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http://www.lner.info/locos/O/o4o5.shtmlGCR class 8K 2-8-0
One of the present GCR's most stalwart locomotives in recent years has been the National Railway Museum's GCR class 8K 2-8-0, more familiar perhaps to most people by its later LNER classification 04. To many visitors it may appear to be just another black engine and a freight one at that, but in fact it is the sole survivor in the UK of one of British railway history's largest and most famous locomotive classes, and as a Great Central engine operating on our remnant of the former GC system is very much at home. This illustrious locomotive therefore certainly deserves a closer look.
John George Robinson stands out as one of British railway history's great Chief Mechanical Engineers. He started work in the railway industry as a GWR apprentice at Swindon in 1872 and twelve years later moved to a post on the Waterford and Limerick Railway in Ireland. By 1900 he was the W&L's locomotive superintendent and by building up that railway's locomotives into an effective little fleet had established his own reputation as an excellent locomotive superintendent.
In 1900 Harry Pollitt, Locomotive and Marine Engineer of the Great Central Railway, tendered his resignation and that company's board invited Robinson to take the post of the railway's Locomotive Superintendent. This was an interesting departure from the general practice on British railways where the locomotive superintendent succession was in house: appointment of a complete outsider was therefore for the board something of a leap of faith.
Robinson arrived at the GCR at a very interesting time. The Watkin years had just finished and the railway had just opened its London Extension. Its locomotive situation was very stretched with around 50 engines on hire from neighbouring lines and the stud increasingly ill suited to the era's need for haulage of heavier and faster trains
Robinson's brief
Robinson's brief, therefore, was to turn this situation around and he was given authority to invest heavily in new locomotives.
A first priority was freight locomotives and Robinson took the Pollitt class 9H 0-6-0 design, of which the railway had many examples, and reworked it into his class 9J. These engines later became better known by their LNER classification J11 and "pom- Pom" nickname. These successful locomotives put in many years of faithful service, the last not being withdrawn until 1962. Sadly none was preserved.
However, there was a pressing need for something larger and towards the end of 1902 within a few weeks of each other Robinson unveiled two prototypes for his new big engine policy. The class 8 4-6-0 passenger locomotive was followed by the class 8A 0-8-0 freight locomotive. These engines with their interchangeable parts, large boilers and twin outside cylinders were unlike anything the Great Central had previously owned and revealed Robinson's intentions for the future.
The class 8A was successful but development continued with the introduction in 1911 of the class 8K, basically a superheated 8A with the addition of a pony truck. By the start of the First World War the GCR had built 126 8Ks and they were shown to be a soundly built and reliable.
The Ministry of Munitions initially borrowed some 600 locomotives from British railways for use in the Royal Engineer's Railway Operating Division for war work, the majority of them heading overseas. As the war continued and the strain on these engines and the home railways in general began to take its toll, the Ministry decided to commence locomotive construction on its own behalf and selected for this purpose the Robinson 8K design. Thus did the class 8K become one of Britain's most numerous and famous locomotive classes through the additional 521 ROD built engines. In all 666 of these engines were built in one form or another of which the GCR owned: 130 8Ks, of which three came from a MoM order 17 8Ms (8K with a larger boiler) and a single experimental version, No.966.
Construction
Construction of these locomotives commenced in 1917 and went on until the end of 1919. When the war ended, of course, the military were left with hundreds of these locomotives to dispose of, many of which had seen little use. After initially asking very high prices and consequently at first selling none, commercial reality soon prevailed and ultimately locomotives were mostly purchased by the GWR, LNWR and most of all, the LNER. The 8Ks' ROD cousins thus effectively became a standard class across much of the nation's network.
The LNER ultimately owned 421 of these 2-8-0s and soon had them operating over most of its network. Many were subsequently rebuilt in various ways. Some were cut-down to suit the North British Railway's smaller loading gauge, while others were fitted with different boilers. In fact few locomotive classes can have been rebuilt quite so extensively and diversely, and this is a fascinating story but one that is beyond the scope of this article.
One military sequel was that the government requisitioned 92 of the locomotives in 1941 to serve in various theatres of the Second World War, including mostly the Middle East. At the end of the war a number of these engines ended up working on the Egyptian Railways.
The current GCR's engine, No.63601
The current GCR's engine, No.63601, was one of the earliest, being built in 1911 and basically was unaltered until its withdrawal in 1963. It entered service as GCR No.102, becoming LNER No.5102 in 1923, renumbered by the LNER 3509 in 1946, and again 3601 in 1947 until taking its BR number.
Fortunately it was then selected to be a part of the National Collection and was set on one side. Unlike some of the more glamorous NRM engines it languished at various locations over the intervening years until arriving at the GCR on loan on 6 June 1996.
Although complete the engine hadn't worked for more than 30 years and thus a thorough overhaul was commenced. The work carried out by the GCR's Locomotive Department was of the highest quality and at the 29th 130th January 2000 Winter Gala No.63601 made its public return to use. Since then it has been a regular performer on the line, looking particularly good on a bright morning on the Windcutter train as it recaptures its past appearance, or my favourite a steamy departure south from Loughborough on a dank afternoon.
The Robinson Survivors
Sadly few Robinson locomotives have survived, the only other being class 11 F "Improved Director" No.506 "Butler Henderson", another NRM engine that was loaned to the GCR until 1992.
In the list of tragic role of "classes that got away" the GCR features too highly. Imagine how well a" Jersey Lily Atlantic", or 9K (A5) 4-6-2 T would look leaving Loughborough Central on a rake of Mk1 s. Perhaps one day a rebuild group will tackle such an engine, which many would argue is a more worthwhile project than the likes of a "Clan"(small-boilered Britannia) or a "Grange" (large-wheeled Hall).
Strangely by a quirk of history three other Robinson ROD 2-8-0s survive -in Australia. One of the purchasers of war surplus ROD engines was the J&A Brown colliery railway system and some of these ran until the 1970s. Three have survived, one in a museum while the others sit awaiting their fate in a siding along with many other locomotives as a part of the large collection at Dorrigo, New South Wales.
Various attempts have been made over the years to try to repatriate an Australian ROD but Australia has strict laws governing the export of historic artefacts and they are unlikely to be released unless these laws are relaxed.
So what of the future? No.63601 is only on loan from the National Collection and possibly one day the NRM will want it back. Until that date we can all enjoy its regular turns on the GCR. And who knows perhaps one day one of the Australian RODs may find its way to these shores and what better home could it have than Loughborough?
DATA: GCR Class '8K' (LNER 04) 2-8-0
Locomotives Built: GCR145 (incl. 8M), ROD521
Driving Wheel Diameter: 4' 8"
Length: 61' 8 1/2"
Weight in working order: 121.5 Tons
Axle Load: 17.05 Tons
Cylinders (2): 21 "x26"
Boiler Pressure: 180 psi .
Tractive Effort: 31325 Ibs
Valve Gear: Stephenson
Power Class (BR): 7F
Grate Area: 26.25 sq ft
Firebox Heating Surface: 154 sq ft
Tube Heating Surface: 1349 sq ft
Total Heating Surface: 1503 sq ft
Superheating Surface: 255 sq ft
Superheater Elements: 22
Water Capacity: 4000 gal
Coal Capacity: 6 Tons
George Green
MAIN LINE No 122 Spring 2005
Historic Photographs from RAIL ARCHIVE STEPHENSON
