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N7 0-6-0T - 69621
69621 is owned by the
East Anglian Railway Museum and is on long term loan to NNR.
History
The N7 - The Third Part of the Steam Dream?-by John
Bicknell
On a London shed bash many years ago, 10th November 1962
to be precise, we visited Stratford (32A) with a pass.
This visit was something of a novelty as the depot was
notoriously difficult to bunk', surrounded as it was by
running lines. It was a dull, misty, autumnal day at the
‘fag end of steam' with only a down at heel B1 and a Y4
(No.33) in steam shuffling about the yard. In contrast I
listed 44 steam locos, mostly GE types, on Death Row'.
Only three of these were reprieved but the numbers have a
familiar ring. 61572, 65462 and 69621 - they are, all
three, at Weybourne now. Many GER enthusiasts will be over
the moon that the N7 has arrived to complete the trio with
every prospect of steaming again soon.
The A.J.Hill designed 0-6-2T first appeared in 1915.The
first two were a pair, the L77s, with one superheated and
the other saturated steam for evaluation. Eventually
twenty-two were GER built at Stratford, all superheated
and all with right hand drive. Scheduled for the intensive
Liverpool Street suburban services, the ‘Jazz' service,
they replaced the 0-4-4 ‘Gobblers' and the ‘Buckjumpers'.
The LNER liked them so much that they built many more, the
class eventually totalling 134 in number. By a fortunate
coincidence 69621, originally 999, was the last engine
built at Stratford, ordered by the GER in 1921 and,
finally, completed in 1924. Subsequent engines of this
class were built at Doncaster, Gorton, Beardmores and
Robert Stephenson. They steamed well, were economical and
proved masters of the job working the Chingford, Enf'ield,
Hertford, Romford and Shenfield trains right up to
electrification in the 1950's. Much has been written
elsewhere on their exploits. 69621 was a Wood Street
engine but finished her days working between Palace Gate
and North Woolwich.
I came across the B12 and J15 at Devons Road, Bow (1D),
not far from Stratford, about a year later but 69621 had,
by then, been purchased by Dr. Fred Youell and taken north
to Leeds. Fred. a pioneer of the Middleton Railway, had
plans to shift commercial quantities of coal from an
adjacent colliery for the NCB. As a GE enthusiast he
thought that an N7 tank engine would be sufficiently
powerful and with its ability to negotiate tight radius
curves was the ideal loco for the project. However the
closure of the colliery at Middleton led to the failure of
the project leaving the N7 to languish at Neville Hill
shed (55H) until 1973. But 69621 was to cover a lot more
ground before arriving on the NNR.
By 1973 BR had grown tired of storing the engine and
chased it out. The Stour Valley Railway at Chappel & Wakes
Colne station offered a home together with the prospect of
restoration. But not for Fred's N7 the indignity of being
hauled there by lorry! The engine made the 200-mile epic
journey in some style, sandwiched between a diesel and a
brake van. Dr. Youell was a happy man when 69621
re-entered GER territory at Black Carr junction, making a
steady 20 mph. Following this five day trip, one of the
famous track slews on the Sudbury branch allowed
0-6-0ST'Grimsby' to haul 69621 into Chappel Yard. The lads
at Chappel, usually orchestrated by Fred, an authority on
trackwork, regularly gained access to the national network
by simply slewing the Sudbury branch into their yard! With
BR approval, of course. One wonders how Railtrack would
greet a similar suggestion, today!
Continued |
