J15 class: a Great Eastern delight

Great Eastern Railway J15 class 0-6-0 no. 65462 which is owned by the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society, based on the North Norfolk Railway, visits the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway between October 2007 and January 2008.

Designed by T W Wordsell the first J15 (then classified Y14) emerged from Stratford Works in north London, in 1883. This very straightforward design was so successful that the engines  went on to become the GER’s most numerous class with 259 completed, the last being delivered in 1913. Wordsell’s successor, S D Holden, fitted the engines with his standard ‘small engine’ non-superheated boiler which had a tall stovepipe-type chimney and the dome placed well forward. This gave the engines a quaint but old-fashioned appearance and they remained little altered throughout their lives.  The class was also long lived – although there were sporadic withdrawals from the 1920s (the first to go was a victim of World War 1 damage while in France) the last ended their service in 1962.

One of the reasons for their longevity was their versatility: with light axle loading (just 13tons 10cwt) they could run just about anywhere and, although designed for freight work, were commonly found on local passenger and excursion services throughout East Anglia.   The Great Eastern Railway used air-braked rolling stock so their locomotives, including no. 65462, were equipped with Westinghouse air pumps, as well as a vacuum brake ejector so they could work vacuum-braked stock as well. Despite their diminutive size, the J15s were capable of some extraordinary haulage feats: they were pressed into handling heavy troop trains during both world wars while, during its twilight years, one member of the class rescued the ‘East Anglian’ express, complete with its failed B1 class locomotive.  The locomotive triumphantly brought this heavy load in to Liverpool Street station.

One interesting feature of the straightforward design was easy manufacture.  In fact, a J15 set a world record for assembling a steam locomotive – in 1913, No. 930 was completed at Stratford in just 9 hours 45 minutes, then going straight into revenue-earning service!

The now-unique no. 65462 was built at Stratford works in 1912 as GER no. 564, working for half a century until withdrawn in 1952 – outliving many more modern types of locomotive.

Vital statistics:

Running numbers BR: 65462 LNER: 7564 GER: 564 Wheel arrangement 0-6-0 Builder GER, Stratford (London) works Completed 1912 Withdrawn 1952 Cylinders (2 inside) 17½in x 24in Valve gear Stephenson slide valve Boiler pressure 160 psi Driving wheels 4ft 11in diameter Wheelbase 16fr 1in Weight in working order 37 tons 2cwt

Sources: www.lner.info/locos; Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway society; Observer’s Book of Railway Locomotives (1959)

Pictures of no. 65462 are by courtesy of Ben Boggis