Locomotives of the London and North Eastern Railway explained

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) produced several classes of locomotive, mostly to the designs of Nigel Gresley, characterised by a three-cylinder layout with a parallel boiler and round-topped firebox. It produced the most famous locomotive of its day, 4468 'Mallard', the holder of the world steam locomotive speed record. It also built the world-famous 4472 'Flying Scotsman'. However, its locomotive inheritance was much greater than just the 'A4 Class', it also produced highly successful mixed-traffic and freight designs.

For an explanation of the classification and numbering systems used by the LNER and its constituent companies, see: LNER locomotive numbering and classification.

Locomotives of constituent companies

Great Central Railway

Including the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway

Charles Sacré (1859–1886)

Class	Quantity	Date	LNER Class	Notes
1B	5	1868	(none)	align=left
4	2	1883	Y2	align=left	Manning Wardle Class H
6B	27	1877–80	D12	align=left
172	1	1861	(none)	align=left	acquired from the South Yorkshire Railway
15	4	1865	(none)	Built for the Sardinian Railway
6C	62	1880–85	J12	align=left
12	10	1873	(none)	align=left
12A	28	1875–85	(none)	align=left
12AT	8	1881	E8	align=left
12AM	6	1881	(none)	align=left	rebuild from 12AT
7	6	1885	(none)	align=left
23	50	1861-1867	(none)	align=left
4	1	1873	J69/1	align=left	Acquired 1876
18	68	1869–73	(none)	align=left	Twenty rebuilt as tank engine 1902–05
18 Converted	20	1869–71	J58	align=left	Rebuilt from tender engines 1902–05
18A	7	1871	(none)	align=left
18T	41	1871–81	J59	align=left
14	12	1882-1883	(none)	align=left

Thomas Parker (1886–1893)

Class	Quantity	Manufacturer	Date	LNER Class	Notes
	25	Kitson & Co. (13) Gorton Works (12)	1887–1892	D7	align=left
3	39		1889–1892	F1	align=left
6AI	12		1888	J8	align=left
6D	3		1887	E2	align=left
6DB	3		1888	D8	align=left
9	6		1888–89	J13	align=left
	55		1889–92	N4	align=left
9B & 9E	31	Neilson & Co. (25) ? (6)	1891–95	J9	align=left
	129		1891–1901	N5	align=left	Includes two acquired with Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway
	124		1892–1902	J10	align=left

Harry Pollitt (1893–1900)

Class	Quantity	Manufacturer	Date	LNER Class	Notes
	6		1887–1892	D7	align=left
	12		1897	J62	align=left
9G	10		1896	F2	align=left
11	6		1894–95	D5	align=left
11A	33	Gorton Works (13) Beyer, Peacock & Co. (20)	1897–99	D6	align=left
15	20		1899	(none)	align=left
13	6		1900	X4	align=left

John G. Robinson (1900–22)

