The GER Class R24 was a class of 0-6-0

0-6-0

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...

 steam

Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...

 tank locomotive

Tank locomotive

A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...

s designed by James Holden

James Holden (engineer)

James Holden was an English locomotive engineer.He is remembered mainly for the "Claud Hamilton" 4-4-0, his pioneering work with oil fuel, and his unique "Decapod".- Biography :...

 for the Great Eastern Railway

Great Eastern Railway

The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...

 (GER). They passed to the London and North Eastern Railway

London and North Eastern Railway

The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...

 at the grouping

Railways Act 1921

The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...

 in 1923 and received the LNER classification J67. Some R24s were rebuilt with higher boiler pressure in which form they were similar to the later Class S56. The rebuilt R24s, together with the S56s, were classified J69 by the LNER.

History

These locomotives were very similar to the Class T18

GER Class T18

The GER Class T18 was a class of fifty 0-6-0 tank steam locomotives designed by James Holden for the Great Eastern Railway. They passed to the London and North Eastern Railway at the grouping in 1923 and received the LNER classification J66.-Overview:...

 locomotives, sharing the same dimensions for most major components. They were all built at the GER's Stratford Works

Stratford Works

Stratford Works was the locomotive-building works of the Great Eastern Railway situated at Stratford, London, England. It was opened in 1847-1848 by the GER's predecessor, the Eastern Counties Railway...

 between 1890 and 1901.

Table of orders and numbers

Year	Order No.	Quantity	GER Nos.	LNER No.	LNER 1946 No.	Notes
1890	R24	10	327–336	7327–7336	8490–8495, —, 8496–8498
1890	S24	10	337–346	7337–7346	8499–8505, —, 8507–8508
1890	A26	10	397–406	7397–7406	8509–8513, —, 8514, — 8515, —
1890–91	B26	10	407–416	7011–7020	8516–8521, —, 8522–8523, —	Renumbered 11–20 in January 1920
1892	P29	10	347–356	7347–7356	8524–8533
1892	R29	10	357–366	7357–7366	8534–8538, — 8540, — 8541–8542
1894	N33	10	367–376	7367–7376	8543–8552
1895	F36	10	377–386	7377–7386	8553–8562
1895–96	Y36	10	387–396	7387–7396	8563, —, 8565–8572
1896	C37	10	265–274	7265–7274	8573–8579, — 8581, —
1899	H45	10	255–264	7255–7264	—, 8583–8585, —, 8586–8590
1899–1900	G47	10	199–208	7199–7208	—, 8606, —, —, 8591–8592, —, 8593–8595
1900	S48	10	189–198	7305, 7190–7198	8596–8603, —, 8605	189 renumbered 305 in January 1909
1901	R50	10	160–169	7160–7169	8607–8613, —, —, 8616

Eighty-nine locomotives were rebuilt between 1904 and 1921 with 180 lbf/in2 boilers and increased water capacity. Most were fitted with air brakes and used in suburban and branch line passenger service along side the Class S56. The 51 locomotives not rebuilt were used for shunting and working local goods trains.

The first withdrawal was in 1931 due to accident damage. Eleven were withdrawn in 1937, and one in 1939. Thirteen class J69 locomotives were lent to the War Department in October 1939, of which eight had been built as Class R24. They were sold to the War Department in October 1940, where they were used on the Melbourne

Melbourne Military Railway

thumb|[[Buffer stop]]s by [[Isley Walton]] RoadThe Melbourne Military Railway was a military railway in Derbyshire used by British Army and Allied engineers during the Second World War from 1939 until late 1944 to prepare them for the invasion of mainland Europe...

 and Longmoor Military Railway

Longmoor Military Railway

The Longmoor Military Railway was a British military railway in Hampshire, built by the Royal Engineers from 1903 in order to train soldiers on railway construction and operations.-Route:...

s. The remaining locomotives were renumbered 8490–8616 in order of construction (with one exception); however gaps were left where the locomotives sold to the War Department would have been. At nationalisation in 1948, they all passed to British Railways, who added 60000 to their number. Post-war withdrawals started in 1953, and by 1962 all had been retired.

Table of withdrawals

Year	Quantity in service at start of year	Quantity withdrawn	Locomotive numbers	Notes
1931	140	1	7364	Accident damage
1937	139	11	7017, 7020, 7199, 7201, 7202, 7205, 7255, 7259, 7402, 7404, 7406
1939	128	1	7333
1940	127	8	7274, 7272, 7197, 7168, 7388, 7344, 7362, 7167	to WD 78–79, 81–82, 84, 88–90 respectively
1953	119	4	68505, 68525, 68533, 68548
1954	115	4	68493, 68509, 68534, 68572
1955	111	11
1956	100	13
1957	87	9
1958	78	22
1959	56	18
1960	38	12
1961	26	18
1962	8	8

External links

• LNER Encyclopedia