GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY ‘8A’ 0-8-0

Before the

war: 1902 was a watershed year as ‘large locomotive’ policy was instigated with two new designs. The

Class 8 was a 4-6-0, but what we’re concerned with here is the ‘8A’ 0-8-0. It wasn’t pretty but it was effective, and 89 were built between 1902 and 1911. They were put to work on heavy freight trains, including the movement of coal from Yorkshire to the Humber ports.

Call-up: The GCR provided 15 for use in France in AprilJune 1917: Nos. 58/86/91, 135/39/40/44, 401, 1073/75/76, 1141/42/80/82. Theatre of operations:

These locomotives were used around Dunkirk, on heavy supply trains in Flanders and on stone traffic from Marquise quarry.

Demobilisation: All 15 locomotives returned to Britain in 1919. Some ‘8As’ received superheated

boilers, but the most drastic rebuilding took place in 1942 when four of what were now called LNER ‘Q4s’ were turned into tank locomotives. The new ‘Q1s’ featured a shorter, raised boiler, new coupling and connecting rods and ‘J50’ tanks and bunkers. Thirteen ‘Q4s’ were so treated, including ex-ROD No. 58. No. 63243 was the final ‘Q4’ to be withdrawn in October 1951 (it had served in France) while the last ‘Q1s’ went in 1959.

Survivors: None.

by the ROD. T.G. HEPBURN/RAIL ARCHIVE STEPHENSON Robinson LNER ‘Q4’ (GCR ‘8A’) 0-8-0 No. 6132 pauses at Nottingham Victoria with an Up goods train, circa 1925. This wasn’t one of the 15 requisitioned