Wosdell class J27
The North Eastern Railway class P3 (LNER class J27), is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotives designed by Wilson Worsdell for freight traffic and introduced in 1906.
The class P3 was designed by Wilson Worsdell and was a relatively minor modification of the existing North Eastern Railway class P2 (LNER class J26). The most significant change was a deeper firebox with shallower sloping fire grate. This was achieved by raising the boiler slightly, and by reducing the clearance between the firebox and the rear axle. The class P3 were used for hauling long trains of freight.
Initially, eighty class J27s were built between 1906 and 1909 in five batches, distributed amongst the NER’s Darlington Works, North British Locomotive Company, Beyer, Peacock and Company, and Robert Stephenson and Company. Twelve years later, a batch of twenty-five class J27s were built at Darlington with Schmidt superheaters and piston valves. These were delivered in 1921-2 and were followed by a final order of ten placed in December 1922 and built by the LNER at Darlington Works in 1923. The superheated class J27s could be identified by their extended smokeboxes.
After World War II, they primarily operated on heavy mineral trains, with the last class J27s being withdrawn in September 1967.
One example, No. 65894, has survived into preservation and was purchased directly from BR by the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group on 1 December 1966. It currently operates on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.