 | This article includes a list of general references but lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2014) |
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The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Class J39 was a class of medium powered 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed for mixed-traffic work throughout the former LNER system between London and the north of Scotland.
The class was introduced by Nigel Gresley in July 1926, based on his previous Class J38 (introduced in January 1926) but with larger driving wheels. The larger wheels enabled them to be used on both passenger and freight trains, although at the expense of a lower tractive effort. As a result they were given the BR power classification 4P/5F, rather than the 6F of the earlier class. A total of 289 examples were built over the next fifteen years, mostly built by the LNER's Darlington Works although 28 were built by Beyer, Peacock and Co. in 1935.
The larger wheels necessitated the provision of low splashers over the front two wheels, which is the main means of differentiating between the two classes. However the increased speed afforded by the larger wheels caused the big end bearings to overheat, something that was aggravated by their use on passenger trains, and reliability suffered as a result. The locomotives were all fitted with superheaters and Ross 'Pop' safety valves.
All passed into British Railways ownership in 1948 and they were numbered 64700-64988. They began to be withdrawn from service in 1959 and all examples had been scrapped by the end of 1962. No. 64747 served out the remainder of its days as a stationary boiler at the Woodford shed until October 1964.
355 locomotives were scheduled to be built, but 289 were built. Each of the LNER's three main areas received an allocation of new locomotives, as follows:
| Building programme | Date ordered | Years built | Southern Area | North Eastern Area | Scottish Area | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | November 1925 | 1926–27 | 32 | 12 | – | 44 |
| 1928 | August 1927 | 1928–29 | 40 | – | 12 | 52 |
| 1929 | December 1928 | 1929–30 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 27 |
| 1930 | December 1929 | 1931–33 | 15 | 6 (6) | 4 (4) | 25 (10) |
| 1931 | – | – | – (25) | – (25) | – (6) | – (56) |
| 1934 | December 1933 | 1934 | – | 12 | – | 12 |
| 1935 | December 1934 | 1935 | 27 | 12 | – | 39 |
| 1935–36 | September 1935 | 1936 | 6 | – | – | 6 |
| October 1935 | 1936–37 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 28 | |
| 1937 | November 1936 | 1937–38 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 38 |
| 1940 | January 1940 | 1941 | 14 | – | 4 | 18 |
| Total | 179 (25) | 78 (31) | 32 (10) | 289 (66) | ||
All were built at Darlington, except for the 28 ordered in October 1935, which were built by Beyer Peacock (works nos. 6802–29). Cancelled locomotives shown in parentheses.
As built the locomotives were mostly given numbers in two broad groups:
The final batch, built in 1941, took consecutive numbers 3081–98 within the former GNR series.
In 1943, the locomotives were allotted the continuous block of numbers 4700–4988, largely in order of construction, but these were not applied until 1946–47. British Railways increased these numbers by 60000, a process that took until 1951 to complete.
The class was divided into three sub-classes depending on the type of tender fitted.
Bachmann manufactures the J39/2 version in 00 gauge model form.
Bassett-Lowke manufactures the J39/2 version in 0 gauge model form.
Union Mills manufactures the J39 in British N-Scale.
Graham Farish-Bachmann manufactures the J39 in N scale as BR black with late crest & stepped tender numbered as 64841 and 64880.
