Tank engines of the LNER

[Captain Baxter fan 626]

I have been wanting to ask this for awhile. What is you favorite LNER tank engine? I would say I have two my first is the Y9 0-4-0 saddle tank engine and my second would be a J70 0-6-0 tram or as I call it "Toby".

[richard]

The Y9s have something going for them - as do the GER Y5s.

The Y6s were very similar to the J70s.

For other 0-4-0s - I'm thinking of building an O gauge Y7 in the new year. The Y7s are very small of course, but well proportioned side tank locos. Also the Y1/Y3 Sentinels - perhaps because my Sentinel was the first locomotive kit I built (PD Marsh whitemetal kit on a Farish chassis).

For the 0-6-0s, then I'd have to vote for the GER J67/J69s. Useful, neat little engines. When introduced they worked hard and proved very reliable.

Richard

[Bullhead]

At the other end of the spectrum from the Y9, I've long been an admirer of the A8 - neither cute nor graceful, I nevertheless find its purposeful battleship lines very satisfying. For those of you old enough to remember him, I suppose the A8 is the equivalent of former Newcastle United number 9 Mickey Quinn (who was memorably once described as being "like a steam engine in shorts").

[John B]

The Thompson L1 2-6-4T is very ergonomically satisfying and with a TE of 32,080 was a useful little beast though for me the crown must go to the Gresley V1 and V3 2-6-2T stable, they looked somewhat racy, though with a significantly smaller but still useful TE of 22,465 and 24,960 respectively.

The rather nice GNR Ivatt C12 Atlantic also takes my fancy as ten were allocated to Botanic Gardens and were frequently found on the Hornsea and Withernsea lines, they looked right and were right for these branches.

Then of course there are the Raven A6's Pacific tanks, commonly known in Hull as "Whitby Willies" ............ thereby hangs a tale I am sure ...?

[jwealleans]

Personally I'd have compared Mick Quinn to the W1. Unrebuilt.

The Ivatt C12s are IMHO the prettiest tank engines on the LNER with the C13/4 not far behind. There's something about the wheel arrangement...

I also have a soft spot for the A5. Muscular, solid, clean lines. Lovely engines.

[hunslet]

The Thompson L1 gets my vote

[bricam5]

The G5 gets my vote. Free steamers no matter how hard you worked them and they didn't bounce at the front end like the C12's.
And they had (to me) the merit of being ex NER.

As John B wrote,they looked good on the Hornsea/Withernsea roads but we also had to take them up the old H & B up to South Howden and I always gave a sigh of relief when we got to the end of Drewton tunnel with water in the boiler. Going back bunker first was worse as they only had a front opening damper.

[Captain Baxter fan 626]

Wow this is a popular question. And all of these engines are very excellent examples of the LNER. Can't wait to see more.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I think it has to be the J69, for sheer character, though the C12 was certainly a very handsome and sucessful machine.

I have always had a sneaking admiration for the Y4 - a quart crammed into a half pint pot - and at the other extreme the F7, an elegant little engine, albeit one that had trouble pulling the skin off a rice pudding. The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse of the GER section!

[CVR1865]

I think the F9 for me or the J65. The F9 for their minority appeal and the J65 because they just look right.

[52D]

Honoury LNER J94s get my vote, besides thats my current ranking.

[wehf100]

I think the V1/ 3's get my vote simply because they managed to be really quite elegant- something very difficult for a tank engine design. It is really pushing it for 'LNER', but the scre tanks of the GCR (E8 class in lner speak) were soo pretty with their low side tanks and wavy runningplates.

http://www.lner.info/locos/E/e8.shtml

Will