LNER Class B17


The London and North Eastern Railway Class B17, also known as "Sandringham" or "Footballer" class was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed by Nigel Gresley for hauling passenger services on the Great Eastern Main Line. In total 73 were built.

Background

By 1926, the former GER B12 class locomotives were no longer able to cope with the heaviest express passenger trains on the Great Eastern Main Line between London and Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich. Yet Gresley was unable to use his larger classes due to severe weight restrictions on the line. The requirement for a lightweight yet powerful 4-6-0 proved to be difficult to achieve.

Design

After several unsuccessful attempts by Doncaster Works to satisfy Gresley's specification, the contract for the detailed design and building of the class was given to the North British Locomotive Company in 1927. They used several features from a batch of A1 Pacifics they had built in 1924. The cab, cylinders, and motion had all been copied directly or slightly modified. Most of the boiler design was taken from the LNER Class K3 2-6-0 and LNER Class O2 2-8-0 designs. Darlington Works provided drawings for the bogies, and Stratford Works designs for the GE-type, tender.
Due to weight restrictions it proved to be impossible for all three cylinders to drive the middle coupled axle, the design used divided drive with the middle cylinder driving the leading axle and was positioned forward above the front bogie.
The LNER also ordered some modifications, including an increase in cylinder size from to, and a lengthening of the firebox by with longer frames, and lighter springs. The design continued to prove problematic and the LNER eventually cancelled a penalty clause in the original contract. The first locomotive, No. 2802 Walsingham was delivered 30 November 1928, thirteen weeks late.

Construction

Ten locomotives were built by the North British Locomotive Company during November and December, which were allocated the running numbers 2800-9. Five further orders were placed with Darlington Works between December 1928 and March 1935 for a further fifty-two locomotives to be delivered between August 1930 and June 1936. A final batch of eleven were ordered from Robert Stephenson and Company in February 1936 for delivery between January and July 1937; resulting in a total of 73 B17s built.

Sub-classes

The first ten by the North British Locomotive Company were designated B17, later B17/1. The second and third batches had boilers supplied by Armstrong Whitworth and different springing and became B17/2. The next two batches had different springing and were designated B17/3. However, as the locomotives passed through the works the original springs were replaced by those of the later design and in 1937 the three sub-classes were merged into B17/1. The final Darlington batch introduced in 1936, and those built by Robert Stephenson and Company had, tenders and were intended for use in the North Eastern area of the LNER: these were designated B17/4.
In September 1937 two locomotives were streamlined in the manner of the LNER Class A4s, renamed East Anglian and City of London and intended for use on the East Anglian train. They were designated B17/5. However, the streamlining was cladding for publicity purposes only and had little effect on the overall speed of the locomotive. By 1951 both engines had been stripped of the streamlining altogether.
Between 1943 and 1957 most of the surviving members of the class were rebuilt with a LNER 100A boiler with increased pressure and were designated B17/6.

Rebuilding

Ten B17s were rebuilt by Edward Thompson as 2-cylinder locomotives with a LNER 100A boiler, between 1945 and 1949, becoming the Class B2. No more were rebuilt because of the success of the Thompson's B1 class.

Accidents and incidents

LNER
No.		BR
No.		Original Name Date builtDate rebuiltRebuilt
as		Date
withdrawn		Notes
280061600SandringhamB17/6
280161601Holkham——
280261602WalsinghamB17/6
280361603FramlinghamB2
280461604ElvedenB17/6
280561605Burnham Thorpe
B17/6
280661606Audley EndB17/6
280761607BlicklingB2
280861608GuntonB17/6
280961609QuidenhamB17/6
281061610Honingham HallB17/6
281161611Raynham HallB17/6
281261612Houghton HallB17/6
281361613Woodbastwick HallB17/6
281461614Castle HedinghamB2
281561615Culford HallB2
281661616FallodonB2
281721617Ford CastleB2
281861618Wynyard ParkB17/6
281961619Welbeck AbbeyB17/6
282061620ClumberB17/6
282161621Hatfield HouseB17/6
282261622Alnwick CastleB17/6
282361623Lambton CastleB17/6
282461624Lumley Castle——
282561625Raby Castle——
282661626Brancepeth CastleB17/6
282761627Aske HallB17/6
282861628Harewood HouseB17/6First to be withdrawn
282961629Naworth Castle——
283061630Thoresby Park
B17/6
283161631Serlby HallB17/6
2832Belvoir Castle
B2
283361633Kimbolton CastleB17/6
283461634HinchingbrookeB17/6
283561635MiltonB17/6
283661636Harlaxton ManorB17/6
283761637Thorpe HallB17/6
283861638Melton HallB17/6
283961639Rendlesham Hall
B2
284061640Somerleyton HallB17/6
284161641Gayton HallB17/6
284261642Kilverstone HallB17/6
284361643Champion LodgeB17/6
284461644Earlham HallB2
284561645The Suffolk RegimentB17/6
284661646Gilwell ParkB17/6
284761647Helmingham HallB17/6
284861648ArsenalB17/6
284961649Sheffield UnitedB17/6
285061650Grimsby TownB17/6
285161651Derby CountyB17/6
285261652DarlingtonB17/6
285361653Huddersfield TownB17/6
285461654SunderlandB17/6
285561655MiddlesbroughB17/6
285661656Leeds UnitedB17/6
285761657Doncaster RoversB17/6
285861658Newcastle United
B17/6
285961659Norwich City
B17/6
286061660Hull City——
286161661Sheffield WednesdayB17/6
286261662Manchester UnitedB17/6Newbuild working replica being built.
286361663EvertonB17/6
286461664LiverpoolB17/6
286561665Leicester CityB17/6
286661666Nottingham ForestB17/6
286761667Bradford——
286861668Bradford CityB17/6Last to be withdrawn
286961669BarnsleyB17/6
287061670Manchester City

B17/6
287161671Manchester City
B2
287261672West Ham UnitedB17/6
*287361673Spirit of Sandringham----Newbuild member of the class.

Preservation and revival

Among enthusiasts, the class was referred to as "footballers" as several members were named after football clubs. None of the class have survived into preservation but a few of the football clubs were presented with the nameplates after the locomotives were cut up.
The North British Locomotive Preservation Group are engaged in a project to build a non-operational LNER Class B17 4-6-0 replica, named after a football club, 61662 Manchester United. By May 2019, many parts of the locomotive were being fixed together for display at the groups Mizens Railway base. In time, they intend to develop the replica into an operational locomotive.
The other, an operational locomotive being developed by the B17 Steam Locomotive Trust, will become the newest member of the class, 61673 Spirit of Sandringham. The frames of a Great Eastern Railway tender, fitted with an original axle from 61602 'Walsingham', and a LNER tender have been secured for the project and are now based on the Mid-Norfolk Railway since 2012. A static chassis for the locomotive has been constructed at Llangollen Railway Engineering Services, Fundraising for the Driving wheels is ongoing with three fully funded through the 'Put a Spoke in My Wheel' campaign.

Modelling

Having previously produced tender drive OO gauge models of the "Footballer"-spec B17s, Hornby Railways released an all-new locomotive drive model of the B17 in 2013, available in both B17/1 and B17/6 subclasses with either the small GER-region tender or the larger LNER group standard 4200 gallon tender.
Dapol manufacture a model of a B17 in N scale, which was awarded Steam Model Railway Locomotive of the year for N gauge.