Lew (locomotive)

Southern Railway E188 Lew

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Manning Wardle, Leeds Serial number 2042 Build date 1925

Specifications Configuration 2-6-2T Gauge 1 ft 11 ^1⁄2 in (597 mm) Leading dia 2 ft 0 in (0.610 m) Driver diameter 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:  • Firegrate area 8.85 sq ft (0.822 m^2) Heating surface 383 sq ft (35.58 m^2) 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Career Operators Southern Railway Numbers E188 Locale Devon, South West England Withdrawn November 1935 Disposition sold overseas, final destination and fate unknown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 similar in design to the previous Manning Wardle locomotives built for the L&B, the main difference being a redesigned cab to eliminate a smoke trap, and give more room to the crew. She was sold at auction along with other L&B equipment in November 1935, two months after the railway closed.^[1] However, she was purchased in December by a dismantler and was used to remove the line until July 1936.

In September 1936, Lew sailed from Swansea, on the SS Sabor - believed to have been destined for a plantation in Brazil. Despite the efforts of many enthusiasts, no proof of the locomotive's current whereabouts, or eventual fate has been published.

Lyd

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.^[2]

References

1. Bradley, D.L. (October 1975). Locomotives of the Southern Railway: Part 1. London: RCTS. p. 85. ISBN 0-901115-30-4.
2. "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