Factfile: NBR ‘C’ 0‑6‑0

It’s hard to imagine that BR still operated 0- 6- 0s of 1880s vintage as late as 1967, but it did. These venerable survivors included the ‘J36’, designed by Matthew Holmes for the North British Railway in 1888. What was designated ‘C’ by the NBR looked very different to the locomotives that enthusiasts flocked to see in the 1960s. The 168 locomotives built between 1888 and 1900 were rebuilt between 1913 and 1923 with larger boilers and larger, side-window cabs. The class could be found throughout the NBR system, from Aberdeen to Carlisle and even south of the River Tyne, at Blaydon. The First World War interrupted proceedings and 25 were commandeered for use on the Western Front. A further three were used on Highland Railway metals. All 25 received names of ‘Great War’-themed names upon their return to Britain. Plans to use ‘Cs’ – now classified ‘J36’ – on the former Great North of Scotland system after the 1923 Grouping came to nought, but the class did pass through its works at Inverurie for overhaul. Some even found themselves on former LMS Northern Division metals in Scotland after 1948. BR inherited 123 ‘J36s’. Withdrawals continued steadily until, by the start of 1967, it had just three left in service. No. 65234 was withdrawn in May and Nos. 65288 and 65345 were not retired until June. Hmwaaapusp dsiealyv, endo. 65243 by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society. It is currently on display at the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway.

It’s always a challenge to find things to say about unlined BR black, but the ‘J36’s’ finish is to the standard one would expect from Hornby. It has a pleasing satin sheen and all the printing – save for the slightly small smokebox numberplate numerals – is to the right size, weight and colour. The shiny metal contact strips behind the wheels can detract from the visual appearance when you lift the model to eye level, but they’re not visible when the model is in motion. It’s worth mentioning the little bag of extra bits. You get the usual brake rigging, front tension lock coupling and brake pipes but you also get a small snowplough. The shape of the North British Railway snowplough lends itself to a small moulding that simply clips into the front NEM pocket, unlike the one supplied with Oxford Rail’s ‘ Dean Goods’ (MR254) which requires the front buffers to be removed. Many ‘J36s’ carried ’ploughs, bhwuaatigsn’t one of those listed in the RCTS ‘green book’ as having had its front bufferbeam drilled to accept this extra attachment. What else can we say about the ‘J36’? Hornby has proven over the last few years that it can do humdrum, workaday locomotives with equal aplomb to Top Link express power, and the ‘J36’ matches those high standards. Hornby should be given much credit for choosing a Scottish prototype. There’s no denying the vital role the North British Railway played in the story of Britain’s railways. But the problem of translating that into model form is that NBR locomotives – or Scottish locomotives in general – didn’t really work anywhere other than Scotland or the border areas of Northern England. And that could limit potential purchases. If ‘J36 sales are slow, it really won’t be the fault of the model. Hornby has delivered a( R lfit)tle cracker.

Holmes 2,500gal tender with Inverurie Works-style coal rails Post-1913 length of 49ft 2in Lock-up safety valves in rounded casing Post-1913 boiler (4ft 81/ 8in diameter) Post-1926 fluted coupling rods Reid spring arrangement – two leaf springs and a rear coil spring

P.J. HUGHES/COLOUR RAIL 1 A: fine portrait of No. 65311 Haig resting at Kittybrewster shed. As denoted by the name on the bwuaffsebrabseeadma,th aig St Margarets shed (resident from October 20 1952 to June 7 1956). H waaigs fitted with air and steam braking until October 1945 when the Westinghouse pump was removed. 1

Cs. EY/COLOUR RAIL 2 a:t H Faailgkirk Grahamstown on August 21 1958. The locomotive is in the condition as modelled by Hornby: flush smokebox rivets, lock-up safety valves in a rounded casing and the raised plates, fitted by Inverurie Works, behind the coal rails. Fluted coupling rods were fitted to the whole class post-pko.th-1926.1.9f2a6ir. 2

3:3 lo: Hokaisg Haig considerably different in this photograph taken at Polmont shed in 1962. It has received a new boiler with pop safety valves in a rectangular casing, raised rivets, different washout plugs and a modified steampipe along the boilerboiler. It had been transferred from Grangemouth to Polmont on October 21 1963 but was withdrawn a month later on NON ROAVILE mobnelri N29E.