GER Class C53

Class of British locomotives

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.

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.^[2] 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 0-4-0T of similar appearance.

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.^[3]

Individual locomotives

Note: The data above is according to RailUK. BRDatabase gives some different dates:

• GER No. 135 was withdrawn in 30 November 1953
• GER No. 136 was withdrawn in 9 March 1953
• GER No. 130 was withdrawn in 23 February 1953
• GER No. 128 was withdrawn sometime in January 1955
• GER No. 125 was withdrawn in 24 March 1952
• GER No. 126 was withdrawn in 8 March 1955

In fiction

Toby replica on Avon Valley Railway

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.^[7]

See also

• GER Class G15

References

Notes

1. "LNER J70". lner.info. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
2. Aldrich 1969, p. 105
3. Aldrich 1969, p. 106
4. Allen et al. 1970, p. 102
5. "GER Class C53". RailUK.
6. "GER/LNER Holden "J70" Class 0-6-0T". BRDatabse.
7. Wilbert Vere Awdry. The Island of Sodor - its People, History and Railways. p. 137.

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

• [1] — Great Eastern Railway Society
• The J70 0-6-0 (GER Class C53) Tram Engines — LNER Encyclopedia