| GER Class C72 LNER Class J68 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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J68 0-6-0T No. 68642 (far right) at Stratford Locomotive Depot February 1961 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheGER Class C72 was a class of thirty0-6-0Tsteam locomotives designed byA. J. Hill for theGreat Eastern Railway. They passed to theLondon and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at the1923 grouping and received the LNER classificationJ68.
These locomotives were an improved version of theClass S56 tanks, and the final development ofJames Holden'sClass T18 tank locomotives, sharing the same 16.5-by-22-inch (419 mm × 559 mm) cylinders, 4-foot-0-inch (1.219 m) driving wheels, and 13-foot-10-inch (4.22 m) wheelbase. There were three orders, each of ten locomotives, all built atStratford Works between 1912 and 1923. The first batch were built as suburban passenger tanks and were fitted withWestinghouse air brakes. The second and third batches were built as shunting tanks and were fitted with steam locomotive brakes and vacuum train brakes.
| Year | Order | Quantity | GER Nos. | LNER Nos. | 1946 Nos. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | C72 | 10 | 41–50 | 7041–7050 | —, 8638–8646 | Passenger service |
| 1913–14 | G75 | 10 | 21–30 | 7021–7030 | 8647–8656 | Shunting service |
| 1923 | L89 | 10 | 31–40 | 7031–7040 | 8657–8666 | Shunting service |
The last batch did not emerge from Stratford until after the grouping.
One locomotive was lent to the War Department in October 1939,[2] and sold 12 months later,[3] It was used on theLongmoor Military Railway before being moved to theBicester Central Ordnance Depot,[2] and then theMilitary Port No. 1, Faslane.[4] The remaining locomotives were renumbered8638–8666 in order of construction. At nationalisation in 1948 they passed toBritish Railways, who added 60000 to their numbers. Post war withdrawals started in 1958, and all were gone by 1961.
| Year | Quantity in service at start of year | Quantity withdrawn | Locomotive numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 30 | 1 | 7041 | to WD 85 |
| 1958 | 29 | 6 | 68651/53/59/62/64/66 | |
| 1959 | 23 | 5 | 68638–40/48/58 | |
| 1960 | 18 | 10 | 68641/43/45/52/54–57/61/65 | |
| 1961 | 8 | 8 | 68642/44/46–47/49–50/60/63 |