GNR Class L1

The Great Northern Railway Class L1, classified R1 by the London and North Eastern Railway, was a class of 0-8-2 side tank steam locomotives designed by Henry Ivatt for suburban passenger traffic on the Metropolitan City Lines. A prototype built in 1903 proved overweight and was rebuilt with a smaller boiler and shorter side tanks, and ten more were built to that modified design. Thirty further engines followed in 1905 and 1906 for goods trains in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and the first eleven, which were not a success on passenger work, joined them there in 1907. The first eleven carried condensing apparatus for working through tunnels. Between 1909 and 1926 the engines were rebuilt with larger boilers, seven received superheaters, and a 1932 proposal to convert some to diesel-pneumatic drive was never built. The whole class was withdrawn and scrapped between 1927 and 1934.