GER Class L77

Specifications
Specifications
Configuration:;
• Whyte	0-6-2T
• UIC	C1 h2t
Gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.	4 ft 10 in (1.473 m)
Trailing dia.	3 ft 9 in (1.143 m)
Wheelbase	23 ft 0 in (7.01 m)
Length	34 ft 10 in (10.62 m) over buffers
Axle load	16 long tons 3 cwt (36,200 lb or 16.4 t)
Adhesive weight	49 long tons 4 cwt (110,200 lb or 50 t)
Loco weight	61.8–64.85 long tons (62.79–65.89 t)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	3 long tons 5 cwt (7,300 lb or 3.3 t)
Water cap.	1,600 imperial gallons (7,270 L; 1,920 US gal)
Firebox:
• Grate area	17.7 sq ft (1.64 m2)
Boiler pressure	180 psi (1.24 MPa)
Heating surface	1,291.7 sq ft (120.00 m2)
Cylinders	Two, inside
Cylinder size	18 in × 24 in (457 mm × 610 mm)
Valve gear	Walschaerts

Type and origin
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	A. J. Hill
Builder	Stratford Works (22); Gorton Works (40); Robert Stephenson & Co. (20); William Beardmore & Co. (20); Doncaster Works (32);
Build date	1915–1928
Total produced	134

GER Class L77
LNER Class N7
GER Class L77 ; LNER Class N7
	N7/1 on a suburban train for Brentwood, c.1927
Power type
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	A. J. Hill
Builder	Stratford Works (22); Gorton Works (40); Robert Stephenson & Co. (20); William Beardmore & Co. (20); Doncaster Works (32);
Build date	1915–1928
Total produced	134
Configuration:;
Specifications
Configuration:;
• Whyte	0-6-2T
• UIC	C1 h2t
Gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.	4 ft 10 in (1.473 m)
Trailing dia.	3 ft 9 in (1.143 m)
Wheelbase	23 ft 0 in (7.01 m)
Length	34 ft 10 in (10.62 m) over buffers
Axle load	16 long tons 3 cwt (36,200 lb or 16.4 t)
Adhesive weight	49 long tons 4 cwt (110,200 lb or 50 t)
Loco weight	61.8–64.85 long tons (62.79–65.89 t)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	3 long tons 5 cwt (7,300 lb or 3.3 t)
Water cap.	1,600 imperial gallons (7,270 L; 1,920 US gal)
Firebox:
• Grate area	17.7 sq ft (1.64 m2)
Boiler pressure	180 psi (1.24 MPa)
Heating surface	1,291.7 sq ft (120.00 m2)
Cylinders	Two, inside
Cylinder size	18 in × 24 in (457 mm × 610 mm)
Valve gear	Walschaerts
Tractive effort
Performance figures
Tractive effort	20,512 lbf (91.24 kN)
Factor of adh.	5.37
Operators
Career
Operators	Great Eastern Railway; → London and North Eastern Railway; → British Railways;
Class	GER: L77; LNER: N7;
Power class	BR: 3MT
Number in class	1 January 1923: 12; 1 January 1948: 134;
Axle load class	LNER/BR: Route availability 5
Withdrawn	1957–1962
Disposition	One preserved, remainder scrapped

The GER Class L77, LNER Class N7, is a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotives. They were designed by Alfred John Hill of the Great Eastern Railway and introduced in 1915. The design was perpetuated by Nigel Gresley of the LNER after the 1923 grouping. 134 were built and one example is preserved.

Overview

The N7s had superheaters and piston valves. They were unusual (for inside-cylinder locomotives) in having Walschaerts valve gear. They were, as London suburban locomotives, fitted with Westinghouse air brakes.

Some were fitted with condensing apparatus for working on the Metropolitan line and the East London Line but the condensing apparatus was removed between 1935 and 1938.

Numbering

The first 22 were allocated numbers in the 990–1011 range when ordered by the GER, but the last 10 did not emerge until the grouping. The LNER added 7000 to their GER numbers, and then built a further 112 locomotives between 1925 and 1928. In the 1946 renumbering scheme, they were renumbered 9600–9733, and upon nationalisation in 1948, British Railways added 60000 to their number (69600–69733).

Table of orders and numbers^[1]^[2]
Year	Order	Manufacturer	Quantity	GER Nos.	LNER Nos.	1946 Nos.	Notes
1915	L77	Stratford Works	2	1000–1001	8000–8001	9600–9601	Renumbered 7978–7979 in 1944
1921	K85	Stratford Works	10	1002–1011	8002–8011	9602–9611	Renumbered 7980–7989 in 1944
1923–24	K89	Stratford Works	10	(990–999)	7990–7999	9612–9621
1925–26	—	Gorton Works	30	—	409, 421, 426, 456, 457, 460, 464, 471, 473, 475, 826–830, 832–834, 837, 838, 850–853, 865–868, 870, 873	9622–9651	Class N7/1
1925–26	—	Robert Stephenson & Co. 3897–3916	20	—	907, 912, 913, 916, 918, 919, 935, 940, 941, 947, 950, 952, 964, 966–968, 970, 971, 987, 988	9652–9671	Class N7/1
1927–28	—	Gorton Works	10	—	2632–2641	9672–9681	Class N7/2
1927	—	Wm. Beardmore & Co. 305–324	20	—	2642–2661	9682–9701	Class N7/2
1927–28	—	Doncaster Works 1669–1692, 1696–1699, 1701/02/04/06	32	—	2600–2631	9702–9733	Class N7/3

