LNER Class J50
Encyclopedia
The Great Northern Railway
Class J23 was a class of 0-6-0
T steam locomotive
. They had long side tanks that came to the front of the smokebox, which sloped forwards to improve visibility and had a recess cut in to aid maintenance. Forty were built by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) between 1913 and 1922, with a further 62 being added by the London and North Eastern Railway
(LNER) between 1924 and 1939. None of the locomotives survive today.
(GNR) had traditionally used saddle-tank engines of the 0-6-0
wheel arrangement; the last of these, of GNR Class J13
, having been built in 1909 to the designs of H.A. Ivatt, the GNR Locomotive Superintendent.
Nigel Gresley
succeeded Ivatt in 1911, and soon identified a need for engines to work the short-haul coal traffic in the West Riding of Yorkshire; the nature of which required that the locomotives also be suitable for shunting. He designed a new class of 0-6-0 tank engine, using side tanks instead of saddle tanks. Gresley had recently begun the rebuilding of the GNR Class L1
0-8-2
T locomotives with larger boilers, 4 in 8 in (1.42 m) in diameter, which left a number of 4 in 2 in (1.27 m) diameter boilers spare. Thirty of these were used in the construction of the new goods tank engines between 1913 and 1919; when ten more were built in 1922, these again used secondhand boilers, but 4 in 5 in (1.35 m) in diameter. On the GNR, both varieties were classified J23, but the LNER divided them into J51 with smaller boilers, and J50 with larger boilers. The LNER continued the construction of Class J50, building a further 62 down to 1939, only the first ten of which were given secondhand boilers. Class J51 were rebuilt to class J50 between 1929 and 1935.
Each of the two main classes exhibited variations: locomotive brakes could be operated by vacuum or steam pressure; the driving position could be on the right- or the left-hand side of the cab; and there were three sizes of coal bunker. These variations were recognised by class subdivisions:
All were built at Doncaster
, except the last fourteen which were built at Gorton
. Further orders were placed in 1939 and 1941 totalling 25 more locomotives, but these were cancelled in 1942 after a number of components had been manufactured.
In 1943, new numbers were allotted in a continuous block from 8890 to 8991; these numbers were applied between January and December 1946, but before this could be done, the oldest ten, nos. 3157–64/6/7 were temporarily renumbered 3180–9 in May and June 1945. They duly received their permanent numbers 8890–9 between June and December 1946. Under British Railways, the 1946 numbers were increased by 60000.
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
Class J23 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...
T steam locomotive
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...
. They had long side tanks that came to the front of the smokebox, which sloped forwards to improve visibility and had a recess cut in to aid maintenance. Forty were built by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) between 1913 and 1922, with a further 62 being added by 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...
(LNER) between 1924 and 1939. None of the locomotives survive today.
History
For shunting and local goods work, the Great Northern RailwayGreat Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
(GNR) had traditionally used saddle-tank engines of the 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...
wheel arrangement; the last of these, of GNR Class J13
GNR Class J13
The Great Northern Railway Class J13, classified J52 by the LNER is a class of 0-6-0ST steam locomotive intended primarily for shunting....
, having been built in 1909 to the designs of H.A. Ivatt, the GNR Locomotive Superintendent.
Nigel Gresley
Nigel Gresley
Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway . He was the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in Britain, including the LNER Class A1 and LNER Class A4...
succeeded Ivatt in 1911, and soon identified a need for engines to work the short-haul coal traffic in the West Riding of Yorkshire; the nature of which required that the locomotives also be suitable for shunting. He designed a new class of 0-6-0 tank engine, using side tanks instead of saddle tanks. Gresley had recently begun the rebuilding of the GNR Class L1
GNR Class L1
The Great Northern Railway Class L1 was a 0-8-2T side tank steam locomotive designed by Henry Ivatt. It was originally designed for suburban passenger traffic on the Metropolitan City Lines....
0-8-2
0-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle ....
T locomotives with larger boilers, 4 in 8 in (1.42 m) in diameter, which left a number of 4 in 2 in (1.27 m) diameter boilers spare. Thirty of these were used in the construction of the new goods tank engines between 1913 and 1919; when ten more were built in 1922, these again used secondhand boilers, but 4 in 5 in (1.35 m) in diameter. On the GNR, both varieties were classified J23, but the LNER divided them into J51 with smaller boilers, and J50 with larger boilers. The LNER continued the construction of Class J50, building a further 62 down to 1939, only the first ten of which were given secondhand boilers. Class J51 were rebuilt to class J50 between 1929 and 1935.
Each of the two main classes exhibited variations: locomotive brakes could be operated by vacuum or steam pressure; the driving position could be on the right- or the left-hand side of the cab; and there were three sizes of coal bunker. These variations were recognised by class subdivisions:
- J51/1 10 built 1913–14, 4 ft 2 in boiler, vacuum brake, right-hand drive, short bunker
- J51/2 20 built 1914–19, as J51/1 but long bunker
- J50/1 10 rebuilt 1929–35 from J51/1 with 4 ft 5 in boiler
- J50/2 20 built 1922–24, as J51/2 but 4 ft 5 in boiler, plus 20 rebuilt 1929–34 from J51/1 with 4 ft 5 in boiler
- J50/3 38 built 1926–30, 4 ft 5 in boiler, steam brake, left-hand drive, long bunker
- J50/4 14 built 1938–39, 4 ft 5 in boiler, vacuum brake, left-hand drive, long bunker with hopper
All were built at Doncaster
Doncaster Works
Doncaster railway works is in the town of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.Always referred to as "the Plant", it was established by the Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston and Peterborough...
, except the last fourteen which were built at Gorton
Gorton locomotive works
Gorton Locomotive Works, known locally as Gorton Tank was located in Openshaw near Manchester, England and was completed in 1848 by the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway.- History :...
. Further orders were placed in 1939 and 1941 totalling 25 more locomotives, but these were cancelled in 1942 after a number of components had been manufactured.
Numbering
On the GNR, the numbers were 157–164, 166–176, 178, 211–230; these were increased by 3000 by the LNER. The first ten engines built by the LNER were numbered 3231–40, following on from the GNR engines; but those built from 1926 were given scattered numbers between 583 and 636, between 1037 and 1086, and 2789–94.In 1943, new numbers were allotted in a continuous block from 8890 to 8991; these numbers were applied between January and December 1946, but before this could be done, the oldest ten, nos. 3157–64/6/7 were temporarily renumbered 3180–9 in May and June 1945. They duly received their permanent numbers 8890–9 between June and December 1946. Under British Railways, the 1946 numbers were increased by 60000.
External links
- http://www.lner.info/locos/J/j50j51.shtml
- Railu database J50/1
- Railu database J50/2
- Railu database J50/3