see John G. Robinson

Class	Quantity	Manufacturer	Date	LNER Class	1946 LNER nos.	Notes
	2		1903–04	B1	1479–80	align=left	later LNER Class B18
	6		1912–13	B2	1490–93	align=left	"Sir Sam Fay" class; later LNER Class B19
	6		1917–20	B3	1494–99	align=left	"Lord Faringdon" class
	10		1906	B4	1481–89	align=left	"Immingham" class
	14	Neilson & Co. (6) Beyer, Peacock & Co. (8)	1902–04	B5	1678–90	align=left	"Fish Engines"
	3		1918–21	B6	1346–48	align=left
	38	Gorton Works (23) Vulcan Foundry (10) Beyer, Peacock & Co. (5)	1921–23	B7	1360–97	align=left	Known as both the "Black Pigs" and the "Colliers' Friends"
	11		1913–15	B8	1349–59	align=left	"Glenalmond" class
	10		1906	B9	1469–78	align=left
	27	Beyer, Peacock & Co. (7) North British Loco. Co. (12) Gorton Works (8)	1903–06	C4	2900–25	align=left
	4		1905–06	C5	2895–98	align=left	Three-cylinder compounds
	40	Sharp, Stewart & Co. (30) Vulcan Foundry (10)	1901–04	D9	2300–33	align=left
	10		1913	D10	2650–59	align=left	"Director" class
	35	Armstrong Whitworth (12) Gorton Works (11) Kitson & Co. (12)	1919–24	D11	2660–94	align=left	"Improved Director" class
	174	Neilson, Reid & Co. (49) Beyer, Peacock & Co. (25) Gorton Works (70) Vulcan Foundry (15) Yorkshire Engine Co. (15)	1901–10	J11	4280–4453	align=left
	126	Gorton Works (56) Kitson & Co. (20) North British Loco. Co. (50)	1911–14	O4	3570–3900	align=left	Another 521 built for the government, of which 276 later came to the LNER. 58 converted to “O1” between 1944 and 1949
	19		1918–21	O5	3902–3920	align=left	All eventually converted to "O4"
	89	Gorton Works (35) Kitson & Co. (51) Neilson, Reid & Co. (3)	1902–11	Q4	3200–43, 9925–37	align=left	13 converted to tanks by LNER (class Q1) 1942–45
	21		1911–17	A5	9800–20	align=left	24 more built by LNER 1923–26
	40	Gorton Works (28) Vulcan Foundry (12)	1903–05	C13	7400–39	align=left
	12		1907	C14	7440–51	align=left
4	1		1909	J69/1	—	align=left	Acquired 1911
	7		1906–14	J63	8204–10	align=left
	20		1914–17	L1	9050–69	align=left	LNER class L3 from 1945; first standard gauge locomotive of its wheel arrangement in Britain
	4		1907–08	S1	9900–05	align=left	Two more built by LNER in 1932

There were also 3 steam rail cars built in 1904–1905. These were withdrawn in 1914.

Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway

The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway was absorbed by the Great Central Railway on 1 January 1907. All LD&ECR locomotives were built by Kitson & Co.

Quantity	Date	LNER Class	Notes
18	1895–1900	N6	align=left	LDEC Nos. 1–8, 19–28. Five more that had been ordered were sold by Kitson's to the Hull and Barnsley Railway
4	1897	J60	align=left	LDEC Nos. 9–12
6	1897–1898	G3	align=left	LDEC Nos. 13–18
9	1904–06	M1	align=left	LDEC Nos. 29–34, A1–A3; GCR 1148–1153, 1145–47

Great Eastern Railway

See main article: Locomotives of the Great Eastern Railway.

Great North of Scotland Railway

See main article: Locomotives of the Great North of Scotland Railway. In 1923 the Great North of Scotland Railway passed on a total of 122 locomotives, 100 4-4-0 tender locomotives and 22 tank engines, all capable of being used on either passenger or goods trains, to the LNER.

Locomotive superintendent	GNoSR Class	LNER class	Quantity Built	Passed to LNER	Manufacturer	Date introduced	Date withdrawn	Notes
William Cowan (1857–83)	K	D47/2	6	3		1866	1921–25		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d47.shtml
	L	D47/1	6	6		1876	1924–26		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d47.shtml
	M	D45	9	9		1878	1925–32		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d45.shtml
	C	D39	3	3		1879	1925–27		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d39.shtml
James Manson (1883–90)	A	D44	6	6		1884	1924–32		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d44.shtml
	G	D48	3	3		1885	1928–34		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d48.shtml
	D	J90	6	6		1884	1932–36		http://www.lner.info/locos/J/j90.shtml
	E	J91	3	3		1885	1931–34		http://www.lner.info/locos/J/j91.shtml
	N	D46	2	2	GNSR Kittybrewster	1887	1932–36		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d46.shtml
	O	D42	9	9		1888	1935–46		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d42.shtml
	P	D43	3	3		1890	1936–38		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d43.shtml
	Q	D38	3	3		1890	1931–38		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d38.shtml
James Johnson (1890–94)	R	G10	9	9		1893	1937–47		http://www.lner.info/locos/G/g10.shtml
James Johnson (1890–94)	S		6	6		1893	1947–		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d41.shtml
William Pickersgill (1894–1914)	T		26	26		1895–98	1946–		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d41.shtml
	V		5	13		1899–1900	1946–	Ten were ordered, five sold to the SE&CR	http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d40.shtml
	V		8	13		1910–15	1947–		http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d40.shtml
Thomas E. Heywood (1914–23)	Y		2	2		1915			http://www.lner.info/locos/Z/z5.shtml
	X		2	2		1915			http://www.lner.info/locos/Z/z5.shtml
	F		6	8		1920		Named	http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d40.shtml
	F		2	8		1921		Named	http://www.lner.info/locos/D/d40.shtml

Great Northern Railway

See main article: Locomotives of the Great Northern Railway (Great Britain).

