Lyn (locomotive)

L&B Crest

L&B Crest

Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Lyn
Official builders photo of Lyn, 1898
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works, USA Serial number 15965 Build date May 1898
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-4-2T  • UIC 1'B1'n2t Gauge 23.5 Leading dia. 1 ft 10 in (0.559 m) Driver dia. 2 ft 9 in (0.838 m) Trailing dia. 1 ft 10 in (0.559 m) Wheelbase Coupled: 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m) Overall: 17 ft 7 in (5.36 m) Length 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) over headstocks Width 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) Height 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) Loco weight 22 long tons (22 t) Fuel type Coal Firebox: ​  • Grate area 7.7 sq ft (0.72 m2) Boiler pressure 180 psi (1.24 MPa) Heating surface 379.2 sq ft (35.23 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 10 in × 16 in (254 mm × 406 mm) Valve gear Stephenson
Career Nicknames The Yankee Locale Devon, South West England Last run September 1935 Scrapped December 1935 Disposition Scrapped

Lyn was a 2-4-2 tank steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1898 for the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. Between July 1897 and January 1898, employees of many British engineering companies were striking in an attempt to win the right to an eight-hour working day, leaving locomotive builders with large backlogs of unfulfilled orders. Thus, the Lynton and Barnstaple instead consulted the US based Baldwin to produce the engine they needed. After construction in Philadelphia, the loco was disassembled, shipped to Barnstaple, and reassembled by L&B staff in their Pilton workshops.

Lyn, like all the locomotives on the L&B, was named after a local river with a three-letter name, the River Lyn.

After the Lynton and Barnstaple became part of the Southern Railway, Lyn was taken to Eastleigh Works for major overhaul in 1928, returning the following year in Southern Green Livery and carrying the number E762 on the side tanks, as well as the original nameplates on the cab sides.

Lyn was scrapped in 1935, when the line closed.

Replica

In January 2009, The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust announced a project to build a replica of Lyn for use on the restored railway by 2012. As of 2010, Lyn's wooden cab has been built and an order placed for the construction of the boiler. Final assembly will be carried out by Alan Keef Ltd. who has had experience with other Baldwin locos, such as the restoration of Baldwin 794 for the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway. Lyn will be finished in the colours and configuration as the original Lyn after returning from overhaul in 1929.

See also

• Loading gauge

External links

• Official website of the 762 Club - the team building a replica of the 1898 original}}