 in 1925.  No. 910, withdrawn in the same year, was restored to its original condition, and now is part of the National Collection at Shildon. No.910 at Shidon – R.Langham

Nine of the smaller 6’ 1¼” engines also survived the 1923 grouping, the last of them to remain in service being Nos. 220 and 1443, scrapped in 1925.

                                                           NER 901 M.Peirson

                                              901 Class                               1443 Class

Driving wheels                                      7’ 1¼”                                           6’ 1¼”

Leading wheels                                    4’ 6”                                             4’ 6”

Cylinders                               17”x 24”  and 17½”x 24”                        17”x 24”

Pressure                                              140 lb.                                          140 lb.

Weight                                              39 tons 9 cwt                                   ———

NER Classification                                901                                             1440

LNER Classification                              E6                                               1440

NER 1440 M.Peirson