Hull and Barnsley Railway

From its formal establishment in 1885 to the time that it was taken over by the North Eastern Railway (NER) in 1922, the CME of the H&BR was Matthew Stirling, who, like his father and uncle, built locomotives with domeless boilers.

Class	Quantity	Manufacturer	Date	LNER Class	Notes
A	12		1884	—	align=left
B	20		1884	—	align=left
C	10		1885	—	align=left
K	6		1886–89	—	align=left
B	55	Kitson & Co. (36) Vulcan Foundry (4) Yorkshire Engine Co. (15)	1889–1908	J23	align=left
G2	3		1892	J80	align=left
	5		1900	N11	align=left	Ordered by the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway
	9		1901	N12	align=left
	16	Yorkshire Engine Co. (6) Kitson & Co. (10)	1901–08	J75	align=left
A	15		1907	Q10	align=left
J	5		1910	D24	align=left
L1	10		1911–12	J28	align=left
L	5		1914	J28	align=left
LS	5		1915	J28	align=left
	10		1913–14	N13	align=left

Metropolitan Railway

See main article: Metropolitan Railway steam locomotives.

Three classes (the G, H and K Classes) were taken into LNER stock on 1 November 1937. The other former Metropolitan locomotives were retained by London Transport, which had acquired all of them at its formation on 1 July 1933.

Quantity	Manufacturer	Date	LNER Class	Notes
40		1864–70	—
20		1879–85	—
4		1891	—
6		1915	—
7	Hawthorne Leslie (4), Neasden Works (3)	1896–1901	—
4		1915	—
4		1915	M2	align=left
8		1920–21	H2	align=left
6		1925	L2	align=left	Similar to the SECR K Class; designed by R.E.L. Maunsell

Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway

M&GN locomotives were taken into LNER stock on 1 October 1936.

Class	Quantity	Manufacturer	Date	LNER Class	Notes
M&GN Class A	3	Melton Constable Works	1904–1910	C17	align=left	M&GN Nos. 41, 20, 9
	40	Sharp, Stewart & Co. (33) Beyer, Peacock & Co. (7)	1894–1899	D52/D53/D54	align=left	LNER class based on firebox variations
M&GN Class D	16	Neilson & Co. (8) Kitson & Co. (8)	1896-1899	J40/J41	align=left	J41 was a rebuilt D Class while J40 was not rebuilt
M&GN Shunting Class	9	Melton Constable Works	1897–1905	J93

North British Railway

See main article: Locomotives of the North British Railway.

North Eastern Railway

See main article: Locomotives of the North Eastern Railway.

Locomotives built by the LNER

Gresley designs

Quantity	Manufacturer	Date	Post-1946 numbers	Notes
50		1922–25	44–83, 103–112	align=left	Rebuilt as A3's
27		1928–35	35–43, 84–101	align=left
35		1935–38	1–34	align=left	Streamlined
73	North British Loco. Co. (10) Darlington Works (52) R. Stephenson & Co. (11)	1928–37	1600–1672	align=left	Two were streamlined in "A4" style
76		1927–35	2700–2775	align=left	Named after counties & hunts.
35		1926	5900–5934	align=left
289	Darlington Works (261) Beyer, Peacock & Co. (28)	1926–41	4700–4988	align=left
6		1937–39	1993–1998	align=left	One later rebuilt by Thompson as K1
2		1925	—	align=left
6		1934–36	501–506	align=left	later streamlined – all rebuilt as A2/2 during 1943–44
1		1925	9999	align=left	Garratt – for banking on Worsborough incline
82		1930–39	7600–7681	align=left	63 later rebuilt as V3
184		1936–44	800–983	align=left	Three-cylinder; four rebuilt as A2/2 4-6-2's
10		1939-40	7682–7691	align=left	+63 rebuilds of V1 – larger boiler development of V1
2		1941	1700–1701	align=left	Three-cylinder
1		1929	10000	align=left	experimental high pressure locomotive, later rebuilt in "A4" style.

