The GER Class D81 was a class of twenty-five 0-6-0

0-6-0

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...

 steam locomotives designed by A. J. Hill for the Great Eastern Railway

Great Eastern Railway

The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...

. The all passed to the London and North Eastern Railway

London and North Eastern Railway

The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...

 at the 1923 grouping

Railways Act 1921

The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...

 and received the classification J20.

History

These locomotives were fitted with 20 by 28 in (508 by 711.2 mm) cylinders and 4 in 11 in (1.5 m) wheels, while the Belpaire firebox

Belpaire firebox

The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...

-fitted boiler was identical to that fitted to the Class S69

GER Class S69

Great Eastern Railway Class S69, also known as 1500 Class, and later classified B12 by the LNER is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed for passenger work. Originally they were designed by S. D. Holden, but were much rebuilt, resulting in several subclasses.Seventy-one S69 locomotives were...

 4-6-0s. They were the most powerful 0-6-0 tender locomotive in Britain until the arrival of O. V. S. Bulleid's Q1 class for the Southern Railway

Southern Railway (Great Britain)

The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...

 in 1942.

Table of orders and numbers

Year	Order	Manufacturer	Quantity	GER Nos.	LNER Nos.	1946 Nos.	Notes
1920	D81	Stratford Works Stratford Works Stratford Works was the locomotive-building works of the Great Eastern Railway situated at Stratford, London, England. It was opened in 1847-1848 by the GER's predecessor, the Eastern Counties Railway...	5	1270–1274	8270–8274	4675–4679
1922	M87	Stratford Works Stratford Works Stratford Works was the locomotive-building works of the Great Eastern Railway situated at Stratford, London, England. It was opened in 1847-1848 by the GER's predecessor, the Eastern Counties Railway...	10	1275–1284	8275–8284	4680–4689
1922	Y87	Stratford Works Stratford Works Stratford Works was the locomotive-building works of the Great Eastern Railway situated at Stratford, London, England. It was opened in 1847-1848 by the GER's predecessor, the Eastern Counties Railway...	10	1285–1294	8285–8294	4690–4699

All were still in service at the 1923 grouping, the LNER adding 7000 to the numbers of nearly all the ex-Great Eastern locomotives, including the Class D81 locomotives. The LNER rebuilt the class with round-top fireboxes, and reclassified them J20/1.

At nationalisation in 1948, British Railways added 60000 to their LNER numbers. They all continued in service until 1959, when the first was withdrawn; all were gone by the end of 1962.

External links

• D81 Class 0-6-0 – Great Eastern Railway Society
• The Hill J20 (GER Class D81) 0-6-0 Locomotives – LNER Encyclopedia