GER Class L77


The GER Class L77, LNER Class N7, is a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotives. They were designed by Alfred John Hill of the Great Eastern Railway and introduced in 1915. The design was perpetuated by Nigel Gresley of the LNER after the 1923 grouping. 134 were built; only one of them is preserved.

Overview

The N7s had superheaters and piston valves. They were unusual in having Walschaerts valve gear. They were, as London suburban locomotives, fitted with Westinghouse air brakes.
Some were fitted with condensing apparatus for working on the Metropolitan line and the East London Line but the condensing apparatus was removed between 1935 and 1938.

Numbering

The first 22 were allocated numbers in the 990–1011 range when ordered by the GER, but the last 10 did not emerge until the grouping. The LNER added 7000 to their GER numbers, and then built a further 112 locomotives between 1925 and 1928. In the 1946 renumbering scheme, they were renumbered 9600–9733, and upon nationalisation in 1948, British Railways added 60000 to their number.
YearOrderManufacturerQuantityGER Nos.LNER Nos.1946 Nos.Notes
1915L77Stratford Works21000–10018000–80019600–9601Renumbered 7978–7979 in 1944
1921K85Stratford Works101002–10118002–80119602–9611Renumbered 7980–7989 in 1944
1923–24K89Stratford Works107990–79999612–9621
1925–26—Gorton Works30—409, 421, 426, 456, 457, 460, 464, 471, 473, 475, 826–830, 832–834, 837, 838, 850–853, 865–868, 870, 8739622–9651Class N7/1
1925–26—Robert Stephenson & Co. 3897–391620—907, 912, 913, 916, 918, 919, 935, 940, 941, 947, 950, 952, 964, 966–968, 970, 971, 987, 9889652–9671Class N7/1
1927–28—Gorton Works10—2632–26419672–9681Class N7/2
1927—Wm. Beardmore & Co. 305–32420—2642–26619682–9701Class N7/2
1927–28—Doncaster Works 1669–1692, 1696–1699, 1701/02/04/0632—2600–26319702–9733Class N7/3

Sub-classes

YearQuantity in
service at
start of year		Quantity
withdrawn		Locomotive numbersNotes
1957134169689
19581331069601/06–09/24/28/41/43/95
19591234169600/02–05/10/12–13/16/19/22–23/25–27/33–35/37–39/44/49–50/55/57/59–62/66–67/69/72/76,
69703/05/11/16–17/31
1960824569611/14–15/17/20/29–30/36/42/45/47–48/52/54/63–65/77/80–85/87–88/91/94/99,
69700–01/04/06/09/12/15/18–22/26–27/29/33
1961372869618/31/51/56/58/68/70/73–75/78–79/86/90/93/96/98,
69702/07–08/10/13–14/23–24/28/30/32
19629969621/32/40/46/53/71/92/97, 6972569261 preserved

Accidents and incidents

One LNER example, No. 7999 has been preserved and is currently on static display pending overhaul at the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel & Wakes Colne. It is owned by the East Anglian Railway Museum. It was the last engine built by the Great Eastern Railway's Stratford Works in 1924 and was preserved in 1962. It was also named in honour of its designer A J Hill in 1989.