he Yorkshire Engine Company (YEC) 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. Mainly known for shunting engines for the British market, but also built main line engines for overseas customers.
They built steam locomotives from 1865 to 1956 and diesel locomotives from 1950 to 1965.
Yorkshire Engine Company should not be confused with the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co. of Leeds.
Early YEC locomotives produced for the UK market consisted mainly of 0-4-0STs and 0-6-0STs. The style of these was typical of small locomotives of the time with the so-call ‘ogee’ tanks and very little protection for the driver. That did not stop early locomotives surviving with industrial users until the 1950s.
Not surprisingly, the collieries and steelworks of Yorkshire were regular customers, but UK sales were not limited to the such a narrow area with 5 narrow gauge locomotives going to the Lodge Hill and Upnor Railway, a military railway in Kent.
The 1890s saw YEC building locomotives to much further a field and the start of long term relationships with railways in Chile, Peru and India. They also built a single electric locomotive for the British War Office.
It is said they the first locomotive to be built in Britain with Walschaerts valve gear was a product of Yorkshires.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment