SECR J Class

SECR J Class 0-6-4T

photograph: Mike Morant collection

J class Nº1595 on shed at Gillingham on 12th February 1939.

The SECR J Class passenger tanks were slightly unusual in that they were designed by Wainwright to work not just the SECR's own services, but to work any line south of London. The original drawings for the class were for a six-coupled radial tank with a boiler similar to that of the C Class to be called class N, but this idea was dropped and, in 1913, the first of the class appeared just as Wainwright's career with the SECR was drawing to a close. In all just five engines were made, the last to be built under his auspices (though the L class was designed by him before he handed over the tenure to Maunsell) which doesn't suggest there were many "south of London" trains requiring their services!

The locos had belpaire fireboxes, Schmidt superheaters and 8 inch piston valves. They were provided with two side tanks which held 350 gallons of water each, and a rear tank which held 1,300 gallons. As built the engines had Wakefield mechanical lubricators but Maunsell soon changed these for a sight feed lubricator. As with all SECR locomotives, steam reversing gear was provided. Initial numbering was, as was common with the SECR, somewhat haphazard but was re-organized by the Southern Railway into a logical sequence. Originally employed on the London-Redhill section and the Addiscombe Road line they were cascaded down to Ashford for working in that area when electrification made their services redundant on those lines.

J class Nº1597 on shed at an unknown location.

photograph: Mike Morant collection

Nº1597 again at another unknown location but looking a lot cleaner.

photograph: Mike Morant collection

Technical Details

Introduced: 1913
Driving Wheel: 5 ft 6 ins
Bogie Wheel: 3 ft 7 ins
Total Weight: 70 tons 14 cwt
Water Capacity: 2,000 gals
Cylinders (2): 19½ in x 26 in
Boiler Pressure: 160 lb sq in
Tractive Effort: 20,370 lb
Coal Capacity: 3 ton 10 cwt

SECR Nº	Built	1st SR Nº #	2nd SR Nº #	Date changed	Final SR Nº	BR Nº	Withdrawn
129	Oct 1913	A129	A596	May 1927	1596	31596	Apr 1951
207	Oct 1913	A207	A595	Mar 1928	1595	31595	Jul 1951
597	Nov 1913	A597	-	-	1597	31597	Oct 1950
611	Nov 1913	A611	A598	Sep 1927	1598	31598	Dec 1950
614	Dec 1913	A614	A599	Apr 1928	1599	31599	Nov 1949
# Between 1923 and 1928 SR numbers were the SECR numbers with the added prefix 'A' although the new number may not have been applied until some time later

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This page was last updated 3 February 2009