Yarmouth & North Norfolk 4-4-0 Locomotives in Great_Britain

Class Martham (Locobase 20875)

Data from P C D [P C Dewhurst?], "The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway and its Locomotives", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 27 (14 May 1921), pp. 124-125. Works number was 210 in June 1879.

Continuing Massey Bromley's interest in 4-4 0 passenger tanks, the Martham introduced a bigger boiler, firebox, and grate to support more cylinder volume than the pair shown in Locobase 20874. PCD outlines many detail differences as well. As with the earlier pair, the other locomotive (works number 211)--named Fakenham--went to the Lynn & Fakenham Railway. A few years later, in 1883 the Eastern & Midland joined the two railways together and the Martham headed the first train to run through to Yarmouth. Two more joined the stud in later years.

A year later, Hudswell, Clarke delivered the Norwich to the L&F (works number 224), its only difference between this engine and the previous two was a 800 Imp Gall (960 US gal; 3,634 litres) water capacity and 1 1/2 long tons (1.7 short tons) of coal. Loaded weight increased to 34 long tons (76,160 lb; 34,546 kg).

Class North Walsham (Locobase 20874)

Data from P C D [P C Dewhurst?], "The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway and its Locomotives", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 27 (14 May 1921), pp. 123. Works number was 208 in September 1878. (The builder was then known as "Hudswell, Clarke & Rogers, Railway Foundry".)

Massey Bromley, then locomotive superintendent, designed this first example of what "PCD" characterized as a "very neat and successful series of 4-4-0 outside cylinder tank engines intended for passenger work". A photo shows an upright engine with a small, multi-windowed cab.

PCD devoted some space to the unusual crossheads, speaking in tongues as he wrote "...the slippers being inset in the slide bars instead of being kept in alignment by outside flanges." Moreover, the connecting (North American "main") rods were forked around the crosshead body while at the other end the "big end" that drove the cranks on the first coupled drivers had "exceptionally long bearing." Sleeves protecting the slide bars and crossheads probably because of the "loose sandy stretch of line between Yarmouth Beach and Caister stations."

Locobase suspects this arrangement may have contributed to the locomotive's reliability. Larger tires later increased driver diameter to 55 1/2" (1,410 mm). The original boiler setting was reduced to 130 psi (9 bar) before the engine was rebuilt.

The second locomotive (works number 209), identical to the North Walsham, was delivered to the Lynn & Fakenham Railway as their Hillington.