GER Class S69

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GER Class S69
LNER Class B12
BR: 61500-61580
Axle load classLNER/BR: RA 4 (B12/3), RA 3 (remainder)
Withdrawn1913 (1), 1945–1961
DispositionOne preserved, remainder scrapped
B12/3 No. 61580 at Grantham 28 March 1956.
No. 8572 preserved

The Great Eastern Railway (GER) Class S69, also known as 1500 Class, and later classified B12 by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed to haul express passenger trains from London Liverpool Street station along the Great Eastern Main Line.[1] Originally they were designed by S. D. Holden, but were much rebuilt, resulting in several subclasses.

Seventy-one S69 locomotives were built between 1911 and 1921 and numbered 1500–1570. Fifty-one of these were built at the GER's

British Railways
numbers were 61500–61580 (with gaps).

Background

At the time of their introduction, the "Claud Hamilton" 4-4-0s were becoming outclassed on the heaviest express. Although an enlarged 4-4-0 design was mooted,[3] it was realised that any such design would have too high an axle load for the tracks of the Great Eastern Railway, which had a relatively low restriction. Another design constraint was the short turntables used at the time. This meant that a 4-6-0 design was decided upon, although the design was relatively short compared to similar designs introduced at the same time.

Construction

The first locomotive, numbered 1500, was delivered to Ipswich shed in November 1911, and construction continued at Stratford Works up to number 1538 which was delivered, again to Ipswich shed, in June 1915.[4] There was then a brief pause due to wartime restrictions and the next two locomotives, 1539 and 1540, were not delivered until June 1917.[5] A further batch of 20, numbers 1541 to 1560, were constructed by Beardsmore's having works numbers 135 to 154 although running numbers were not in the same order as the works numbers. These were delivered from June 1920 to April 1921 during which time construction continued at Stratford Works with numbers 1561 to 1570 also being delivered in 1920.[6]

After the grouping the LNER ordered a further batch of 10 locomotives from Beyer Peacock of Manchester, and these were delivered with running numbers 8571 to 8580 to Gorton shed. This final batch brought the number of locomotives constructed to 81.[7]

LNER

Seventy were still in service at the

2-6-4T tank locomotive due to the adverse press publicity caused by the Sevenoaks derailment of 1927.[8]

All the B12 locomotives were fitted with vacuum ejectors between 1924 and 1929 (the 1928 batch had them from new). Fifty-five locomotives were fitted with

ACFI feedwater heaters between 1927 and 1934, but these were removed between 1934 and 1942. The first substantive change was the fitting of Lenz poppet valves to the 1928 batch (from new), and six of the ex-GE locomotives (8516/19/25/32/33/40).[9] These locomotives were then classified as class B12/2. The poppet valves were not a great success and they all reverted to or were converted to piston valve
engines between 1931 and 1934.

As newer power became available, the locomotives’ low axleload made them ideal candidates for transfers elsewhere. consequently, between 1931 and 1942, twenty-five locomotives were transferred to Scotland for use on the former Great North of Scotland Railway lines.

Starting in 1932, a programme began of rebuilding the B12 locomotives with larger diameter boilers. The Diagram 99A boilers utilised were 5-foot-6-inch (1,676 mm) diameter, compared with the 5-foot-1+1⁄8-inch (1,553 mm) diameter originals. These rebuilt locomotives were classified as class B12/3, and as they had a higher axleload, none of the Scottish-allocated locomotives were included. The last to be rebuilt was 8549 in 1944, leaving 8534 as the last English B12/1; but it was withdrawn the following year without being rebuilt.

As the Scottish locomotives also required new boilers, a new design was started in 1941, based on the old design but with a

class J20
locomotives. The B12 locomotives fitted with the Diagram 25A boiler (1500/04/05/07/08/11/24/26) were classified as class B12/4.

In the 1942 LNER renumbering scheme, the class was allocated the range 7415–7494, but only eleven (7426/37/49/67/70/72/76/79/82/88/91) were renumbered before the scheme was abandoned due to the war. In the 1946 scheme, the class was allocated the 1500–1580 block(their 1924 numbers with 7000 removed from them), with gaps for the two withdrawn locomotives.

British Railways

At nationalisation in 1948, seventy-two locomotives passed to British Railways, who renumbered them 61500–61580. Withdrawals continued, and all were gone by the end of 1961. One engine, LNER No. 8572, has been preserved.

