GER Class C53

The GER Class C53 was a class of twelve steam tram locomotives designed by James Holden for the Great Eastern Railway. They passed to the London and North Eastern Railway at the grouping, and received the LNER classification J70.

History
These locomotives had 12 x outside cylinders driving 3 ft wheels; all enclosed by skirting. They were the first locomotives on the Great Eastern to use Walschaerts valve gear. They were used on the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway and the ports of Great Yarmouth and Ipswich from the 1930s to the 1950s. They replaced earlier GER Class G15 of similar appearance.

The first withdrawal was in 1942. The remaining locomotives were renumbered 8216–8226 in 1944. The remaining eleven locomotives passed to British Railways in 1948 on nationalisation, and had 60000 added to their numbers. Withdrawals restarted in 1949, slowly at first, then more quickly, and the last went in 1955.

Individual locomotives
Note: The data above is according to RailUK. BRDatabase gives some different dates:
 * GER No. 135 was withdrawn in 30 November 1953
 * GER No. 136 was withdrawn in 9 March 1953
 * GER No. 130 was withdrawn in 23 February 1953
 * GER No. 128 was withdrawn sometime in January 1955
 * GER No. 125 was withdrawn in 24 March 1952
 * GER No. 126 was withdrawn in 8 March 1955

In fiction
J70 68221 was the inspiration for the character Toby the Tram Engine in The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry, and its television series adaptation Thomas & Friends.