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The GER Class L77, is a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotives. They were designed by Alfred John Hill of the Great Eastern Railway and introduced in 1915. The design was perpetuated by Nigel Gresley of the LNER after the 1923 grouping. 134 were built and one example is preserved.

Overview[]

The N7s had superheaters and piston valves. They were unusual (for inside-cylinder locomotives) in having Walschaerts valve gear. They were, as London suburban locomotives, fitted with Westinghouse air brakes.

Some were fitted with condensing apparatus for working on the Metropolitan line and the East London Line but the condensing apparatus was removed between 1935 and 1938.

Numbering[]

The first 22 were allocated numbers in the 990–1011 range when ordered by the GER, but the last 10 did not emerge until the grouping. The LNER added 7000 to their GER numbers, and then built a further 112 locomotives between 1925 and 1928. In the 1946 renumbering scheme, they were renumbered 9600–9733, and upon nationalisation in 1948, British Railways added 60000 to their number (69600–69733).

Table of orders and numbers
Year Order Manufacturer Quantity GER Nos. LNER Nos. 1946 Nos. Notes
1915 L77 Stratford Works 2 1000–1001 8000–8001 9600–9601 Renumbered 7978–7979 in 1944
1921 K85 Stratford Works 10 1002–1011 8002–8011 9602–9611 Renumbered 7980–7989 in 1944
1923–24 K89 Stratford Works 10 (990–999) 7990–7999 9612–9621
1925–26 Gorton Works 30 409, 421, 426, 456, 457, 460, 464, 471, 473, 475, 826–830, 832–834, 837, 838, 850–853, 865–868, 870, 873 9622–9651 Class N7/1
1925–26 Robert Stephenson & Co. 3897–3916 20 907, 912, 913, 916, 918, 919, 935, 940, 941, 947, 950, 952, 964, 966–968, 970, 971, 987, 988 9652–9671 Class N7/1
1927–28 Gorton Works 10 2632–2641 9672–9681 Class N7/2
1927 Wm. Beardmore & Co. 305–324 20 2642–2661 9682–9701 Class N7/2
1927–28 Doncaster Works 1669–1692, 1696–1699, 1701/02/04/06 32 2600–2631 9702–9733 Class N7/3

Sub-classes[]

File:St Margarets station with Liverpool Street train geograph-2886847-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg

N7/3 No. 69693 (with a round-top firebox) at St Margarets 4 April 1959

  • N7 Introduced 1914, GER Class L77 with Belpaire firebox
  • N7/1 Introduced 1925, LNER development of GER design with Belpaire firebox
  • N7/2 Introduced 1926, LNER locos with Belpaire firebox and long-travel valves
  • N7/3 Introduced 1927, LNER locos with round-top firebox, plus from 1943, rebuilds of N7/2 with round-top firebox
  • N7/4 Introduced 1940, GER locos rebuilt with round-top firebox
  • N7/5 Introduced 1943, N7/1 locos rebuilt with round-top firebox
Table of withdrawals
Year Quantity in
service at
start of year
Quantity
withdrawn
Locomotive numbers Notes
1957 134 1 69689
1958 133 10 69601/06–09/24/28/41/43/95
1959 123 41 69600/02–05/10/12–13/16/19/22–23/25–27/33–35/37–39/44/49–50/55/57/59–62/66–67/69/72/76,
69703/05/11/16–17/31
1960 82 45 69611/14–15/17/20/29–30/36/42/45/47–48/52/54/63–65/77/80–85/87–88/91/94/99,
69700–01/04/06/09/12/15/18–22/26–27/29/33
1961 37 28 69618/31/51/56/58/68/70/73–75/78–79/86/90/93/96/98,
69702/07–08/10/13–14/23–24/28/30/32
1962 9 9 69621/32/40/46/53/71/92/97, 69725 69621 preserved

Accidents and incidents[]

  • On 24 May 1954, locomotive No. 69638 ran into the turntable pit at Hatfield, Hertfordshire following the removal of the turntable.

Preservation[]

File:LNER Class N7.jpg

The preserved N7/4 No. 69621 (LNER 7999) at Dereham, Mid-Norfolk Railway, 2009

One LNER example, No. 7999 (BR No. 69621) has been preserved and is currently on static display pending overhaul at the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel & Wakes Colne. It is owned by the East Anglian Railway Museum. It was the last engine built by the Great Eastern Railway's Stratford Works in 1924 and was preserved in 1962. It was also named in honour of its designer A J Hill in 1989.

References[]

Sources[]

  • Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, 1948 edition, part 4, pp 54–55

External links[]

Preserved LNER Locomotives
A1/A10/A3 Class No.4472 'Flying Scotsman'
A4 No.4464 'Bittern'No.4468 'Mallard'No.4488 'Union of South Africa'No.4489 'Dominion of Canada (Originally 'Woodcock')No.4496 'Dwight D. Eisenhower' (Originally 'Golden Shuttle')No.4498 'Sir Nigel Gresley'
Peppercorn A2 Class No.60532 'Blue Peter'
B1 Class No.1264No.61306
D49 Class No.246 'Morayshire'
V2 Class No.4771 'Green Arrow'
Y1 Class No.59
J94 Class No.8077No.8078
K4 Class No.3442 'The Great Marquess' (Originally 'MacCailein Mor')
K1 Class No.62005
V2 Class No.4771 'Green Arrow'
Y1 Class No.59
J52 Class No.1247
C1/C2 Class No.251No.990 'Henry Oakley'
N2 Class No.1744
M1/Q Class No.1621
1463 Class No.1463
901 Class No.910
1001 Class No.1275
Q6 Class No.2238
Q7 Class No.901
J21 Class No.876
J27 Class No.2392
ES1 Class No.ES1
X1 Class No.66 'Aerolite'
H Class No.1310No.985
E1 Class No.69023
F Class No.49 'Gordon Highlander'
Y9 Class No.42
K Class No.256 'Glen Douglas'
J36 Class No.673 'Maude'
T26 Class No.490
G58 Class No.1217
Y14 Class No.564
S56 Class No.87
209 Class No.229
L77 Class No.999
S69 Class No.8572
8K Class No.102
11F Class No.506 'Butler-Henderson'
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