GCR ‘8K’ 2-8-0

Development: The Ministry of Munitions chose the GCR ‘8K’ for large-scale construction and 521 ROD versions were built. See pages 72-74 for the full history.

Call-up: Only Nos. 1601-32/47-95, 1701-24, 1801-1969/72-99 and 2002-04 worked in France. Theatre of operations: They were employed on troop movements both to and from the front, moving supplies and working some civilian services.

Demobilisation: All ‘O4s’ that returned were put into store, joining new locomotives fresh from the factories. Disposal was slow: government indecision and an eye for a quick buck meant that the last were finally sold in 1927. One was scrapped, 13 went to Australia, 20 to China and the rest were absorbed by Britain’s railway companies.

Survivors: The sole survivor in Britain is ‘O4’ No. 63601. This was never in ROD/WD service, but ROD Nos. 1984, 2003 and 2004, used in France during the ‘Great War’, survive in Australia.

H. GORDON TIDEY/RAIL ARCHIVE STEPHENSON After the ‘Great War’, some of the 518 ROD 2-8-0s were loaned to Britain’s railway companies. This unidentified example hammers over Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway metals at Farington, south of Preston, in 1920.