Locomotive History

Ex GER / LNER / BR Holden Class J17

The Great Eastern Railway G58, later known as the J17 0-6-0s, was designed by James Holden. The design owed a great deal to his draughtsman, Frederick Russell, who used the boiler, cylinders, motion, and slide valves from the ‘Claud Hamilton’ 4-4-0s, while fitting them with standard goods 4ft 11in diameter wheels.

A total of 30 GER G58s (J17s) were built from new and fitted with superheated Belpaire boilers between 1905 and 1911. The other 60 J17s were rebuilt from J16 (F48) locomotives, which originally had round-top boilers, between 1921 and 1932. Most of the later-built locomotives were fitted with new 3,500-gallon high tenders, but quite a number of the J16s retained the smaller, low 2,640-gallon tenders after being rebuilt as J17s.

These locomotives were equipped with steam brakes only and were used with loose-coupled wagons. However, 17 were fitted with vacuum pipes between 1942 and 1951 for work on the M&GN line, where they were used for passenger trains.

Some J17s lasted into the 1960s, with the very last in service, number 65582, being withdrawn in September 1962. Number 65567 became part of the National Railway Collection and is currently on display at Barrow Hill, making it the only one remaining.

LMS BR (Ex L&YR) Aspinall Class 27 0-6-0

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway class 27 was by far the most numerous class with 385 locomotives being built at Horwich between 1889 & 1918. These where built mainly for freight but were also seen on passenger workings.

When Aspinall rebuilt most of the smaller Barting Wright class 25s into saddle tanks (Class 23) he used 200 of their tenders which were still of no age for these new class 27 locomotives, the rest receiving new tenders. The class 27 being a more powerful (3F) having 5ft 1-inch wheels compared to the class 25 (2F) with 4ft 6-inch wheels.

Commencing in 1911, Hughes started rebuilding some of the class 27 with Belpair fireboxes, 46 in total with the vast majority staying in original condition. Hughes went onto build the class 28 mostly with Belpair fireboxes though the first batch has round top fireboxes. Both where superheated with the last five being reverted back to the original 1889 specification, possible using spare parts.

28 of the class 27s where sent to France during the first world war for service with the R.O.D, all of the locomotives later being retuned and put back into service.

The first withdrawals came in 1931. Crewe works had eight of the 0-6-0s lasting into 1962 for shunting work with Locomotive Nº52093 lasting the longest in-service at 72.5 years.

The last two Aspinall class 27 where withdrawn in December 1962 when Belpair 52413 and round top 52121 where both shedded at Sowerby Bridge. One class 27, Nº52322 (Ex LMS 12311) was preserved at the East Lancashire Railway.

Irish GSR/CIE 101 (J15) class 0-6-0

THE Great Southern and Western Railways 101 class was Ireland’s largest steam locomotive class with 119 members (never more than 111 locomotives existed at one time - as older locomotives were scrapped, a new one took its number!).

Originally designed at Beyer Peacock, the first started work in 1867, although the GSWR’s Engineer, Alexander McDonnell had rebuilt an earlier 0-4-2 to an 0-6-0 (doubtless having the use of BP’s drawings for the planned engines) and in time this locomotive became a standard member of the class.

Although ten were produced by Beyer Peacock and eight by Sharp Stewart, the vast majority were built by the GS&W in their Inchicore works, in Dublin, Ireland, with the final loco being rolled out in 1903.

The later Great Southern Railways classified them as Class J15, a designation commonly used in CIE days.

There were many changes, great and small, made over the years. With the exception of eight locos (all rebuilds of one form or another) which were withdrawn in the late 19th century, in time all received new round top firebox 4’4” boilers, some of these locomotives (like the preserved No.184) retained this saturated steam boiler until scrapping. Beginning in 1930, about half of the class received a later superheated “Z” Class boiler with Belpaire firebox – the preserved No.186 was one of these.

The original locomotives had typical BP features including a sloping front to the smokebox, fitted with double smoke box doors, these being replaced with a single vertical door in the course of rebuilding.

In later years most superheated locomotives ran with larger tenders while the saturated locomotives mainly kept the smaller tenders with springs to the upper sides of the tank sides, however there were several other types of tenders used as well.

Almost 60 remained in service into the 1960s, of which, about a dozen still had round top fireboxed saturated boliers.

