The NER Class X was a class of 4-8-0T tank locomotive

Tank locomotive

A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...

 designed by Wilson Worsdell

Wilson Worsdell

Wilson Worsdell was a British locomotive engineer who was locomotive superintendent of the North Eastern Railway from 1890 to 1910. He was the younger brother of T.W. Worsdell.-Family:...

 for the North Eastern Railway

North Eastern Railway (UK)

The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...

. They were intended for use as powerful shunting engines

Switcher

A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...

 to arrange and move coal wagons for loading into ships. In total 15 were built, 10 by the NER between 1909 and 1910, and a further five in 1925 by the London and North Eastern Railway

London and North Eastern Railway

The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...

 (LNER). They had three cylinders with divided drive: the inside cylinder driving the leading axle, the outside cylinders driving the centre.

Overview

The reversing gear was originally mechanical, but was replaced on all but two of the locomotives (nos. 1355/8) by steam-operated reversing gear between 1932 and 1934. The steam reversing gear was removed again between 1941 and 1947.
In 1929, No. 1656 was moved the newly-built Whitemoor Yard at March, Cambridgeshire

March, Cambridgeshire

March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...

. In 1932, this was replaced by Nos. 1355 and 1358. Whitemoor preferred the ex-GCR 0-8-4T (LNER Class S1) for hump shunting, so in 1934 No 1358 was moved to Doncaster

Doncaster

Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...

, and No. 1355 to Mexborough

Mexborough

Mexborough is a town in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, situated on the north bank of the River Don west of its confluence with the River Dearne...

. In 1936, No. 1355 moved to King's Cross to shunt the engine shed for seven weeks, before joining No. 1358 in Doncaster. These two locomotives were scrapped at Doncaster in 1937. The remaining T1s continued to work coal trains at various docks and marshalling yards throughout North East England

North East England

North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...

. After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, coal exports never returned to their pre-War levels. Hence, many of the T1s moved to other sheds for heavy shunting duties.

Numbering

On the North Eastern Railway, the numbers of the first ten were 1350–9; these numbers were retained following the formation of the LNER on 1 January 1923. The five built in 1925 were given LNER numbers 1656–60. In 1946, the thirteen remaining locomotives were renumbered 9910–22; these all passed to British Railways in 1948, being renumbered 69910-69922 between 1948 and 1951.

Preservation

Two T1s having been withdrawn in 1937, the remainder were withdrawn between 1955 and 1961 and none has survived into preservation.