GCR Class 9N

The Great Central Railway Class 9N, classified A5 by the LNER, was a class of 4-6-2 tank locomotives designed by John G. Robinson for suburban passenger services. They were fitted with superheaters, piston valves and Stephenson valve gear.

GCR Class 9N
LNER Class A5
A5/1 No. 9828 outside Marylebone station 1947
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerJohn G. Robinson
Builder
Serial numberHL: 3616–3628
Build date1911–1926
Total produced44
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-6-2T
 • UIC2′C1′ h2t
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Leading dia.3 ft 6 in (1.067 m)
Driver dia.5 ft 7 in (1.702 m)
Trailing dia.3 ft 9 in (1.143 m)
Length42 ft 11+7⁄8 in (13.103 m)
Loco weightA5/1: 85.90 long tons (87.28 t; 96.21 short tons)
A5/2: 90.55 long tons (92.00 t; 101.42 short tons)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity4.15 long tons (4.22 t; 4.65 short tons)
Water cap.2,280 imp gal (10,400 L; 2,740 US gal)
Boiler pressure180 psi (1.24 MPa)
CylindersTwo, inside
Cylinder size20 in × 26 in (508 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gearStephenson
Valve type10-inch (254 mm) piston valves
Performance figures
Tractive effort23,750 lbf (105.6 kN)
Career
Operators
Power classBR: 4P, 3P from May 1953
Axle load classLNER/BR: Route Availability 5
Withdrawn1942, 1957–1961
DispositionAll scrapped

Construction and numbering

The GCR built 21 locomotives at Gorton Works in three batches between 1911 and 1917.[1] They ordered a fourth batch of ten from Gorton, but this was not built until after the 1923 Grouping, under which GCR became part of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).[1] The LNER then ordered a fifth batch of 13 to a modified design, incorporating reduced boiler mountings and detail differences, and these were built by the outside contractors Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. during 1925–26 (works numbers 3616–28).[2]

YearGCR Nos.LNER Nos.LNER 1946 Nos.
1911165–170, 23–24, 447–4485165–70, 5023–24, 5447–489800–07, –, 9808
1912449–452, 128–1295449–5452, 5128–51299809–9814
1917371–374, 4115371–5374, 54119815–9819
19233, 6, 7, 30, 45,
46, 88, 154, 156, 158		5003, 5006, 5007, 5030, 5045,
5046, 5088, 5154, 5156, 5158		9820–9829
1925–26—1712/19, 1738, 1750/56,
1760/66–68, 1771,
1782/84, 1790		9830–9842

No. 5447 was withdrawn in 1942 because its frames were badly cracked.[3] In 1943, the remaining engines were allocated new numbers in the 9800–42 block, but these were not applied until 1946.[4] Forty-three locomotives passed to British Railways in 1948, and between 1948 and 1951 their numbers were increased by 60000.[5] The class was divided into two parts in December 1948 as follows:[2]

  • A5/1, 69800-69829: Built at Gorton to Robinson's design
  • A5/2, 69830-69842: Built by Hawthorn, Leslie with modifications by Gresley

None have been preserved.

Table of withdrawals[6]
YearQuantity in
service at
start of year		Quantity
withdrawn		Locomotive numbers
19424415447
195743269815/33
1958412369802/04/07/10–11/18–19/22/24/26/28/30–32/34–42
195918869800/03/05/09/12/16/25/27
1960101069801/06/08/13–14/17/20–21/23/29

Modelling

A 7 mm scale kit is available from MSC models.[7]

In 2023, Sonic Models released a ready-to-run OO scale model in GCR, LNER, and BR variants.[8]

References
  1. Fry 1964, p. 4.
  2. Fry 1964, pp. 4, 7.
  3. Fry 1964, p. 7.
  4. Fry 1964, pp. 4, 10–11.
  5. Fry 1964, pp. 8, 10–11.
  6. Fry 1964, pp. 10–11.
  7. "MSC models GCR/LNER/BR Robinson A5 4-6-2T". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  8. "Rails of Sheffield 'SONIC ANNOUNCE OO ROBINSON LNER CLASS A5' Posted by Oliver Davies on August 11, 2021". Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  • Fry, E. V., ed. (April 1964). Locomotives of the L.N.E.R., part 7: Tank Engines - Classes A5 to H2. Kenilworth: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-13-4.

Further reading
  • Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, 1948 edition, part 4, page 55.
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