The NER Class 290 was a class of 0-6-0T 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...

s of the North Eastern Railway

North Eastern Railway (UK)

The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...

 (NER), rebuilt from an earlier class of 0-4-4

0-4-4

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles...

T

History

Large numbers of the NER G6 0-4-4WT class were made redundant during the 1890s. Forty of these were rebuilt as 0-6-0T shunting locomotives at York Works between 1899 and 1904. Ten further were rebuilt at Darlington, in 1907-8 and a further ten in 1921. The G6 BTP were built with Westinghouse brakes. These were replaced with steam brakes on all but two of the J77s (Nos. 37 and 1437). These were removed in the late 1930s. Twelve of the J77s received vacuum brakes after 1945. This fitting was usually accompanied by the addition of carriage heating equipment.
They were used for general shunting and marshaling coal trains. Withdrawals started in 1933 but, most survived into British Railways ownership and were withdrawn during the 1950s, replaced by diesel shunters. The last J77 to be withdrawn was No. 68408 of South Blyth in February 1961.