New Ex-GER / LNER / BR Holden Class J17

Handmade here in the UK, the locomotives with tenders have cast metal bodies and a heavy metal chassis to provide maximum weight for haulage. These ready-to-run models are made to order in small batches in the OO Works workshops.

​Powered by a coreless motor for smooth running, the new J17 is available in five liveries;

• LNER with a choice of cab numbers
• BR 65582 early or late crest
• BR 65541 early or late crest
• BR 65567 preserved early
• Plain black with red buffer beam and connecting rods

The new models are priced at £337 each and are available via the OO Works website.

About the prototype

The Great Eastern Railway G58, later known as the J17 0-6-0s, was designed by James Holden. The design owed a great deal to his draughtsman, Frederick Russell, who used the boiler, cylinders, motion, and slide valves from the ‘Claud Hamilton’ 4-4-0s, while fitting them with standard goods 4ft 11in diameter wheels.

A total of 30 GER G58s (J17s) were built from new and fitted with superheated Belpaire boilers between 1905 and 1911. The other 60 J17s were rebuilt from J16 (F48) locomotives, which originally had round-top boilers, between 1921 and 1932. Most of the later-built locomotives were fitted with new 3,500-gallon high tenders, but quite a number of the J16s retained the smaller, low 2,640-gallon tenders after being rebuilt as J17s.

These locomotives were equipped with steam brakes only and were used with loose-coupled wagons. However, 17 were fitted with vacuum pipes between 1942 and 1951 for work on the M&GN line, where they were used for passenger trains.

Some J17s lasted into the 1960s, with the very last in service, 65582, being withdrawn in September 1962. 65567 became part of the National Railway Collection and is currently on display at Barrow Hill, making it the only one remaining.

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