GCR Class 8

The Great Central Railway Class 8, known as the London and North Eastern Railway Class B5 following the 1923 Grouping, was a class of fourteen 4-6-0 steam locomotives designed to haul fast goods trains, in particular fish trains.

Great Central Railway Class 8
Ex-Great Central 'Fish' class 4-6-0 at Mexborough Locomotive Depot
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer John G. Robinson Builder Neilson & Co. (6), Beyer, Peacock & Co. (8) Build date 1902 (6), 1904 (8) Total produced 14
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0  • UIC 2'C Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 3 ft 6 in (1.067 m) Driver dia. 6 ft 1 in (1.854 m) Length 60 ft 9+1⁄4 in (18.523 m)[1] Loco weight 64.15 long tons (65.18 t) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 23.5 sq ft (2.18 m2) Boiler: ​  • Diameter 4 ft 6.5 in (1,384 mm) to 4 ft 9 in (1,450 mm) Boiler pressure 180 psi (1.24 MPa) Heating surface Saturated: 1,795 sq ft (166.8 m2) Superheated:1,338 sq ft (124.3 m2) [2] Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 19 in × 26 in (483 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Slide valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 19,672 lbf (87.51 kN)
Career Operators Great Central Railway → London & North Eastern Railway → British Railways Class GCR: 8 LNER: B5 Numbers GCR: 1067–1072, 180–187 LNER: 6067–6072, 5180–5187; later 1678–1682 BR: 61678–61682 Nicknames Fish engines Retired 1939–1950 Disposition All scrapped

They were nicknamed "Fish Engines" because of their designed role and due to their frequent use on the fast fish trains heading from Grimsby to places like London. They were passed on into service with British Railways in 1948 and the last locomotive was withdrawn in 1950.

Models

A 1/5 scale, 10.25 in gauge model of number 181 has been made by Andrew Simkins. This model is externally faithful to Robinson's design, but also uses a footwell to conceal most of the driver in the tender. It was showcased and won an award at the Model engineering exhibition in 2003. It has since been seen on several of the 10.25 in gauge railways around Britain.^{[citation needed]}