North Western Profiles

Roster Page 16

(16) Whiff

                       Whiff is an ex-North Eastern Railway O class 0-4-4T, (nowadays known as the LNER G5 class), designed by Wilson Worsdell for running suburban trains on the railways system. Whiff was apart of the seventh batch, being built in the year 1900, and as such was relatively young compared to his other classmates. In his early years, known as number 384, he was mentored by a Fletcher BTP to help him learn to work efficiently, however, on January 17th 1903, number 384 would end up on the wrong end of a collision between a slow goods and a fast passenger, being sat in the bankers siding and getting pelted in the smokebox by debris. Whilst the engines involved were largely repairable, 384 sustained permanent damage to his eyesight from the incident, and with it being to expensive for the NER to waste funds on glasses for 384, the management decided the best thing for him would be selling him to the S&M , which already had to manufacture glasses for one of their engines. Upon arrival, 384 would be sent strait to Crovan's gate for repainting into S&M lined green becoming their number 5, and getting his new glasses. With his sight restored, and a new life ahead of him, the green 0-4-4T decided to name himself Whiff, after a conversation between workmen stating how fresh his paint smelt. For the first few years of his life, Whiff would be based at Vicarstown MPD, but after the formation of the NWR, Whiff was assigned to Wellsworth MPD in 1919, mainly to assist with suburban trains from Suddery to Wellsworth, (and because he'd formed a best friend relationship to Edward upon thee k2's arrival). The modifications he would receive after the NWR's formation would mainly be the application of the number 16, the addition of an extended hopper above his bunker for better capacity, and the fitting of push pull equipment.