The H&BR Class A was an 0-8-0

0-8-0

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...

 heavy freight engine

Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...

 designed by Matthew Stirling

Matthew Stirling (railway engineer)

Matthew Stirling was Locomotive Superintendent of the Hull & Barnsley Railway . He retired in 1922 when the H&BR was taken over by the North Eastern Railway .- Biography :* Matthew Stirling was born in Kilmarnock on 27 November 1856....

 and built by the Yorkshire Engine Company

Yorkshire Engine Company

The Yorkshire Engine Company was a small independent locomotive manufacturer in Sheffield, England. The Company was formed in 1865 and continued to produce locomotives and carry out general engineering work until 1965...

 of Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

. They were the largest of the engines on the Hull and Barnsley Railway

Hull and Barnsley Railway

The Hull Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway and Dock Company was opened on 20 July 1885. It had a total projected length of 66 miles but never reached Barnsley, stopping a few miles short at Stairfoot. The name was changed to The Hull and Barnsley Railway in 1905...

. The Class A was developed to deal with the steeply graded eastern section of the H&BR between Springhead

Springhead Halt railway station

Springhead Halt railway station was a station on the former Hull and Barnsley Railway, and served the village of Anlaby in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.The station opened on 8 April 1929 and closed on 1 August 1955.-External links:*...

 and Sandholme. Because of this the special link workings they dealt with were nicknamed the "Sandholme Bankers".

Construction

An order for 15 locomotives was placed with the Yorkshire Engine Company in 1907 with 10 arriving in the spring and the remainder in the autumn of that year. No. 117 was the first to arrive, this engine being the one used to familiarise footplate staff with them. Due to their size they were affectionately nicknamed "Tinies" by the footplate men.

Operation

The locos were set to work being able to pull 50% more than the previous capabilities of the early Stirling Classes. Though they were cleared for running on the whole of the H&B mainline, they never strayed from Springhead Shed and were banned from the Denaby, Neptune Street, Cannon Street and Sculcoates lines. Despite being reasonable locomotives they were regarded with suspicion due to their high boiler pressures following the Wath

Wath-upon-Dearne

Wath-upon-Dearne is a small town on the south side of the Dearne Valley in the historic county of the West Riding of Yorkshire and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, lying 5 miles north of Rotherham, almost midway between Barnsley and Doncaster. It has a population...

 explosion, so the H&B management increased payment for crews who manned the "Tinies". The Wath explosion, in 1907, involved H&BR Class F2

H&BR Class F2

The H&BR Class F2 was a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotives of the Hull and Barnsley Railway....

 0-6-2T number 109.

Modifications

Various modifications were made to the "Tinies" over their lives. Sanding arrangements were altered to improve the adhesion of the engines, and one engine, No. 129, received a small porthole window in the cabside. All engines received a cab roof ventilator. During the First World War, the boiler pressure was dropped from 200 lb/sq.in to 175 lb/sq.in. No other modifications were made until the merger with 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...

.

LNER ownership

Under new management, some "Tinies" were sent to Darlington Works

Darlington Works

Darlington railway works, known in the town as North Road Shops, was built in 1863 by the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the town of Darlington in the north east of England.-NER History:The first new locomotive was built at the works in 1864...

 where they received domed boilers. All members of the class passed into LNER ownership, though by the grouping more powerful ex Great Central Railway

Great Central Railway

The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...

 types were available. Cudworth shed soon became swarmed with ROD 2-8-0

ROD 2-8-0

The Railway Operating Division ROD 2-8-0 is a type of 2-8-0 steam locomotive which was the standard heavy freight locomotive operated in Europe by the ROD during the First World War.-ROD need for a standard locomotive:...

s, and 12 of the "Tinies" were away from their home system by 1929.

Withdrawal

The "Tinies" never found favour with other depot footplate staff, and all were withdrawn by the end of 1931. None is preserved.