The last of the class was withdrawn in the mid 1960s. Thankfully, one of each main type has been preserved: No 184 representing the earlier round top boiler and smaller upper sprung tender, the other being No 186 with a super- heated (Belpaire firebox) Z boiler and a larger tender.

Adams A12 class 0-4-2 ‘Jubilees’.

These where mixed traffic locomotives with the first engine completed in May 1887, the 50th year Jubilee of the Queen Victoria’s reign.

With a total on ninety being built between 1887 and 1895 at Nine Elms and forty by Nielson & Co Glasgow, making them the largest Adams class of all the British 0-4-2s.

These where based at Nine Elms, Guildford, Basingstoke, Yeovil, Exmouth Junction, Strawberry Hill, Salisbury, Wadebridge and Plymouth, they proved successful and popular.

The most noticeable change was when Drummond chimney where fitted from 1900 onwards to most of the class, although a few still has their original stove pipe chimney into the 1920s.

K10 and L11 4-4-0s took over many of the Jubilees duties but many crews still preferred the Jubilees which were more economical locomotives burning less coal per mile then their successors, they also had a higher yearly mileage.

By the 1920s the Jubilees where seen mainly on branch line work, pick-up goods and shunting duties.

At the 1923 grouping, all ninety Jubilees where still in service and remained until 1928 when the first six being withdrawn and broken up which continued through the following years and became the last serving 0-4-2s on Britain’s railways.

618, 627, 629 & 636 entered into British Railways stock in 1948 but where not renumbered and kept their Southern lettering with 629 being the last one in general service, ending its days shunting at Eastleigh and was withdrawn in November 1948.

There was one other to exist longer in departmental use supplying steam to Eastleigh boiler yard as DS3191 (Ex612) until November 1951.

Unfortunately, none of these good-looking Jubilees made it into preservation.

LSWR/SR ‘0330’ Class (Saddletanks)

These where built by Beyer Peacock and Co from 1867 for the Swedish, Australian, Belgium, London and South Western Railway and several other railways including British Collieries.

A Total of 20 been supplied to the LS&WR between 1876 to 1882 for shunting duties at Nine Elms Dorchester, Exeter Guilford, Basingstoke, Northam, Saulsbury, Portsmouth, Strawberry Hill, Fratton, Eastleigh, Bournemouth and were also seen on engineer’s train including the construction of the Lyme Regis branch.

All entered Southern Railway stock at the grouping and by now some were being re-boilers and only nine received Southern Railway Livery with the last two 0332 and 0334 being withdrawn from Southern in 1933 but ended up remaining derelict at Eastleigh and not being broken up until 1949.

In 1925 Colonel Stephens bough Nº127 which left Eastleigh Works painted light green lettered EKR Nº7 and worked until 1945.

In 1932 0335 went to the K&ESR and was re-numbered No4 until being laid aside in 1946 and was broken up at Ashford in 1948 having spent 72 years in service.

In 1879 an 0-6-0ST was purchased & put to work on the Stratford Upon Avon to Broom Line, it was sold in 1890 to Rothervale Collieries Co in South Yorkshire, (Later NCB.) I believe this was the last example in Britain which was not scraped until 1959 bearing the number 0.

Drummond K10 4-4-0 (Small hopper.)

A batch of 40 Drummond K10s were built at Elms works between 1901-1902 for mixed traffic work there they earned the nickname “Small Hoppers.”

These K10s were mainly paired with 6 wheel tenders because of their intended short journeys although some carries the larger 8-wheel water cart tenders.

The K10s underwent little change in their lifetime apart from “Urie” removing the firebox water tube box during LSWR days. In 1925 ten of the Drummond K10s were fitted with stove-pipe chimneys for use on the Easters section, being based at Gillingham from 1940. They began to lose their smoke-box wing plates. During 1941 five of the K10 class were lent to the LMS and worked mainly from Bristol and Gloucester and in the SDJR.

The main withdraw started at the end of Southern days in 1947, 31 entered British Railway stock at nationalisation when withdrawal was so rapid. Only 30382 received BR numbering whilst 389 was the last to be withdrawn in July of 1951 from Yeovil town shed. None where preserved.

Irish Ex GS&WR 101 (J15) class 0-6-0