Thompson designs

Quantity	Manufacturer	Date	Post 1946 numbers	Notes
1	Doncaster Works	1945	113	align=left	Rebuild of LNER Gresley Class A1 Great Northern
6	Doncaster Works	1943-44	501–506	align=left	Rebuilds of Gresley P2 2-8-2
4		1944	507–510	align=left	Derived from Gresley V2 2-6-2 design.
15		1946–47	500, 511–524	align=left
274		1942–52	1000–1273	align=left	Another 136 (Nos.61274–61409) built by BR
9	Doncaster Works	1945–49		align=left	Rebuilds of Gresley Class B17
1	Darlington Works	1945	1997	align=left	Rebuild of Gresley Class K4 Mogul
1	Doncaster Works	1945	1841	align=left	Rebuild of Gresley Class K3 Mogul
58	Gorton Works	1944		align=left	Rebuilds of Robinson Class O4
1		1945	7701	align=left	Another 99 built by BR 1949–50
13	Gorton Works	1942–45	9925–9937	align=left	Rebuilds of Robinson Class Q4 Tender Engines

Peppercorn designs

Another A1, "Tornado" has been built by subscription among LNER (and other) locomotive enthusiasts, and came into service in 2008. In total it cost £3 million. Again under the chairmanship of Mark Allatt, the team is (2014) now raising funds most successfully to build another Gresley P2 2-8-2 of the "Cock O'the North" Class, to be called "Prince of Wales". Both new steam locomotives are the product of a restored railway works in Darlington.

Other designs

LNER Class A1 – continuation of a GNR design. Several built under the GNR entered service under the LNER.
LNER Class A2 – based on an NER design simply designated as 4.6.2
LNER Class A5 – Continuation of a GCR design
LNER Class A8 – rebuilt from H1 between 1931 and 1936
LNER Class B12/3 – based on an existing GER design
LNER Class B16 – continuation of an NER design
LNER Class C9 – C7 rebuild
LNER Class D16 – based on an existing GER design. Built by the GER but delivered after grouping.
LNER Class J27 – continuation of an NER design
LNER Class J45/DES1 English Electric diesel electric shunting locomotive
LNER Class DES2 Brush diesel electric shunting locomotive
LNER Class J50 – continuation of a GNR design. Thirty were rebuilds of Class J51.
LNER Class J72 – NER Class E1
LNER Class J94 – WD Austerity 0-6-0ST
LNER Class N2 – continuation of a GNR design
LNER Class N7 – continuation of a GER design
LNER Class N15 – continuation of an NBR design
LNER Class O6 – LMS Stanier Class 8F – 60 loaned to the LNER 1943–47; 68 purchased 1945–46, sold to LMS 1947
LNER Class O7 – WD Austerity 2-8-0 – 350 loaned to the LNER 1943–47; 200 purchased 1946; 270 loaned to the LNER 1947
USATC S160 Class – 168 loaned to the LNER 1942–1945
WD Austerity 2-10-0 – 13 loaned to the LNER 1943–44; 20 loaned 1945–46
LNER Class S1 – Continuation of a GCR design
LNER Class T1 – NER Class X
LNER Class Y1 – Sentinel shunter
LNER Class Y3 – Sentinel shunter
LNER Class Y7 – NER Class H
LNER Class Y10 – Sentinel shunter
LNER Class Y11 – Simplex 0-4-0 petrol locomotive (later British Rail 15097–15099)

Post-Nationalisation

British Railways continued to build LNER designs (the B1 and L1 classes in particular) immediately after Nationalisation. Remarkably, it even built a new series of shunting locomotives (J72 class) to a pre-Grouping design (of the North Eastern Railway). However, it was to be the Eastern Region that took the first of BR's new Standard locomotives, 70000 'Britannia', for its Great Eastern Main Line workings to Norwich in 1951.

BR built 396 locomotives to ex-LNER designs. One of these, the J72 Class was a North Eastern Railway design dating from 1898.

