North Eastern Railway Fletcher '40' class 2-4-0 No. 40. Built at Darlington in 1882 and withdrawn in January 1907.

I make no apologies for the slightly diminished quality of this 1885 image at the north end of York Station. It was restored from a yellowed and faded print that had been torn in half! This photograph would appear to be one of the very few images of this early Edward Fletcher class consisting of only four locomotives! Indeed it may be unique in showing the original appearance. 40 was later fitted with a lipped chimney, slotted splashers plated over, Salter safety valves removed from dome, fluted coupling rods fitted, works plate removed and building details added to the cabside numberplate, continuous boiler/smokebox handrail and coal rails added to the tender. And that's just the changes we could see...!

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