The rail guards on the tender have a classic design. They are quite large and, unlike the typical mounting on the frames as seen on most British-designed locomotives, these are mounted directly on the buffer beam.
Last weeks, I spent again time reading and studying the books and sketches I have of the Great Eastern Y14 class locomotive. For me, reading about the history and technical features of the actual locomotive is also an interesting part of the model engineering hobby.
As shown in the previous post, the tender is on its wheels.
A 20 mm x 2 mm angle profile was used to make these rail guards. Using a hack saw and the milling machine for shaping the main dimensions. A file was used to make the radii.
A protractor helps to set up the workpiece under the desired angles.
Bending was done using a Gressel angle bender. An angle of only 21 degrees was required to achieve a 9 mm offset.
Even better than the real thing—because they are, of course, new! In many black-and-white photos, the rail guards appear knocked about and bent into various shapes. Even the guards on the preserved Y14 have endured a few collisions and are now out of shape.
A bended rail guard
Different cab cut-outs.
The Y14 class was built over a long period, spanning from 1883 to 1913. Several books and magazines provide information about the changes in construction and modifications made by the railway companies that built and used these locomotives. The class consisted of a total of 289 locomotives.
Descriptions of the various design details and alterations made during their lifetime, as well as what thier different owners changed when the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and later British Railways (BR) took them over from the Great Eastern Railway, can be found in several publications. Notable sources I used include Yeadon's Register of these locomotives, the magazine 'Locomotives Illustrated' (Volume 142), and the book 'Locomotives of the LNER Volume 5 (Tender Engines - Classes J1 to J37)'.
When I finally identified the correct height of the 2,640-gallon standard tender, I also discovered differences in the cut-outs in the cab side sheets. These details that were initially easy to overlook when I created the first drawings of the locomotive in SolidWorks back in 2020. This because tenders were also available in different heights. The cab opening underwent changes in 1899, resulting in a shallower cut-out.
This particular photograph shows both versions of the cab. All Y14 locomotives built up until November 1892 (visible at the front of the picture) featured a large cab cut-out. However, the locomotives constructed in batches from May 1899 until the end of production in September 1913 had a modified cab cut-out. This new cut-out was smaller, with its bottom aligned level with the top of the tender. The tender's handrail was also adjusted to match this height.
The tender's handrail was also adjusted to match this height.
large cut-out
smaller cut-out.
Even Hornby produces models with these different cab cut-outs — a smart way to boost sales, of course. Naturally, I ended up buying both versions. This year, Hornby is even set to release a model of the Y14 in the iconic blue Great Eastern livery (see this link).
Looks like I'll be adding another one to my wish list! 😃
Because the newer locomotives with the smaller cab cut-out were still in service during the 1950s and early 1960s, more photographs of these locos are available. These locomotives also featured wheels with balance weights. To build my model as accurately as possible to resemble an existing engine, I chose to replicate the newer, shallower cab cut-out. As a result, new cab sides were laser-cut specifically for this design.
It's not much; only 10 mm heigth difference of the cut-out in the cab side sheet.
A few photos of the loco and tender frame, with the new cab and the 00 gauge Hornby model.
The model is actually inaccurate: the number 7524 belongs to a locomotive built before 1899, which means it should feature the larger cab cut-out.
