Power Classification	3F
Introduced	J52/1 1892 – 1897 rebuilt by Gresley 1922 – 1932 J52/2 1897 – 1909
Designer	J52/1 Stirling J52/2 Ivatt
Company	GNR
Weight	51t 14cwt
Driving Wheels	4ft 8ins
Boiler Pressure	170psi
Cylinders	Inside – 18in x 26in
Tractive Effort	21,735lbf
Valve Gear	Stephenson – (slide valves)

Both Stirling and Ivatt adopted the 0-6-0ST as the standard shunting engine on the GNR. A total of 264 of these engines were built between 1868 and 1909, all being to the same general design, but with increasing dimensions.

Stirling had introduced his engines on the GNR in 1892 to the exchanging traffic with the London Chatham & Dover Railway (LC&DR) at Ludgate Hill. Although the new boiler was not interchangeable with any existing GNR design, the extra length was deemed essential to increase the steaming capacity and adhesive weight of the locomotive. Both of these factors were considered important for the intended duty that included the steep bank at Ludgate Hill. A total of 52 0-6-0ST were built between 1892 and 1897, with twenty built by Neilson & Co. and the remainder built at Doncaster. These were the GNR class J14 which became the LNER J53 class.

Ivatt built his engines with domed boilers, compared with his predecessor (Stirling),who built his engines with domeless boilers. Eighty-eight were built between 1897 and 1909, and they were the GNR J13 class (LNER J52 class). These engines formed the J52/2 class which was established in 1940.

Fifty-one of Stirling’s engines of 1892-1897 (GNR class J14 and LNER J53 class) were rebuilt with domeless boilers from 1922 until 1933. They became part of the J52 class with which they were now virtually undistinguishable.

Three engines had the boiler pressure increased to 175psi.

Some of these were fitted with condensing apparatus when rebuilt to allow them to be used through the Metropolitan line tunnels. Some engines later acquired stove-pipe chimneys. In 1940 these rebuilt locomotives were classed as J52/1 engines. All of the locomotives with condensing gear were fitted with extra lamp irons, enabling Southern Railway (SR) headcodes to be displayed during their transfer trips to South London.

Intended for primarily shunting duties, the J52s and J53s were mainly allocated to large marshalling yards. By Grouping (1923), the largest allocations were to Kings Cross, Doncaster, Hornsey and New England with Ardsley and Bradford being the other places where significant numbers were based.

68782 worked as a departmental engine at Doncaster works, but it was withdrawn without being renumbered into service stock. It was actually scrapped four months before it was officially withdrawn. Several other engines were later renumbered into service stock for working at Doncaster works. Two different engines carried the number 2, first 68816 then 68858 after the first engine was withdrawn.

With the introduction of further J50s immediately after Grouping, the West Riding locomotives moved to Hornsey and Colwick.

	J52 introduced by Ivatt on the GNR in 1897
	J50 introduced by Gresley on the LNER in 1913.

The J52 and J53 saddle tanks were a common sight in Northern London. As well as shunting at Kings Cross, they worked the incline at Maiden Lane up to the North London line. They were also a familiar sight at Finsbury Park, Hornsey, Ferme Park, and New England.

Withdrawals of the J52s started in 1936 but were halted at the outbreak of war in 1939. Withdrawals re-commenced in 1950 with the arrival of large numbers of diesel shunters.

 

Number in Service.

	Built/Converted			No. in Service
	BR Numbers	J52	J53	J52	J53	Total
1892	LNER 3921, 68757		2		2	2
1893	LNER 3924, 3964, 68758-69		14		16	16
1894	68770-78		9		25	25
1895	68779-82		4		29	29
1896	68783-97		15		44	44
1897	68798-804		7		51	51
	68805-14	10		10	51	61
1898	68815	1		11	51	62
1899	2, 68817-49	34		45	51	96
1901	68850-58	9		54	51	105
1902	68859-69	11		65	51	116
1905	68870-79	10		75	51	126
1908	68880-83	4		79	51	130
1909	68884-89	6		85	51	136
1922	68772,79,97	3	-3	88	48	136
1923	LNER 3921, 68660,74,80,82,86-88,93	9	-9	97	39	136
1924	LNER 3924, 68757-58,62-63,65,76,78,84-85,89-91,803	14	-14	111	25	136
1925	68764,99,804	3	-3	114	22	136
1926	68775,94,96	3	-3	117	19	136
1927	LNER 3964, 68792	2	-2	119	17	136
1928	68768,73	2	-2	121	15	136
1929	68761,802	2	-2	123	13	136
1930	68759,69-70,95,800-1	6	-6	129	7	136
1931	68767,77,83	3	-3	132	4	136
1932	68771,81,98	3	-3	135	1	136
1933	68766	1	-1	136	0	136

• The original J52 engines were built by-
  • Doncaster – 50 (68805-14 and 68850-89)
  • Robert Stehenson & Co Ltd -10 (68815-24)
  • Sharp Stewart & Co Ltd – 25 (68825-49)
• The engines built as J53 were built by-
  • Doncaster – 31 (68757-82, 68803-4 and LNER 3921,3924 and 3964)
  • Neilson & Co Ltd – 20 (68783-802)

 

	Withdrawals	No. in Service
1933		136
1934-35		136
1936	1	135
1937-38		135
1939	2	133
1947-49		133
1950	4	129
1951	1	128
1952	4	124
1953	9	115
1954	16	99
1955	32	67
1956	20	47
1957	18	29
1958	20	9
1959	4	5
1960	1	4
1961	4	0

 

Locomotive allocations during British Railways operation

As at 1st January	1948	1953	1956	1958	1959	1960	1961
Anesley		1	1
Ardsley	5	7	4	3	2	3	2
Colwick	17	18	14	6
Doncaster	26	31	14	7
Frodingham		2
Grantham	3	3	3
Hatfield		2	1	1
Hornsey	34	4	4	5	4
Kings Cross	30	28	12	2	1
Leicester Central		1	1	1
Mexborough			3	2
New England	17	21	7
Retford			1
Sheffield Darnall		3
Spital Bridge		1
	132	122	65	27	7	3	2
Service Department	1	2	2	2	2	2	2
	133	124	67	29	9	5	4

Preservation

• 68846 (GNR 1247, LNER 4247, LNEr 8846 & BR 68846)

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