Worsdell class J72
The North Eastern Railway Class E1 (LNER class J72) is a small 0-6-0T steam locomotive designed by Wilson Worsdell for shunting duties and introduced in 1898.
The LNER class J72, originally the North Eastern Railway Class E1, is a small 0-6-0T steam shunting locomotive designed by Wilson Worsdell, with a remarkably long production span from 1898 to 1951. The J72 was a development of the earlier NER class E (LNER class J71) designed by T W Worsdell, Wilson Worsdell’s brother.
A total of 113 J72 locomotives were built over 53 years, under pre-grouping, LNER, and British Railways administrations:
1898–1899: 20 built at NER Darlington Works
1914: 20 built at Darlington Works
1920: 10 built at Darlington Works
1922: 25 built by Armstrong Whitworth
1925: 10 built by Doncaster Works
1949–1951: 28 built by British Railways at Darlington Works.
Twenty five were ordered from Armstrong Whitworth & Co, but they were not delivered until summer 1922. Gresley completed this building period with ten more class J72s which they built at Doncaster in 1925. Class J72s were included in both the 1930 and 1931 build programmes, but these were cancelled due to the Depression.
A new locomotive had not been added to the standardisation plan by 1946 when Peppercorn became the new CME. He listed the class J72 as the new standard light shunting locomotive, and an order was added to the 1946 build programme. This was delayed until after Nationalisation (1948) when fifteen were built at Darlington in 1949. These were followed by five in 1950 and eight in 1951.
This large separation in time (53 years) between the construction of the first and last class J72s, is probably a record for a British steam locomotive class. The class J72s proved very successful and would eventually be found throughout the LNER system. They were the only class that was allocated to all of the LNER’s major constituent companies.
A Nu-Way mechanical stoker was fitted to No. 2331 in May 1939 by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns. A thermo pump to automatically control the boiler feed water was later fitted, allowing the locomotive to be operated by one person. However, the combination of World War 2 and union intervention led to no further locomotive conversions. No. 2331 continued to use this gear until it was removed at Darlington in 1947.
The class J72s were widely allocated across the LNER system, from Hull, Darlington, and York to as far north as Scotland. They replaced older class J71s for shunting and carriage work. Despite introduction of diesel shunters in the 1950s, many J72s remained in service until 1964. Two locomotives, No. 69005 and No. 69023, were transferred to departmental stock for tasks such as de-icing points and coal wagons.
Only one class J72 survives today: No. 69023, nicknamed ‘Joem’, built at Darlington in 1951. It was purchased by R Ainsworth and is now owned by the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group (NELPG). Joem has operated on many heritage lines, including the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and is regularly maintained at Hopetown Darlington.