GER L77 Class (LNER N7)

The GER Class L77, is a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotives. They were designed by Alfred John Hill of the Great Eastern Railway and introduced in 1915. The design was perpetuated by Nigel Gresley of the LNER after the 1923 grouping. 134 were built and one example is preserved.
==Overview==
The N7s had superheaters and piston valves. They were unusual (for inside-cylinder locomotives) in having Walschaerts valve gear. They were, as London suburban locomotives, fitted with Westinghouse air brakes.
Some were fitted with condensing apparatus for working on the Metropolitan line and the East London Line but the condensing apparatus was removed between 1935 and 1938.
==Numbering==
The first 22 were allocated numbers in the 990–1011 range when ordered by the GER, but the last 10 did not emerge until the grouping. The LNER added 7000 to their GER numbers, and then built a further 112 locomotives between 1925 and 1928. In the 1946 renumbering scheme, they were renumbered 9600–9733, and upon nationalisation in 1948, British Railways added 60000 to their number (69600–69733).
Table of orders and numbers
Year 	Order	Manufacturer 	Quantity	GER Nos. 	LNER Nos. 	1946 Nos.	Notes
1915 	L77 	Stratford Works 	2 	1000–1001	8000–8001 	9600–9601	Renumbered 7978–7979 in 1944
1921 	K85 	Stratford Works 	10 	1002–1011	8002–8011 	9602–9611	Renumbered 7980–7989 in 1944
1923–24	K89 	Stratford Works 	10 	(990–999)	7990–7999 	9612–9621	
1925–26	— 	Gorton Works 	30 	— 	409, 421, 426, 456, 457, 460, 464, 471, 473, 475, 826–830, 832–834, 837, 838, 850–853, 865–868, 870, 873	9622–9651	Class N7/1
1925–26	— 	Robert Stephenson & Co. 3897–3916 	20 	— 	907, 912, 913, 916, 918, 919, 935, 940, 941, 947, 950, 952, 964, 966–968, 970, 971, 987, 988 	9652–9671	Class N7/1
1927–28	— 	Gorton Works 	10 	— 	2632–2641 	9672–9681	Class N7/2
1927 	— 	Wm. Beardmore & Co. 305–324 	20 	— 	2642–2661 	9682–9701	Class N7/2
1927–28	— 	Doncaster Works 1669–1692, 1696–1699, 1701/02/04/06	32 	— 	2600–2631 	9702–9733	Class N7/3
==Sub-classes==
*N7 Introduced 1914, GER Class L77 with Belpaire firebox
*N7/1 Introduced 1925, LNER development of GER design with Belpaire firebox
*N7/2 Introduced 1926, LNER locos with Belpaire firebox and long-travel valves
*N7/3 Introduced 1927, LNER locos with round-top firebox, plus from 1943, rebuilds of N7/2 with round-top firebox
*N7/4 Introduced 1940, GER locos rebuilt with round-top firebox
*N7/5 Introduced 1943, N7/1 locos rebuilt with round-top firebox
Table of withdrawals
Year	Quantity inservice atstart of year	Quantitywithdrawn	Locomotive numbers 	Notes
1957	134 	1 	69689 	
1958	133 	10 	69601/06–09/24/28/41/43/95 	
1959	123 	41 	69600/02–05/10/12–13/16/19/22–23/25–27/33–35/37–39/44/49–50/55/57/59–62/66–67/69/72/76,69703/05/11/16–17/31 	
1960	82 	45 	69611/14–15/17/20/29–30/36/42/45/47–48/52/54/63–65/77/80–85/87–88/91/94/99,69700–01/04/06/09/12/15/18–22/26–27/29/33	
1961	37 	28 	69618/31/51/56/58/68/70/73–75/78–79/86/90/93/96/98,69702/07–08/10/13–14/23–24/28/30/32 	
1962	9 	9 	69621/32/40/46/53/71/92/97, 69725 	69621 preserved
==Accidents and incidents==
*On 24 May 1954, locomotive No. 69638 ran into the turntable pit at Hatfield, Hertfordshire following the removal of the turntable.
==Preservation==
One LNER example, No. 7999 (BR No. 69621) has been preserved and is currently on static display pending overhaul at the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel & Wakes Colne. It is owned by the East Anglian Railway Museum. It was the last engine built by the Great Eastern Railway's Stratford Works in 1924 and was preserved in 1962. It was also named in honour of its designer A J Hill in 1989.
==References==
===Sources===
*Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, 1948 edition, part 4, pp 54–55
==External links==
*LNER encyclopedia
*Class N7 Details at Rail UK
*Class N7/1 Details at Rail UK
*Class N7/2 Details at Rail UK
*Class N7/3 Details at Rail UK
*Class N7/4 Details at Rail UK
*Class N7/5 Details at Rail UK
Category:0-6-2T locomotives
Category:0-6-2T steam locomotives
Category:LNER locomotives
Category:0-6-2 steam locomotives
Category:0-6-2 locomotives
Category:Tank locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Stratford Works locomotives
Category:Gorton Works locomotives
Category:Doncaster Works locomotives
Category:4 foot 8 1⁄2 inch gauge
Category:Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:GER
Category:GER Locomotives
Category:Sole survivor