Sub-classes

N7 Introduced 1914, GER Class L77 with Belpaire firebox
N7/1 Introduced 1925, LNER development of GER design with Belpaire firebox
N7/2 Introduced 1926, LNER locos with Belpaire firebox and long-travel valves
N7/3 Introduced 1927, LNER locos with round-top firebox, plus from 1943, rebuilds of N7/2 with round-top firebox
N7/4 Introduced 1940, GER locos rebuilt with round-top firebox
N7/5 Introduced 1943, N7/1 locos rebuilt with round-top firebox

Table of withdrawals^[3]
Year	Quantity in service at start of year	Quantity withdrawn	Locomotive numbers	Notes
1957	134	1	69689
1958	133	10	69601/06–09/24/28/41/43/95
1959	123	41	69600/02–05/10/12–13/16/19/22–23/25–27/33–35/37–39/44/49–50/55/57/59–62/66–67/69/72/76, 69703/05/11/16–17/31
1960	82	45	69611/14–15/17/20/29–30/36/42/45/47–48/52/54/63–65/77/80–85/87–88/91/94/99, 69700–01/04/06/09/12/15/18–22/26–27/29/33
1961	37	28	69618/31/51/56/58/68/70/73–75/78–79/86/90/93/96/98, 69702/07–08/10/13–14/23–24/28/30/32
1962	9	9	69621/32/40/46/53/71/92/97, 69725	69621 preserved

Accidents and incidents

On 24 May 1954, locomotive No. 69638 ran into the turntable pit at Hatfield, Hertfordshire following the removal of the turntable.^[4]

Preservation

One LNER example, No. 7999 (BR No. 69621) has been preserved and is currently on static display pending overhaul at the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel & Wakes Colne. It is owned by the East Anglian Railway Museum. It was the last engine built by the Great Eastern Railway's Stratford Works^[5] in 1924 and was preserved in 1962. It was also named in honour of its designer A J Hill in 1989.

References

^ Aldrich 1969, p. 106
^ Boddy et al. 1977, pp. 121–3
^ Boddy et al. 1977, pp. 121–123.
^ Trevena 1981, p. 36.
^ Aldrich 1969, p. 148.

Sources

Aldrich, C. Langley (1969). The Locomotives of the Great Eastern Railway 1862–1962 (7th ed.). Wickford, Essex: C. Langley Aldrich. OCLC 30278831.
Boddy, M. G.; Brown, W. A.; Fry, E. V.; Hennigan, W.; Hoole, Ken; Manners, F.; Neve, E.; Platt, E. N. T.; Proud, P.; Yeadon, W. B. (March 1977). Fry, E. V. (ed.). Locomotives of the L.N.E.R., Part 9A: Tank Engines—Classes L1 to N19. Kenilworth: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-40-1.
Trevena, Arthur (1981). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 2. Redruth: Atlantic Books. ISBN 0-906899 03 6.
Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, 1948 edition, part 4, pp 54–55

External links

External videos
"Scrapping the Old Iron Horses", British Pathé; newsreel showing several LNER Class N7s being broken up

LNER encyclopedia
Class N7 Details^{[permanent dead link]} at Rail UK
Class N7/1 Details Archived 1 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine at Rail UK
Class N7/2 Details Archived 1 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine at Rail UK
Class N7/3 Details Archived 1 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine at Rail UK
Class N7/4 Details Archived 1 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine at Rail UK
Class N7/5 Details Archived 1 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine at Rail UK

[Aldrich-106-1] Aldrich 1969, p. 106

[2] Boddy et al. 1977, pp. 121–3

[FOOTNOTEBoddyBrownFryHennigan1977121–123-3] Boddy et al. 1977, pp. 121–123.

[FOOTNOTETrevena198136-4] Trevena 1981, p. 36.

[FOOTNOTEAldrich1969148-5] Aldrich 1969, p. 148.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

v t e Great Eastern Railway locomotives
R. Sinclair (1862–1866)	Z Y X W V
S. W. Johnson (1866–1876)	No. 1 125 201 202 417 204 109 477 T7 200 134 C8
Wm. Adams (1873–1878)	209 61 K9 230 527
M. Bromley (1878–1881)	E10 245 140 M12 552
T. W. Worsdell (1881–1885)	G14 Y14 G15 M15 G16
J. Holden (1885–1907)	T18 T19 127 E22 R24 D27 T26 N31 C32 P43 S44 S46 F48 C53 A55 D56 S56 G58
S. D. Holden (1907–1912)	Y65 G69 S69 E72
A. J. Hill (1912–1922)	C72 B74 L77 T77 D81 H88