Class	Wheel arrangement	Quantity	Manufacturer	Date	Numbers	Notes
Peppercorn A1	4-6-2	49	Doncaster Works (26) Darlington Works (23)	1948-49	60114–162	align=left
Peppercorn A2	4-6-2	14	Doncaster Works	1948	60526–539	align=left
Thompson B1	4-6-0	136	North British Loco. Co.(106) Gorton Works (10) Darlington Works (20)	1948–52	61273–409	align=left
J72	0-6-0T	28	Darlington Works	1949–51	69001–28	align=left	NER Class E1
Thompson/Peppercorn K1	2-6-0	70	North British Loco. Co.	1949–50	62001–70	align=left
Thompson L1	2-6-4T	99	Darlington Works (29) North British Loco. Co. (35) R. Stephenson & Hawthorns (35)	1948–50	67702–800	align=left

Withdrawal

Withdrawal of ex-LNER locomotives took place throughout the 1960s, with some of the once high-profile 'A4 Class' locomotives ending their lives on heavy freight trains in Scotland; a far cry from the glamorous express workings of the late 1930s.

Preservation

Several of the many LNER locomotives have been preserved. (Numbers given are those currently carried: many locomotives have carried a range of numbers during their active and preserved careers).

Class	Wheel arrangement	Number	Name	Home Base	Status
			Bittern		Operational; under overhaul
			Mallard		Static exhibit
A4 Pacific			Union of South Africa		Static exhibit
			Dominion of Canada		Static exhibit
			Dwight D Eisenhower		Static exhibit
			Sir Nigel Gresley		Operational
			Flying Scotsman		Operational
			Blue Peter		Operational; under overhaul
					Operational
			Mayflower		Operational
		249	Morayshire		Operational
			The Great Marquess		Cracked firebox discovered at visit to NYMR; currently awaiting repair
		62005	Lord of the Isles†		Operational
			Green Arrow		Static Exhibit
		68153			Awaiting restoration to working order
		1621			Static Exhibit
		65894			Operational; awaiting overhaul
		65033			Static Exhibit: awaiting outcome of funding bid for restoration to steam.
		63395			Operational; under overhaul
		910			Static Exhibit
		1463			Static Exhibit
X1 Class (experimental)	2-2-4T		Aerolite		Static Exhibit
		1310			Operational
		985		Mid-Suffolk Light Railway	Operational; under overhaul^[1]
		69023	Joem†		Operational
		901			Static Exhibit
		251			Static Exhibit
		990	Henry Oakley		Static Exhibit
		4744			Operational
		1247			Static Exhibit
		256	Glen Douglas		Static Exhibit
		673	Maude		Operational; under overhaul
		42		Scottish Railway Preservation Society Museum	Static Exhibit
		49	Gordon Highlander		Static Exhibit
		63601			Operational; under overhaul
		506	Butler-Henderson		Static Exhibit
		8572			Operational
		490			Static Exhibit
		564			Operational
		1217			Static Exhibit
		87			Static Exhibit
		1899			Static Exhibit
		229		The Flour Mill Locomotive Repair Workshop	Awaiting restoration to working order. Withdrawn in 1921, so it never carried an official LNER number.

† denotes name given only in preservation.

References

Sources

- Book: Barclay-Harvey, Malcolm . Malcolm Barclay-Harvey. A History of the Great North of Scotland Railway. 1950. Ian Allan. 978-0-7110-2592-9.
- Book: Baxter, Bertram . 1988 . British Locomotive Catalogue 1825–1923, volume 5B: Great Northern Railway and Great Central Railway . Ashbourne, Derbyshire . Moorland Publishing . 0-903485-86-9 . Baxter . David .
- Book: Goudie, Frank . Metropolitan Steam Locomotives . 1990 . Capital Transport . Harrow Weald . 1-85414-118-X .
Book: Groves, Norman . 1992 . Great Northern Locomotive History, Volume 3b: 1911–1922 The Gresley Era . . 0-901115-70-3 .
Book: Vallance, H. A. . Great North of Scotland railway. The History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands vol 3.. 27 June 1991. David St John Thomas. 978-0-946537-60-0.

External links

Locomotives of the LNER

Notes and References

Web site: 2017-07-10. 68088 (LNER 985, LNER 8088 & BR 68088). 2022-01-01. Preserved British Steam Locomotives. en.