Power Classification	4F reclassified 5F in 1953
Introduced	1906– 1923
Designer	W Worsdell and Raven
Company	NER
Weight – Loco	47t 0cwt (Raven built 49t 10cwt)
Tender	36t 19cwt
Driving Wheels	4ft 7¼ins
Boiler Pressure	180psi   (Raven built 180psi superheated)
Cylinders	Inside – 18½in x 26in
Tractive Effort	24,640lbf
Valve Gear	Stephenson – (slide valves) (Raven built Stephenson – piston valve)

Wilson Worsdell’s Class P3 (LNER J27) was a relatively minor modification of the

existing North Eastern Railway’s (NER) Class P2 (LNER J26). The most significant change was a deeper firebox with shallower sloping fire grate. This was achieved by raising the boiler slightly, and by reducing the clearance between the firebox and the rear axle. The number of boiler tubes was reduced to 254 by using seven of the tubes as stays. Saturated steam and slide valves were retained.

	J26 introduced by Worsdell on the NER in 1904
	J27 introduced by Worsdell on the NER in 1906

Initially eighty J27s were built between 1906 and 1909 in five batches, distributed amongst Darlington, North British Locomotive Co., Beyer Peacock & Co, and Robert Stephenson & Co. Twelve years later, a batch of twenty-five J27s were built by Darlington under the supervision of Raven with Schmidt superheaters and piston valves. These were delivered in 1921-2 and were followed by a final order of ten placed in December 1922 and built by the LNER at Darlington in 1923. The superheated J27s could be identified by their extended smokeboxes.

The superheated J27s were built with balance weights on their centre wheels, to allow faster running. From 1932, balance weights were also fitted to the saturated J27s. The opportunity was also taken to re-balance the superheated J27s at the same time.

In common with most other NER types, all of the saturated J27s were built with Ramsbottom safety valves whilst the superheated J27s were built with Ross pop safety valves. As a standard LNER fitting, the Ramsbottom valves on the saturated engines were eventually replaced with the Ross valves.

Two further superheater boilers were built in 1929 for use in boiler swaps. These were followed by five more in 1935-6. In order to use spare parts up, Schmidt superheaters were used instead of the now-standard Robinson superheater.

From 1943, superheated boilers tended to be swapped for saturated ones. Eventually all but six of the superheated J27s were converted to saturated steam. The original short smokeboxes were usually fitted at the same time, although there were some cases where the longer smokeboxes were retained for a few years.

Although there were some attempts to bring the J27s within the LNER’s composite loading gauge during the 1920s and 1930s, these were only effective after 1939 when the threat of war made this a priority. These reductions were achieved by fitting short chimneys, removing a stud from the top of the dome cover, and altering the whistles. The majority of J27s were altered between 1939 and 1942. The original tall chimneys made a re-appearance on some of the J27s in the mid-50s.

In common with the J26s, the J27s were initially allocated to long distance mineral and freight trains but were displaced to local mineral traffic as larger locomotives were introduced. As such they proved to be robust locomotives capable of hard work. They were widely distributed over the NER and it appears that the saturated and superheated engines were used interchangeably.

At Grouping (1923), major allocations were to-

Newport	18
Percy Main	20
Shildon	13
Sunderland	10

In 1926, twelve superheated J27s were displaced to the GE Area by the first J39s to enter service. These were initially divided between the March and Cambridge sheds, but would later be seen at Peterborough East, Ardsley, Langwith, and Grantham. In the GE Area, the J27s worked alongside larger ex-GER (Great Eastern Railway) 0-6-0s such as the J17s on freight duties. Another allocation away from the NE Area, was the allocation of three J27s to Carlisle in 1925. Although these were officially allocated to the Scottish Area, they were primarily used to haul goods services to Newcastle. Otherwise, NE Area allocations remained fairly constant during the 1920s and 1930s. Newport’s allocation rose to 22, and Shildon’s allocation was steadily reduced until its closure in 1935.

