NBR F class

The NBR F Class (LNER Class J88) was a class of 0-6-0 tank locomotives, designed by William P. Reid on the North British Railway.^[1] They were used for dockyard shunting duties.^[1]

NBR F Class LNER Class J88
BR 68351 (still in LNER guise as 8351) (left) in steam at Shore Road Depot 28 August 1948
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer William P. Reid Builder NBR Cowlairs Works Build date 1904–1919[1] Total produced 35
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0T  • UIC C n2t Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 3 ft 9 in (1.143 m)[1] Wheelbase 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) ​  • Axle spacing (Asymmetrical) 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) + 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Length 27 ft 6+3⁄4 in (8.40 m) over buffers Axle load 15 LT 12 cwt (15.9 t) Loco weight 38 LT 14 cwt (39.3 t) (full) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 2 long tons 1 cwt (2.1 t) Water cap. 850 imp gal (3,900 L; 1,020 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 14.5 sq ft (1.35 m2) Boiler: ​  • Model LNER diagram 87  • Pitch 6 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1.994 m)  • Tube plates 8 ft 8+1⁄2 in (2.654 m)  • Small tubes 142 × 1+3⁄4 in (44 mm) Boiler pressure 130 lbf/in2 (0.90 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 65.7 sq ft (6.10 m2)  • Tubes 585.5 sq ft (54.39 m2)  • Total surface 651.2 sq ft (60.50 m2) Superheater None Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 15 in × 22 in (381 mm × 559 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Slide valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 12,155 lbf (54.07 kN)
Career Operators North British Railway London and North Eastern Railway British Railways Power class BR: 0F Axle load class LNER: RA 3 Locale Scotland Withdrawn 1954–1962 Disposition All scrapped

Background

When the North British railway required more dock shunting tank locomotives in 1904, rather than order further copies of the railway's standard G class (LNER class Y9) 0-4-0ST, William P. Reid introduced a completely new 0-6-0T locomotive design.^[2]

Design

The class had a 3-foot-10-inch (1.17 m) diameter, 10-foot-5-inch (3.18 m) long boiler producing 130 pounds-force per square inch (0.90 MPa) saturated steam to two outside 17-by-24-inch (432 mm × 610 mm) cylinders, which were connected to the 3-foot-9-inch (1.143 m) driving wheels by inside Stephenson valve gear actuating slide valves.^[3]

Construction

All thirty five locomotives were built at the NBR's Cowlairs Works in five batches between 1904 and 1919.^[2]

Table of orders and numbers^[4]

Year	Quantity	NBR No.	LNER No.	LNER 1946 No.
1904–05	6	836–841	9836–9841	8320–8325
1905	6	842–847	9842–9847	8326–8331
1909	6	233–238	9233–9238	8332–8337
1912	10	66, 114, 116–119, 121, 130, 132, 152	9066, 9114, 9116–9119, 9121, 91309, 9132, 9152	8338–8347
1919	7	277, 290, 288–289, 87, 271, 279	9277, 9290, 9288–9289, 9087, 9271, 9279	8348–8349, 8353–8354, 8350–8352

Service history

They were used on docks and harbours on both the east and west coasts of Scotland. They were usually allocated to St. Margaret's (Edinburgh), Eastfield (Glasgow), Thornton, Kipps, Polmont, Stirling and Haymarket (Edinburgh) locomotive depots.^[5]

At the grouping in 1923, they all passed to the London and North Eastern Railway, who classified them as class J88.^[1] They were all still in service at Nationalisation in 1948. BR added 60000 to their LNER 1946 number.

Withdrawal

One locomotive, No. 68341, was withdrawn in 1954 after falling into Kirkcaldy harbour, but later the class were gradually displaced by diesel shunters during the 1950s, with the last withdrawn in December 1962.^[1] All members of the class were scrapped, and there is no surviving example in preservation.^[1]

Table of withdrawals^[6]

Year	Quantity in service at start of year	Quantity withdrawn	Locomotive numbers
1954	35	1	68341
1955	34	1	68337
1956	33	1	68323
1957	32	1	68351
1958	31	11	68321, 68322, 68324, 68327, 68328, 68330, 68333, 68339, 68340, 68347, 68348
1959	20	4	68326, 68329, 68331, 68334
1960	16	6	68320, 68332, 68343, 68349, 68354, 68352
1961	10	3	68325, 68338, 68344
1962	7	7	63335, 68336, 68342, 68345, 68346, 68350, 68353