Tables

Table of orders and numbers[10]
Year Order Manufacturer Quantity GER Nos. LNER Nos. LNER 1946 Nos. Notes
1911–12 S69 Stratford Works 5 1500–1504 8500–8504 1500–1504
1913 A73 Stratford Works 10 1505–1514 8505, —, 8507–8514 1505, —, 1507–1514 1506 withdrawn after accident at Colchester, 12 July 1913
1913 E75 Stratford Works 5 1515–1519 8515–8519 1515–1519
1914 R75 Stratford Works 10 1520–1529 8520–8529 1520–1529
1914–15 M77 Stratford Works 6 1530–1535 8530–8535 1530–1535
1915–17 B78 Stratford Works 5 1536–1540 8536–8540 1536–1540
1920–21 — Wm. Beardmore & Co. 135–154 20 1541–1560 8541–8560 1541–1560
1920 H82 Stratford Works 10 1561–1570 8561–8570 1561–1570
1928 —
Beyer, Peacock & Co.
6487–6496		 10 — 8571–8580 1571–1580 8572 preserved
Table of withdrawals[9]
Year Quantity in
service at
start of year		 Quantity
withdrawn		 Locomotive numbers Notes
1945 80 1 8534 Last English B12/1
1946 79 1 1548 Scottish
1947 78 6 1518/22/27/31/44/51 1531/51 Scottish
1948 72 3 1500/09/17 1500 Scottish
1949 69 2 1510/61536 61536 Scottish
1950 67 2 61504/29 Both Scottish
1951 65 5 61503/15/25–26/59 61503/26 Scottish
1952 60 5 61505/11/21/50/60 All Scottish
1953 55 9 61501/07–08/13/24/28/32/43/63 All Scottish; last B12/4s
1954 46 2 61502/39 Last B12/1s, last Scottish B12s
1955 44 2 61523/62
1956 42 0 –
1957 42 17 61512/19-20/37–38/40–41/45/50/55–57/65/69/74/78–79
1958 25 9 61516/42/47/53–54/61/64/67/70
1959 16 15 61514/30/33/35/46/49/58/66/68/71/73/75–77/80
1960 1 0 –
1961 1 1 61572 Preserved

Accidents and incidents

World War II Career

An unknown number of B12s were used towards the end of WWII to haul ambulance trains for the US Army.[18] These trains, equipped for working on the Continent or at home, were fitted with the Westinghouse brake. B12s were selected because they had the Westinghouse brake, and were generally acceptable because their low-axle loading gave them a very high route-availability. They operated widely over the network and were fitted with a "vacuum/air proportioning valve" to allow the driver of a local pilot engine (used where double heading was necessary because of gradients) to control the brake throughout the train.

Preservation

One B12/3, LNER number 8572 (BR 61572), has survived to preservation on the North Norfolk Railway, the only British inside cylinder 4-6-0 to be preserved.

Models

A model of the B12 was brought out in OO gauge by Tri-ang Railways (now Hornby) in 1963. Models produced since 1970 feature a steam "chuff" effect, where in the tender as the wheels turn, a piece of sandpaper is scraped by a piece of metal fixed to one axle. In 2016, Hornby launched a brand new tooling of the B12 in a super detail form with LNER apple green and BR lined black with early and late crest liveries.[19]

References

Notes

  1. ^ Phillips 1982, p. 3
  2. ^ "S69 Class 4-6-0 1911-1921, 1928". Great Eastern Railway Society. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
  3. ^ Hughes 1988, p. 56
  4. ^ Yeadon 1994, pp. 11–51.
  5. ^ Yeadon 1994, p. 52.
  6. ^ Yeadon 1994, pp. 71–79.
  7. ^ Yeadon 1994, pp. 82–92.
  8. ^ Boddy et al. 1975, p. 51.
  9. ^ a b Boddy et al. 1975, pp. 65–66.
  10. ^ Aldrich 1969, p. 55
  11. ^ Trevena 1981, p. 25
  12. ^ Yeadon 1994, p. 3.
  13. ^ Yeadon 1994, p. 26.
  14. ^ Vaughan 1989, pp. 69–73.
  15. ^ Yeadon 1994, p. 89.
  16. ^ Earnshaw 1991, p. 28
  17. ^ Earnshaw 1991, p. 30
  18. ^ Nock 1971.
  19. ^ "Hornby Shows Final B12 Sample". Hornby Magazine. 2016.

Bibliography

External links

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