Lew (locomotive)

Southern Railway E188 Lew
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Manning Wardle, Leeds Serial number 2042 Build date 1925
Specifications Configuration: ​  •  Whyte 2-6-2T Gauge 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) Leading dia. 2 ft 0 in (0.610 m) Driver dia. 2 ft 9 in (0.838 m) Trailing dia. 2 ft 0 in (0.610 m) Wheelbase Coupled: 6 ft 6 in (1.981 m) Total: 17 ft 9 in (5.410 m) Length 22 ft 4 in (6.81 m) over buffer beams Width 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Height 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) Loco weight 27.25 long tons (27.69  t; 30.52 short tons) Fuel type Coal Firebox: ​  • Grate area 8.85 sq ft (0.822 m2) Heating surface 383 sq ft (35.58 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 10.5 in × 16 in (267 mm × 406 mm) Valve gear Joy
Career Operators Southern Railway Numbers E188 Locale Devon, South West England Withdrawn November 1935 Disposition Sold overseas, final destination and fate unknown

Lew was a Manning Wardle 2-6-2T built in 1925 for the narrow gauge Lynton and Barnstaple Railway.

History

Lew, following L&B tradition, was named after one of the local rivers with a three-letter name, the River Lew.

Lew was built to the same design as the previous L&B Manning Wardle locomotives, but with a redesigned cab to eliminate a smoke trap and give more room to the crew. After the railway closed, the remaining L&B equipment was sold at auction in November 1935. ^[1] The nameplates, along with the nameplates of the other locomotives, were removed and donated to York Railway Museum (the predecessor of the National Railway Museum). ^[2] Lew was purchased to work the trains dismantling the railway, and was used for this purpose until late summer 1936. ^[3]

In September 1936, Lew was photographed with the words "A.L.C. Pernambuco Lot 1 Kilos 22353" painted on the front of its tank, ^[3] believed to refer to the purchaser, a plantation in Brazil. On 28 September 1936, ^[4] Lew sailed from Swansea, on the SS Sabor. Sabor arrived in Pernambuco on 15 October 1936. ^[5] Sabor left Pernambuco on 17 October, called at Bahia on 20 October, ^[6] and arrived in Rio de Janeiro on 23 October. ^[7]

Lyd

Main article: Lyd (locomotive)

Lyd at Porthmadog Harbour Station

A replica of Lew, named Lyd in accordance with the L&B tradition of naming its locos after local three-letter rivers, was completed at Boston Lodge on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway in August 2010. ^[8]

References

1. Bradley, D.L. (October 1975). Locomotives of the Southern Railway: Part 1. London: RCTS. p. 85. ISBN   0-901115-30-4.
2. Catchpole, L.T. The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway 1895-1935. The Oakwood Press. p. 61.
3. Tooke, Dave (March 2011). "Lew moves to Brazil" (PDF). Industrial Railway Record (204).
4. "Toy Railway Engine" . Western Morning News. England. 29 September 1936. Retrieved 15 August 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "Mail and Steamship" . Aberdeen Press and Journal. Scotland. 17 October 1936. Retrieved 15 August 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "Mail and Steamship" . Aberdeen Press and Journal. Scotland. 22 October 1936. Retrieved 15 August 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "The Mails" . The Scotsman. Scotland. 27 October 1936. Retrieved 15 August 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "New replica steam locomotive unveiled in Ffestiniog". BBC News. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010.

External links

• Lyd project at the Ffestiniog Railway
• Mystery of Lew