| Power Classification | 4F |
| Introduced | 1943– 1946 |
| Designer | Riddle and Hunslet Engine Company |
| Company | MOS (purchased by LNER in 1946) |
| Weight | 48t 5cwt |
| Driving Wheels | 4ft 3ins |
| Boiler Pressure | 170psi |
| Cylinders | Inside – 18in x 26in |
| Tractive Effort | 23,870lbf |
| Valve Gear | Stephenson – (slide valves) |
MOS Locomotives
In 1942 during the early planning stages for the invasion of Europe, it was realised that large numbers of main line and shunting locomotives would have to be built and used on both British and European lines.
Locomotive production, which until this time had been restricted, was now a priority item and it now became necessary to select the most suitable types for the jobs in hand.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the War Department had initially chosen the LMS Jinty 3F 0-6-0T as its standard shunting locomotive, but was persuaded by Hunslet that a simplified version of their more modern saddle tank design would be more suitable. The Hunslet locomotive was claimed to be a more straight-forward design and of shorter wheelbase, would be more suitable both from the production viewpoint and for greater route availability. One of the conditions was that the locomotives should be capable of performing at least two years intensive hard work irrespective of the state of the track on which they were to operate. In addition they were to be capable of starting a 1,000-1,100 ton train on the level, 550 tons up 1 in 100 and 300 tons up 1 in 50 grades.
Riddles was put in charge of the design work, and produced this WD Austerity 0-6-0ST design to meet the projected shunting needs which was based on a Hunslet engine that had been designed for the needs of the iron and steel industry.
The first locomotive completed at the Hunslet works in Leeds and was steamed in January 1943, and a total of 377 were built for the War Department over the next four years.
Hunslet subcontracted some of the construction in order to meet delivery requirements.
| Hunslet Engine Company | 120 |
| Andrew Barclay & Sons & Co Ltd | 15 |
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn Ltd | 90 |
| Vulcan Foundry Ltd | 50 |
| Hudswell Clarke & Co Ltd | 50 |
| W.G. Bagnall Ltd | 52 |
A total of 377 had been built for the War Department by 1947, with two further engines having been built for collieries. When the Second World War ended there was a reduced need for military locomotives, so the fleet was reviewed resulting in –
- 90 locomotives being kept by the military for use on their railways.
- 75 locomotives were sold to the LNER and classified as J94.
- 27 that had been loaned to Nederlandse Spoorwegen were sold to that company in 1947, becoming the NS 8800 class.
- 11 were loaned to the Nederlandsche Staatsmijnen, who bought 9 of them.
- Others were sold for industrial use. A number of those used on the continent are believed to have worked on light and industrial railways in France, six going to the Chemins de Fer Tunisiens in 1946.
As the final War Department locomotives were being delivered, the National Coal Board was placing orders for identical locomotives to be used at their collieries. Between 1948 and 1964, 77 new Austerity locomotives were built for the NCB. A further fourteen engines were ordered in 1952 by the British Army to supplement its 90 existing engines.
The Yorkshire Engine Company also built eight locomotives to this design in 1954 for use in ironstone quarries and at Scunthorpe Steelworks.
Hunslet undertook the rebuilding of many NCB locomotives and when the Army started to sell off locomotives again in 1959, they bought 15 examples that were to be rebuilt and sold on. The NCB bought 13 of these, the 14th was sold directly into preservation and the final locomotive was scrapped without being rebuilt.
Ultimately from first to last, a total of 485 examples were constructed between 1943 and 1964 including-
- 391 for the War Department. The original 377 plus 14 ordered by the British Army in 1952 to add to the 90 they retained from the original 377.
- 77 for the NCB between 1948 and 1964
- 8 built by the Yorkshire Engine Company in 1954 for use in ironstone quarries and at Scunthorpe Steelworks.
LNER Locomotives
In 1944, a number of the MOS locomotives were loaned to the Ministry of Fuel and Power for working various open cast coal sites. The railway companies were given the responsibility of maintaining these locomotives, and the LNER became responsible for twenty-five of these engines in January 1945. Soon, one was loaned to the LNER and formal trials began in November 1945. The design proved to be rugged and simple, and the LNER purchased 75 locomotives and gave them the classification of J94. The order was placed in May 1946 and most were quickly delivered in June and July of 1946. With the shortage of materials in post-War Britain, the purchase of the J94s was clearly preferable to building new J50s for the LNER’s heavy shunting requirements.
