British Railways
What operated GCR Class 9K from 1948 to 1960?
GCR Class 9K The Great Central Railway 9K and 9L classes were two related classes of 4-4-2T Atlantic steam locomotives . They were both intended for suburban passenger services . After the 1923 Grouping , they served the LNER as classes C13 and C14 . Their designer was John G . Robinson . The design was based on the earlier Pollitt Class 9G 2-4-2T locomotives , but with a lengthened boiler and a leading bogie to carry it . This extension of running gear also resembled an early Robinson design for the Irish Waterford , Limerick and Western Railway . All passed into British Railways service and the first was not withdrawn until 1952 . Most were withdrawn between 1955 and 1959 . The last examples of each class , 9K 67417 and 9L 67450 , were scrapped in 1960.<ref & Asher , Locomotives of British Railways , LNER C13/C14 ></ref> None were preserved . GCR 9K / LNER C13 . Forty locomotives were built to the 9K class , in four batches between 1903 and 1905 . The GCR installed water troughs around the same time as this class was built . They were fitted with water scoops , but these were little used by the 1930s and so were removed . In 1933 , six locomotives were fitted for push-pull working , according to the GCR mechanical system . These were converted to the LNER vacuum system and in 1941 , two others were converted . Superheating . One example , No . 18 was experimentally superheated in 1915 . From 1926 to 1935 the entire class was superheated . During this time , the original saturated locomotives were classified as C13/1 and the superheated rebuilds as C13/2 . Some locomotives were rebuilt further as C13/3 , with shortened chimneys and domes to fit within the LNER loading gauge . By 1938 , all locomotives had been rebuilt to the C13/3 standard and so the distinguishing sub-classes were abandoned . Service . The 9K class was built for the London suburban services , running from the GCRs Marylebone terminus . Within a few years , the timing of these suburban trains was facing competition from electric services . Competing with these required faster acceleration and the more powerful 4-6-2T Class 9N was introduced . From 1922 they were dispersed away from London through the GCR network , to South Yorkshire between Manchester , Sheffield and Mexborough . Most notably , many of them went to Wrexham where they were based successfully until the 1950s . The South Yorkshire engines gradually moved to Gorton locomotive shed , from where they were used on Manchester suburban services , and destinations as far as Hayfield and Macclesfield , later joined by the 9Ls , until they were both replaced by DMUs after post-1955 dieselisation . All passed into British Railways service and survived until at least 1952 . but were withdrawn between 1955 and 1959 . The last No 67417 was scrapped in 1960 . None were preserved . The class was successful throughout its working life and is considered to be one of Robinsons best designs . GCR 9L / LNER C14 . A further twelve locomotives were built by Beyer , Peacock & Co . in 1907 . These were of basically the same design , but had enlarged water and coal capacity . They were designated 9L by the GCR and later C14 by the LNER . The side tanks were enlarged for an extra 375 gallons , by widening their side plates . Overall width across the tanks increased from 8 6 to 8 9 . This gives rise to a visible recognition feature in photographs : the 9K have tank and cab sides in a flat plane , the 9L tank sides project slightly . Coal capacity was also increased by raising the rear wall of the bunker with a semicircular extension . The boilers were the same as for the 9K . All were built with saturated boilers and , as for the 9Ks , were rebuilt with superheating as their boilers were replaced . The first to be superheated was Nº 1122 in 1914 , although this was not a new boiler and only lasted until 1923 when it was replaced by a saturated boiler . All were converted under LNER ownership , from 1926 to 1935 . Water pick-up gear and shortened chimneys to fit the LNER loading gauge were removed and changed as for the 9K class . Service . The 9L class was built for the London suburban services from Marylebone and they were based at Neasden shed . With the introduction of the Class 9Ns , the 9Ls were moved to stopping services on the Great Central Main Line and by 1922 they were based around Nottingham , with one of the twelve stabled at Woodford and some occasional allocations to Hitchin and Hatfield . From 1934 , they were dispersed , some to East Anglia and others to the West Riding and Manchester . After Nationalisation , they were once again working suburban passenger services with the 9Ks , out of Manchester . Nearly all were scrapped in 1957 , following the introduction of DMUs for the suburban services . The last Nº 67450 survived until 1960 . None were preserved . Accidents and incidents . - On 8 June 1939 , locomotive No . 5020 was hauling a passenger train which departed from station , Lancashire against a danger signal . It was in collision with another passenger train and was derailed . Several people were injured .