| Powertype: | Steam |
| Designer: | James Holden |
| Builder: | Stratford Works |
| Builddate: | 1903 - 1921 |
| Totalproduction: | 12 |
| Aarwheels: | Co |
| Uicclass: | C n2t |
| Coupleddiameter: | 3feet |
| Wheelbase: | 6feet |
| Length: | 20feet |
| Fueltype: | Coal |
| Watercap: | 625impgal |
| Fireboxtype: | Round-top |
| Firearea: | 9.2square feet |
| Diameterinside: | 2feet |
| Lengthinside: | 6feet |
| Smalltubediameter: | 102 x 1.6251NaN1 |
| Boilerpressure: | 1802NaN2 |
| Totalsurface: | 348.08square feet |
| Tubearea: | 306square feet |
| Fireboxarea: | 42.08square feet |
| Cylindercount: | Two, outside |
| Cylindersize: | 12x |
| Valvegear: | Walschaerts |
| Tractiveeffort: | 89312NaN2 at 85% |
| Powerclass: | BR: 0F |
| Axleloadclass: | LNER/BR: RA 2 |
| Withdrawndate: | 1942 (1), 1949–1955 |
| Disposition: | All original C53s scrapped, one Toby the Tram Engine replica built at East Anglian Railway Museum. |
| Notes: | Most specifications from[1] |
The GER Class C53 was a class of twelve 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.
These locomotives had 12x outside cylinders driving 3feet wheels; all enclosed by skirting. They were the first locomotives on the Great Eastern to use Walschaerts valve gear. 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 of similar appearance.
| Year | Order | Builder | Quantity | GER No. | LNER No. | LNER 1946 No. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | C53 | 2 | 135–136 | 7135–7136 | 8216–8217 | ||
| 1908 | C64 | 3 | 137–139 | 7137–7139 | 8218, —, 8219 | GER No.138 was withdrawn in 1942 | |
| 1910 | I67 | 1 | 130 | 7130 | 8220 | ||
| 1914 | P75 | 3 | 127–128, 131 | 7127–7128, 7131 | 8221–8223 | ||
| 1921 | D85 | 3 | 125–126, 129 | 7125–7126, 7129 | 8224–8226 | ||
| Year | Quantity in service at start of year | Quantity withdrawn | Locomotive numbers |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 |
| 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 |
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.[4]