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 type Steam Designer James Holden Builder Stratford Works Build date 1903–1921 Total produced 12
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0T  • UIC C n2t Gauge 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 3 ft 1 in (0.940 m) Wheelbase 6 ft 8 in (2.032 m) Length 20 ft 8 ^3⁄8 in (6.309 m) Loco weight 27 long tons 1 cwt (60,600 lb or 27.5 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 15 long cwt (1,700 lb or 800 kg) Water cap 625 imp gal (2,840 l; 751 US gal) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 9.2 sq ft (0.85 m^2) Boiler pressure 180 lbf/in^2 (1.24 MPa) Heating surface 348.08 sq ft (32.338 m^2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 12 in × 15 in (305 mm × 381 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures Tractive effort 8,931 lbf (39.73 kN)
Career Operators GER » LNER » BR Class GER: C53 LNER: J70 Power class BR: 0F Axle load class LNER/BR: RA 2 Withdrawn 1942 (1), 1949–1955 Disposition All original C53s scrapped, one Toby the Tram Engine replica built at East Anglian Railway Museum.

History

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.[1] 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 0-4-0 of similar appearance.

Table of orders and numbers[1]

Year	Order	Builder	Quantity	GER No.	LNER No.	LNER 1944 No.	Notes
1903	C53	Stratford Works	2	135–136	7135–7136	8216–8217
1908	C64	Stratford Works	3	137–139	7137–7139	8218, —, 8219
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, 7126	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.[2]

Table of withdrawals[3]

Year	Quantity in service at start of year	Quantity withdrawn	Locomotive numbers
1942	12	1	7138
1943–8	11	0	–
1949	11	1	68218
1950	10	0	–
1951	10	1	68221
1952	9	1	68224
1953	8	4	68216–7/19–20
1954	4	0	–
1955	4	4	68222–3/25–6

In fiction

Toby replica on Avon Valley Railway

The J70 was the inspiration for the character Toby the Tram Engine in The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off television series Thomas & Friends.

References

Notes

1. Aldrich 1969, p. 105
2. Aldrich 1969, p. 106
3. Allen et al. 1970, p. 102

Bibliography

• 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

• Awdry, Chris (September 1983). "Toby The Tram Engine & Other Stories...". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. pp. 10–11, 13–14. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.

External links

• J. Holden locomotives — Great Eastern Railway Society
• The J70 0-6-0 (GER Class C53) Tram Engines — LNER Encyclopedia