Jake

**Jake** is a Y14 goods engine that was owned by the Wellsworth & Suddery Railway (W&S) from 1885 until the formation of the North Western Railway (NWR) in 1915.

## Biography

Jake was built at Stratford Works in 1885 following a competition given by the W&S to supply a single 0-6-0 tender locomotive for goods work. Brighton, Stratford, Darlington, Crewe, Wolverhampton and Derby answered the request but all wanted to build a locomotive from their own railway with the following recorded:

* Brighton Works: LB&SCR D1 designed by William Stroudley.
* Stratford Works: GER Y14 designed by Wilson Worsdell.
* Darlington Works: NER C1 designed by Thomas Worsdell (not yet introduced).
* Crewe Works: L&NWR 17inch Coal Engine designed by Francis Webb.
* Woverhampton Works: GWR 388 designed by George Armstrong.
* Derby Works: MR 1357 designed by Samuel Johnson.

The result was Jake as Stratford Works delivered their 0-6-0 in November 1885, with three Webb Coal Engines coming second and resulting in their sale to the Sodor & Mainland Railway (S&M) and a GWR 388. Jake became the railway's first dedicated goods locomotive and took most of the goods workload off the pure passenger locomotives.

During the rivalry with the S&M between 1894 and 1901, Jake served in a more mundane role due to his status of being a goods locomotive as opposed to passenger, but that didn't stop him from having confrontations with the S&M Coal Engines.

## Personality

Jake is a hard working engine who normally has time to stop and have a chat.

## Livery

Jake is painted in the standard Wellsworth & Suddery Railway Maroon livery.

## Appearances

* Rivalry
* German Spy (only appears in an illustration)
* Fast Goods

## Basis

Jake is based of a GER Y14 class, better known as a LNER J15 class after 1923. 289 were built at Stratford Works and Sharp, Steward & Co. for Glasgow, Scotland for goods duties on branch lines where others can't go. The class made history as one member of the class, No. 930, was built, undercoated and steamed in 9 hours and 42 minutes on December 10th-11th, 1891. 43 Y14s were used by the Railway Operation Division (ROD) from 1917 to 1919 for work in France during the final years of WWI. Withdrawals began in 1920 with returning vet No. 513 with an extra 16 retired in 1922. 272 of the class were inherited by the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) with further withdrawals happening between 1923 and 1948 with 127 passed into British Railways (BR). The final withdrawals happened under BR ending in 1962 and one, No. 564 (BR No. 65462), being preserved on the North Norfolk Railway.

## Trivia

Jake is a parody of GER No. 630 due to his quick construction. It was built on December 10th-11th, 1891 with a construction time of 9hrs 42mins to build, undercoat and steam. It was withdrawn by the LNER in 1929.

* No. 630's record has never been shattered.

Despite his exact build date being unknown other than his build month, Jake's age can be calculated as follows:

* In Rivalry (set in 1894), Jake was 8-9 years old.
* In German Spy (set in August 1915), Jake was 29 years old.
* In Fast Goods (set in November 1902), Jake was 17 years old.
* When he was scrapped in 1924, Jake was either 38 or 39 years old.

Jake represents the GER Y14 class as built.

Jake was involved in an incident during the construction of the Peel Godred line in 1924, when he fell off the viaduct outside Peel Godred itself was written off. As he was unable to be recovered, Jake was scrapped where he fell.

* The cause turned out to be that his fireman forgot to apply his handbrakes, causing him to roll and fall off the incomplete viaduct.