| GER Class S56 (and R24 rebuilt) LNER Class J69 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 LNER 8625 (ex-7059, exx-GER 59) at Stratford locomotive depot, 28 September 1946 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The GER Class S56 was a class of0-6-0Tsteam locomotives designed byJames Holden for theGreat Eastern Railway. Together with some rebuilt examples ofGER Class R24, they passed to theLondon and North Eastern Railway at thegrouping in 1923, and received the LNER classificationJ69.
The Class S56 were a development of the Class R24, being almost identical, apart from higher boiler pressure and larger water tanks. Twenty were built in 1904 at Stratford Works. They were designed for the London suburban passenger trains of the GER.[1]
| Year | Order No. | Quantity | GER Nos. | LNER Nos. | 1946 Nos. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | S56 | 10 | 51–60 | 7051–7060 | 8617–19, —, 8621, —, 8623, —, 8625–8626 | |
| 1904 | P57 | 10 | 81–90 | 7081–7090 | —, 8628–8633, —, 8635–8636 |
All twenty passed to the LNER in 1923. Thirteen class J69 locomotives were lent to the War Department in October 1939,[3] of which five had been built as Class S56. They were sold to the War Department in October 1940,[4] where they were used on theMelbourne andLongmoor Military Railways.[3] The remaining locomotives were renumbered8617–8636 in order of construction; however gaps were left where the locomotives sold to the War Department would have been. At nationalisation in 1948, the remainder passed to British Railways, who added 60000 to their number. Post-war withdrawals started in 1958, and by 1962 all had been retired.[5]
| Year | Quantity in service at start of year | Quantity withdrawn | Locomotives numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 20 | 5 | 7054, 7056, 7058, 7081, 7088 | to WD 86, 87, 83, 80, 91 |
| 1958 | 15 | 5 | 68617–18/28/31–32 | |
| 1959 | 10 | 4 | 68625/29–30/36 | |
| 1960 | 6 | 1 | 68633 | |
| 1961 | 5 | 2 | 68619/23 | |
| 1962 | 3 | 3 | 68621/26/35 |
GER no. 87 (LNER 7087, 8633, BR 68633) has been preserved, initially at the Clapham Transport Museum,[6] and now at theNational Railway Museum. It is currently on display atBressingham Steam Museum.
