The Sacre J59 (GCR Class 18T Altered) 0-6-0T Locomotives

The Class 18T was Sacre's standard shunting locomotive design for the Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR). A total of 41 were built between 1871 and 1881 in four batches. These were built with open cabs, wooden brake blocks, and wooden buffer planks. The saddle tanks also extended to the front of the smokebox.

In 1903, Robinson started to rebuild the Class 18T as "Class 18T Altered". The rebuilt engines feature enclosed cabs, shortened saddle tanks, iron brake blocks, and steel buffer beams. Between 1903 and 1915 forty of the locomotives were rebuilt. The exception was No. 278 which was withdrawn early in 1910. All of the locomotives that survived into LNER ownership were "Class 18T Altered" and were classified J59 by the LNER.

The J59s lacked an adequate brake, so they were usually confined to yard shunting duties. These duties earned them the nickname "Humpies". Late in Great Central Railway (GCR) ownership, three J59s were loaned to the Rhymney Railway in South Wales between 1920 and 1921.

No. 278 was withdrawn early in 1910. Fourteen were withdrawn between 1910 and 1922, leaving 26 to enter LNER ownership in 1923. At Grouping (1923), the surviving J59s were allocated to Immingham, Mexborough, Gorton, Stockport, Sheffield, Liverpool, Walton, Annesley, and Neasden. Withdrawals continued and the last two J59s withdrawn in January 1929.

Technical Details

Preservation

None of the J59s survived into preservation.

Models

I am not aware of any models of the J59s in any scale.