The Second World War saw regular appearances of J27s at Edinburgh. They never ventured any further than Edinburgh, and were usually returned to the NE Area at the first possible opportunity. As with the J26s, an attempt was made to concentrate the class at a small number of sheds in 1943.

This resulted in allocations to-

Consett	3
Haverton Hill	5
Heaton	16
Leeds Neville Hill	6
North Blyth	15
Percy Main	16
Selby	15
South Blyth	4
Stockton on Tees	9
Sunderland	14
West Hartlepool	12
	115

Post-war, the J27s stopped hauling goods trains but they continued to haul heavy mineral trains. Withdrawals began in March 1959, but in June 1966 thirty-six were still putting in hard work hauling coal in County Durham and South Northumberland. The final J27s were withdrawn from the Blyth area where they operated the short trip workings between the nearby coalfield and shipping staithes. The last J27 was withdrawn in September 1967.

Number in Service.

	Built		Withdrawals	No. in Service
	BR Numbers	Quantity
1906	65780-99	20		20
1908	65800-29 & 65840-59	50		70
1909	65830-39	10		80
1921	65860-65	6		86
1922	65866-84	19		105
1923	65885-94	10		115
1924-58				115
1959			21	94
1960			1	93
1961			2	91
1962			12	79
1963			18	61
1964			6	55
1965			11	44
1966			18	26
1967			26	0

• 6580-65809 and 65860-65894 were built at Darlington
• 65811-65829 were built by North British Locomotive Co Ltd at a cost of £3,500 each.
• 65830-65839 were built by Robert Stephenson & Co Ltd at a cost of £3,537 each.
• 65840-65859 were built by Beyer Peacock & Co Ltd at a cost of £3,550 each.

After the Second World War, the J27s stopped hauling goods trains but they continued to haul heavy mineral trains. Withdrawals began in March 1959, but in June 1966 thirty-six were still putting in hard work hauling coal in County Durham and South Northumberland. The final J27s were withdrawn from the Blyth area where they operated the short trip workings between the nearby coalfield and shipping staithes.

Locomotive allocations during British Railways operation

As at 1st January	1948	1955	1960	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967
Darlington			1			1	1
Haverton Hill	7	7
Heaton	12	5	3	5
Leeds Neville Hill	5
Malton			4	3
Newport		1
Middlesborough		1
Normanton	1
North Blyth	17	23	25	17	17	16	12	3
Percy Main	21	23	17	16	17	15
Saltburn	1
Selby	12	6
South Blyth	4	9	9	11	10	10	18	14
Stockton on Tees	8	2
Sunderland	18	18	13	23	14	11	11	9
Thornaby			10	3	1
Tweedmouth	2
West Hartlepool	7	8	6
York		12	6	1	2	2	2
	115	115	94	79	61	55	44	26

Accidents and Incidents

• On 4 November 1959, Locomotive 65847 had difficulty stopping a freight train, coming to rest foul of the line at West Sleekburn, Northumberland. Locomotive 65824 was hauling a freight train which was in a head-on collision. Both of its crew were killed.
• On 8 June 1960, locomotive 65892 was in a side-long collision with a National Coal Board locomotive at Hilton, County Durham. Both locomotives were derailed.

65844 on York shed (now the National Railway Museum)-February 1966. The locomotive had been withdrawn from service at York in December 1965 65823 inside the roundhouse at York. This is now the National Railway Museum building.-February 1966. 65823 remained in service at Sunderland until March 1967. 65865 at Sunderland with 62007-July 1966. 65865 was reallocated to North Blyth from Sunderland in November 1966 where it was withdrawn from service in February 1967. Sunderland & North Blyth depots closed in September 1967. 65853 at Sunderland-July 1966 65885 inside Sunderland roundhouse shed-July 1966

Preservation

• 65894 (LNER 2392, LNER 5894 & BR 65894)

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