Locomotives acquired by the LNER.
|
Built |
BR Number | Qty |
Qty |
|
| 1944 | Hudswell Clarke & Co Ltd | 68006/7/25 |
3 |
|
| Hunslet Engine Co Ltd | 68008-17 |
10 |
||
| W G Bagnall Ltd | 68018-20 |
3 |
||
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn Ltd | 68021-24 |
4 |
20 |
|
| 1945 | Hudswell Clarke & Co Ltd | 68026,60-66 |
8 |
|
| Hunslet Engine Co Ltd | 68027-30 |
4 |
||
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn Ltd | 68031-32/70 |
3 |
||
| W G Bagnall Ltd | 68047-59 |
13 |
||
| Vulcan Foundry Ltd | 68033-46 |
14 |
||
| Andrew Barclay & Sons & Co Ltd | 68071-74 |
4 |
46 |
|
| 1946 | Andrew Barclay & Sons & Co Ltd | 68075-80 |
6 |
|
| Hudswell Clarke & Co Ltd | 68067-69 |
3 |
9 |
|
|
75 |
||||
Number in Service.
| Built | Withdrawals |
No in Service |
||
| 1944-6 | Hudswell Clarke & Co Ltd |
14 |
||
| Hunslet Engine Co Ltd |
14 |
|||
| W G Bagnall Ltd |
16 |
|||
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn Ltd |
7 |
|||
| Vulcan Foundry Ltd |
14 |
|||
| Andrew Barclay & Sons & Co Ltd |
10 |
75 |
||
| 1947-59 |
75 |
|||
| 1960 |
6 |
69 |
||
| 1961 |
3 |
66 |
||
| 1962 |
21 |
45 |
||
| 1963 |
21 |
24 |
||
| 1964 |
11 |
13 |
||
| 1965 |
10 |
3 |
||
| 1966 |
1 |
2 |
||
| 1967 |
2 |
0 |
||
Of the 75 J94s that the LNER acquired, 29 were already in service with the military in Britain, 40 were new (typically in storage), and the remaining 6 were still under construction by Andrew Barclay &Co. The military engines needed urgent repairs, and the stored locomotives were reputedly almost as bad. The most common problems were over-heated bearings. A typically bad example was 8074 (WD No. 71535) which broke down at Immingham in July 1946. It was returned to Andrew Barclay as a light repair and was not returned until January 1948.
The LNER also had to modify the J94s to meet its needs. These modifications included new cab seats, cab side doors, and LNER standard lamp irons. These were minor enough to be handled by the sheds. A couple of J94s had their coal bunkers extended in 1947. A ladder, steps, and rear cab windows were also fitted at the same time. British Railways would convert a number of other J94s between 1948 and 1951, but many would remain unchanged.
The J94s were initially allocated to –
| Blaydon |
11 |
| Darlington |
12 |
| Gorton |
5 |
| Immingham |
25 |
| Newport |
3 |
| Selby |
3 |
| West Hartlepool |
5 |
| York |
11 |
|
75 |
The J94s proved to be particularly useful on difficult branch lines. Their most famous workings of this nature, were on the Cromford and High Peak line in the BR’s London-Midland Region. In June 1956 three members of the class (68006, 68013 and 68030) were allocated to Middleton Top to work on the line. One engine was based at Cromford and made transfer trips between High Peak Junction and the bottom of the incline. The other two were based at Middleton Top and operated workings to Friden and Parsley Hay. The number of J94 class engines allocated to Middleton Top increased to five a few years later. The last two J94s were withdrawn in 1967 after the last section of the Cromford and High Peak line was closed.
Locomotive allocations during British Railways operation
|
Depots as at 1st January |
1948 | 1955 | 1960 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 |
1967 |
| Ardsley |
4 |
|||||||
| Bidston | 7 |
3 |
||||||
| Blaydon |
13 |
5 |
4 |
|||||
| Colwick |
3 |
|||||||
| Consett |
1 |
|||||||
| Darlington |
10 |
10 | 16 | 13 | 11 |
9 |
||
| Doncaster |
4 |
|||||||
| Gateshead |
2 |
|||||||
| Gorton |
5 |
3 |
3 |
|||||
| Heaton |
2 |
|||||||
| Hornsey |
5 |
|||||||
| Hull Dairycoates | 2 |
1 |
||||||
| Immingham |
25 |
20 |
4 |
|||||
| Langwith Junction |
2 |
3 |
||||||
| Mexborough |
1 |
|||||||
| Middleton Top |
5 |
5 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
2 |
||
| Newport |
6 |
7 |
||||||
| Scarborough |
1 |
|||||||
| Selby | 2 | |||||||
| Sunderland |
1 |
6 |
5 |
|||||
| Thornaby | 5 |
2 |
||||||
| Tyne Dock | 5 |
6 |
||||||
| West Hartlepool |
5 |
5 | 7 | 8 |
8 |
|||
| York |
7 |
9 |
2 |
|||||
|
75 |
75 | 75 | 45 | 24 | 13 | 3 |
2 |
Six of the LNER J94s were sold to the coal industry between 1963 and 1966.
| Withdrawn from BR service | Scrapped | |
| 68020 | June 1963 | March 1970 |
| 68050 | December 1964 | February 1966 |
| 68067 | February 1963 | June 1972 |
| 68070 | March 1963 | September 1969 |
| 68077 | December 1962 | Preserved |
| 68078 | October 1966 | Preserved |
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 