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GER Class C53

The GER Class C53 was a class of twelve 0-6-0T steam tram locomotives designed by James Holden for the Great Eastern Railway. They passed to the London and North Eastern Railway at the grouping, and received the LNER classification J70.

  • GER Class C53
  • LNER Class J70
8226 at Stratford locomotive depot, 28 September 1946
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerJames Holden
BuilderStratford Works
Build date1903 - 1921
Total produced12
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte0-6-0T
 • AARCo
 • UICC n2t
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Coupled dia.3 ft 1 in (0.940 m)
Wheelbase6 ft 8 in (2.032 m)
Length20 ft 8+3⁄8 in (6.309 m)
Axle load11 long tons 7 cwt (25,400 lb or 11.5 t)
Loco weight27 long tons 1 cwt (60,600 lb or 27.5 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity15 long cwt (1,700 lb or 800 kg)
Water cap.625 imp gal (2,840 L; 751 US gal)
Firebox:​
 • TypeRound-top
 • Grate area9.2 sq ft (0.9 m2)
Boiler:
​
 • Diameter2 ft 10.5 in (0.9 m)
 • Tube plates6 ft 10 in (2.1 m)
 • Small tubes102 x 1.625 in (41.3 mm)
Boiler pressure180 lbf/in2 (1.24 MPa)
Heating surface:​
 • Firebox42.08 sq ft (3.9 m2)
 • Tubes306 sq ft (28.4 m2)
 • Total surface348.08 sq ft (32.3 m2)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size12 in × 15 in (305 mm × 381 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Performance figures
Tractive effort8,931 lbf (39.73 kN) at 85%
Career
Operators
Class
  • GER: C53
  • LNER: J70
Power classBR: 0F
Axle load classLNER/BR: RA 2
Withdrawn1942 (1), 1949–1955
DispositionAll original C53s scrapped, one Toby the Tram Engine replica built at East Anglian Railway Museum.
Most specifications from[1]

History

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These locomotives had 12-by-15-inch (305 mm × 381 mm) outside cylinders driving 3-foot-1-inch (0.940 m) wheels; all enclosed by skirting. They were the first locomotives on the Great Eastern to use Walschaerts valve gear.[2] They were used on the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway and the ports of Great Yarmouth and Ipswich from the 1930s to the 1950s. They replaced earlier GER Class G15 0-4-0T of similar appearance.

Table of orders and numbers[2]
Year Order Builder Quantity GER No. LNER No. LNER 1946 No. Notes
1903 C53 Stratford Works 2 135–136 7135–7136 8216–8217
1908 C64 Stratford Works 3 137–139 7137–7139 8218, —, 8219 GER No.138 was withdrawn in 1942
1910 I67 Stratford Works 1 130 7130 8220
1914 P75 Stratford Works 3 127–128, 131 7127–7128, 7131 8221–8223
1921 D85 Stratford Works 3 125–126, 129 7125–7126, 7129 8224–8226

The first withdrawal was in 1942. The remaining locomotives were renumbered 8216–8226 in 1944. The remaining eleven locomotives passed to British Railways in 1948 on nationalisation, and had 60000 added to their numbers. Withdrawals restarted in 1949, slowly at first, then more quickly, and the last went in 1955.[3]

Table of withdrawals[4]
Year Quantity in
service at
start of year		 Quantity
withdrawn		 Locomotive numbers
1942 12 1 7138
1949 11 1 68218
1951 10 1 68221
1952 9 1 68224
1953 8 4 68216–7/19–20
1955 4 4 68222–3/25–6

Individual locomotives

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List of GER C53 locomotives[5][6]
GER number LNER number 1946 number BR number Build date Withdrawal date
135 7135 8216 68216 31/10/1903 31/12/1953
136 7136 8217 68217 30/11/1903 31/03/1953
137 7137 8218 68218 30/09/1908 30/09/1949
138 7138 N/A N/A 30/09/1908 31/01/1942
139 7139 8219 68219 31/10/1908 31/08/1953
130 7130 8220 68220 30/04/1910 31/03/1953
127 7127 8221 68221 30/06/1914 21/05/1951
128 7128 8222 68222 30/06/1914 28/02/1955
131 7131 8223 68223 30/06/1914 19/07/1955
125 7125 8224 68224 31/03/1921 30/04/1952
126 7126 8225 68225 31/03/1921 31/03/1955
129 7129 8226 68226 31/03/1921 02/08/1955

Note: The data above is according to RailUK. BRDatabase gives some different dates:

  • GER No. 135 was withdrawn in 30 November 1953
  • GER No. 136 was withdrawn in 9 March 1953
  • GER No. 130 was withdrawn in 23 February 1953
  • GER No. 128 was withdrawn sometime in January 1955
  • GER No. 125 was withdrawn in 24 March 1952
  • GER No. 126 was withdrawn in 8 March 1955

In fiction

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Toby replica on Avon Valley Railway

J70 68221 was the inspiration for the character Toby the Tram Engine in The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry, and its television series adaptation Thomas & Friends.[7]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ "LNER J70". lner.info. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b Aldrich 1969, p. 105
  3. ^ Aldrich 1969, p. 106
  4. ^ Allen et al. 1970, p. 102
  5. ^ "GER Class C53". RailUK.
  6. ^ "GER/LNER Holden "J70" Class 0-6-0T". BRDatabse.
  7. ^ Wilbert Vere Awdry. The Island of Sodor - its People, History and Railways. p. 137.

Bibliography

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  • Aldrich, C. Langley (1969). The Locomotives of the Great Eastern Railway 1862–1962 (7th ed.). Wickford, Essex: C. Langley Aldrich. OCLC 30278831.
  • Allen, D. W.; Boddy, M. G.; Brown, W. A.; Fry, E. V.; Hennigan, W.; Manners, F.; Neve, E.; Proud, P.; Roundthwaite, T. E.; Tee, D. F.; Yeadon, W. B. (November 1970). Fry, E. V. (ed.). Locomotives of the L.N.E.R., part 8A: Tank Engines - Classes J50 to J70. Kenilworth: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-05-3.

Further reading

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