GER ‘S56’ (LNER ‘J69’) N No. 87
A James Holden design, these locomotives were upgraded versions of the existing ‘R24’ class for shunting and local goods, plus suburban and rural passenger trains. No. 87 was built at Stratford in 1904 and, as a ‘2F’, it led a fairly unremarkable career, aside from being the final development of Holden’s original 0-6-0 tank engines of the 1880s. Upon Grouping, No. 87 became part of the LNER class ‘J69’, taking the numbers 7087 and later 8633. Under British Railways it became No. 68633, and was one of the last few in service. A classmate, No. 68619, occupied the hallowed role of Liverpool Street pilot and was painted in Great Eastern Railway blue in 1959 for the last few years of its career. The National Collection’s locomotive, No. 87, was withdrawn from service in November 1960. As with the ‘E4’, it was cosmetically restored to Great Eastern Railway condition and placed on display at the Museum of British Transport, Clapham, and then the National Railway Museum in York from 1975. It moved on in early 2013 to join the ‘E4’ at Bressingham, where it remains on static display. NRM Senior Curator of Rail Transport and Technology Anthony Coulls says: “Rumours of an overhaul have proved to be just that, rumours!”