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L&YR Class 27
Preserved 27 class locomotive 1300 on the East Lancashire Railway
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer John Aspinall Builder L&YR, Horwich Works Build date 1889–1918 Total produced 484
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Wheel diameter 5 ft 1 in (1.549 m) Length 48 ft 6 in (14.78 m) Loco weight 42 long tons 11 cwt (95,300 lb or 43.2 t) Total weight 69 long tons 3 cwt (154,900 lb or 70.3 t) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 180 psi (1.24 MPa) Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size 18 in × 26 in (457 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Joy valve gear Loco brake Vacuum Train brakes Vacuum
Performance figures Tractive effort 21,130 lbf (94.0 kN)
Career Operators Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway London, Midland and Scottish Railway British Railways Class Class 27 Power class LMS & BR: 3F Numbers L&YR: random, LMS: 12083–12467 Nicknames "A Class" Retired 1948–1962 Disposition One preserved, 63 rebuilt to Class 28, remainder scrapped

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Class 27 is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed for freight work on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR).

Construction and operation

Class 27 locomotives were designed by John Aspinall and 484 were built between 1889 and 1918 at Horwich Works. It was the standard goods engine used by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Aspinall opted for a two-cylinder format with a non superheated round top boiler. David Joy's configuration of valve gear was employed. By the time Aspinall became general manager of the L&YR on 1 July 1899 more than 400 of the simple but powerful engines had been built. More were built under his successors, Henry Hoy and George Hughes, albeit with some modifications. By 1918 there were the 484 locomotives in the class.

Development and rebuilding

As built, there were three primary boiler versions. The majority (418 locomotives) of those built between 1889 and 1906 had round-top fireboxes when new, and operated on saturated steam. Their boilers were similar to those of the 1008 Class 2-4-2T introduced in early 1889, but with slightly shorter barrels (10 ft 4+3⁄4 in (3.169 m) long as opposed to 10 ft 7+3⁄8 in (3.235 m) for the 2-4-2T), and they operated at the same pressure: 160 lbf/in (1,100 kPa). A further twenty of these were built in 1909, and ten more in 1917–18. By this time, several of the earlier locomotives had been rebuilt with Belpaire fireboxes, aome also gaining superheaters. With the introduction of Hughers' classification in 1919, the superheated locomotives were placed in Class 28, those retaining saturated steam becoming Class 27.

Superheating

The L&YR was the first British railway to fit a locomotive with a superheater, this being no. 737 of the 1400 Class 4-4-2 in 1899, and experiments had been conducted with various superheater types since then. Two of the 0-6-0 locomotives built in 1906, nos. 898 and 900, were provided with Schmidt superheaters when new, the purpose being to increase the temperature of steam produced in the boiler so the minimum of energy was lost. After months of trials, 20 further superheated engines were authorised to be built and the first of the superheated class 27s emerged from Horwich Works in 1909. The superheated 27s had the same boiler pressure as the originals, 180 psi. This first batch of twenty had round topped boilers like nos. 898 and 900. In 1914, no. 625 was rebuilt with a superheated Belpaire boiler, but no others were so treated – between 1926 and 1931, most of the others were rebuilt with saturated round-top boilers, only four, nos. 830, 901/3/4 (by this time renumbered as LMS 12533–6) retaining their superheated round-top boilers until withdrawal in 1934–36.

Belpaire fireboxes

The L&YR had begun using the Belpaire firebox in 1897, with the 1351 Class 0-6-0T. From 1911, some of the 0-6-0s were rebuilt with these fireboxes, at first continuing to use saturated steam, but from 1913 some of the Belpaire rebuilds were also provided with superheaters. In 1912 a batch of 20 was constructed with both Belpaire fireboxes and superheaters.

Ownership changes

The whole class passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) at the beginning of 1923, and they were subsequently numbered in two blocks. Nos. 12083–12467 (385 locomotives) comprised those operating on saturated steam, including those rebuilt with Belpaire boilers as well as those retaining round-top boilers; the two types were numbered in order of age, regardless of the boiler type. Nos. 12515–12619 (105 locomotives) comprised those built with superheaters in 1906–12 (42 locomotives) in order of age, followed by those rebuilt from saturated locomotives in 1913–22 (63 locomotives) in approximate order of rebuilding.

It is a tribute to the soundness, usefulness and simple practicality of Aspinall's design that 300 of the class passed into the ownership of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and around 50 were operating in British Railways (BR) service in summer 1960. British Railways took ownership of 235 of the class in 1948 and renumbered them 52088-52529 (with gaps) by the addition of 40000 to their LMS numbers.

32 locomotives were loaned to the Railway Operation Division during World War I, all of them were eventually returned once the war had ended.

Preservation

One locomotive, 1895-built L&YR number 1300 (later LMS 12322 and BR 52322) has survived and is preserved at the East Lancashire Railway. It is owned by Andy Booth and its most recent overhaul was completed in 2021.

References

1. Longworth, Hugh ( 2005 ) British Railway Steam Locomotives 1948-1968, p. 162, ISBN 978-0-86093-593-3
2. Ransome-Wallis, P ( 1966 ) The Last Steam Locomotives of British Railways, p. 39, ISBN 0-7110-0475-7
3. Marshall 1972, pp. 136–7, 248–256.
4. Marshall 1972, p. 273.
5. Marshall 1972, pp. 177–8, 264–5.
6. Marshall 1972, pp. 264–5.
7. Marshall 1972, pp. 142, 146, 184, 267.
8. Marshall 1972, pp. 248–256, 264–5, 267.
9. Casserley & Johnston 1974, pp. 122–4, 126–8. sfn error: no target: CITEREFCasserleyJohnston1974 (help)
10. Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, 1948 edition, part 3, pp 42-43
11. Martian, Greg. "Railway Operating Department (ROD) Pre-Grouping Steam Locomotives Used Overseas". Rail Album. Retrieved 10 December 2020.

• Herring, Peter (2000) Classic British Steam Locomotives, Enderby: Abbeydale, p. 192, ISBN 1-86147-057-6
• Hall, Peter & Fox, Peter (2002) Preserved Locomotives of British Railways, Platform 5: Sheffield, ISBN 1-902336-30-5
• Marshall, John (1972). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, volume 3. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5320-9.

External links

• Class LYR27 Details at Rail UK

• Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway locomotives
• 0-6-0 locomotives
• Railway locomotives introduced in 1889
• Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain
• Railway Operating Division locomotives
• Freight locomotives