|
J21 0-6-0 - 65033
(Photo: Ben Boggis)
J21 65033 shortly after arriving at Sheringham.
J21 is owned by the Beamish Museum
History
The J21- A Brief
History-by Mark Pearce (Copyright Steam Railway 2005)
Emerging from the North
Eastern Railway's Gateshead works in 1889 as a member of
the 'C' class, No. 876 (BR No.65033) is now the only
survivor of its class. Built as compounds, the 171 engines
were all later rebuilt as simple locomotives to Class C1,
joining the 30 originally built to this design. No 876
underwent the modification in Darlington and was also
fitted with a superheated boiler at the same time.
The first J21s (their LNER classification) were withdrawn
in 1929. No. 5033 (as it now was) was withdrawn in
November 1939 but the outbreak of war led to a huge
increase in railway activity and the 0-6-0 was quickly
reinstated to cope with the demand. In a visit to
Darlington in 1943 it lost its superheated boiler,
reverting to the original 67A type which it still carries.
By the time BR came into being in 1948 only 83 of the
original 201 locomotives remained on the books. 34 didn't
last long enough to receive their new numbers, but the new
No. 65033 did. Under BR ownership the locomotive continued
on the same duties it was accustomed to, wandering such
remote lines as the Stainmore and Rothbury branches into
the 1950s.
From 1951 it alternated between Blaydon and North Blyth
sheds apart from a short spell at Heaton in 1961. Sub
sheds at Hexham, South Blyth and Reedsmouth were also the
engine's home for a time.
Withdrawal came, again, on April 23rd 1962 from North
Blyth where 65033 - the last J21 withdrawn and by now
something of a railtour celebrity - languished until sent
to Darlington, under its own steam, for scrapping.
It was at this point that the charmed existence of 65033
took another turn, courtesy of Frank Atkinson - the father
of what became Beamish. Mr. Atkinson succeeded in keeping
the J21 at Darlington for more than five years. Just days
before the scrap man was scheduled to get his hands on
this remarkable survivor Mr. Atkinson stepped in and had
it moved to the Consett steel works. The J21 moved again
in 1970 to the embryonic Tanfield Railway which was then
used for the storage of some of the larger exhibits from
the Beamish collection. Tanfield saw the first steaming of
the locomotive in preservation after some work had been
completed. The engine was repainted back into its original
NER green livery as No. 876, despite the fact that it had
never actually carried green other than as a compound.
Steaming at Beamish followed in 1976, when Rowley station
was reopened by Sir John Betjemen, and occasionally
thereafter until 1984. The engine then languished in the
open air, slowly deteriorating until under cover storage
was provided about 15 years later. When the centenary of
this unassuming, but much loved, veteran slipped by it
went almost unnoticed. Now though the charmed existence of
65033 is taking its latest twist, moving to the NNR for
its return to operating condition.
J21's on the Great Eastern
In the 1930s, nine J21 0-6-0s made it to the former GE
metals. In August 1931 three were despatched to Lincoln
but all moved to Peterborough in the same year. It would
seem that the former North Eastern locomotives were not
the most popular as by 1932 the wandering trio had found
themselves at Norwich, before moving on to Lowestoft where
they were used as harbour shunters. A further six J21s
were later sent to East Anglia to join the happy wanderers
in an unusual swap deal that saw former GER E4 2-4-0s move
to routes such as the Stainmore line. But the second batch
soon moved on and within eighteen months could be found at
locations such as Doncaster and Selby.
|
