Rapido LNER J52/2 0-6-0 (OO Gauge)

[AY Mod]

LNER J52/2 0-6-0 (OO Gauge)

 

Saddle up for a spectacular stoic shunter.

 

To coincide with our announcement of the wonderful Stirling Single No.1, we couldn’t think of a better time to reveal another much-needed Northern nicety - the LNER J52/2 0-6-0. This neat little shunter was seen the length and breadth of the GNR network, from North London to the Northeast of England.

 

 

These started life on the GNR, where they were classified as J13 and based on the Stirling-designed J14 (which featured a domeless boiler). Of course, you can’t trust domeless engines, so Henry Ivatt refined this design with a more efficient and domed boiler variant. They would be fitted with a boiler the same length as the one on the J14, but had an increased diameter. The first J13s rolled off the factory floor in 1897 to work alongside their domeless counterparts on shunting duties.

 

Between then and 1909, a total of 85 of the class were produced, some at the GNR’s works at Doncaster, and others at a variety of contractors, such as R. Stephenson & Co. The updated design proved effective and as locos moved into LNER ownership many of the J14s were rebuilt as J13s.

 

 

Under the LNER the J13s that were domed from the day they were built were reclassified as the J52/2. The class became a common sight in North London, covering the North London Line, Kings Cross, and numerous marshalling yards up and down the country.

 

Plans were put into motion to scrap the J52s in the mid-1930s, however, this cull ceased when the war broke out in 1939, as any functional locomotive was pressed into service. With the introduction of numerous diesel shunters under the modernisation plan, the withdrawal of the J52s sadly continued.

In 1959 and only a couple of years before the entire class were scrapped, Captain Bill Smith stepped in and saved loco No. 68846 from its inevitable fate.

He became the owner of the World’s very first privately owned BR steam locomotive, and the J52/2 earned itself a permanent place in the annals of railway preservation history. The aptly and affectionately named Old Lady would live on. Once in his possession, she was repainted into her beautiful pre-grouping guise and renumbered to the iconic 1247.

 

 

With a gorgeous livery, long service history and historical claim to fame, 1247 will always have a fond place in the hearts of travelling enthusiasts and preservation modellers alike. The Captain's decisive action showed that preservation was possible, and sparked a wave of like-minded enthusiasts to follow suit. Eventually the locomotive was presented to the National Railway Museum where the locomotive can be seen on display today.

 

 

The J52/2 model has been designed using works drawings to ensure its accuracy and features a variety of liveries covering the loco's history, such as the bold pre-grouping colours of the GNR, through to various black liveries it sported in its final years. Modellers can look forward to a smooth-running mechanism a factory-installed speaker and a warming firebox glow. The model is currently in the last stage of development and will enter tooling shortly.

 

RRP for DCC Ready models is £164.95 and DCC Sound Fitted is £279.95.

 

 

 

Pre-order yours today direct from Rapido Trains UK HERE or from any official retailer.

.

 

[Wickham Green too]

Might we expect J52/1 condensing locos for cross-London goods at some time in the future ?

[RichardT]

Looks lovely. Wrong scale and railway for me but lovely nonetheless. Not sure J52s ever got to the north east of England though! (Doncaster is not in the north east 😁).

 

RT

[31A]

Excellent!  I was wondering when it would be my turn to flex my bank card ..... 😊

[BMacdermott]

Hello everyone

 

Congratulations to Rapido on this announcement. We wish them every success with the project.👍

 

Within The 00 Wishlist Poll, the class has been steadily climbing and was in High Polling in 2019. In 2022 (the next Poll to run), it had very slightly slipped back into the Middle Polling segment although higher up in the LNER Locos category.

 

Overall, it was still in the top half of overall voting.

 

Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

[GNR Dave]

Awesome ! Time to retire my old Hornby examples. Definitely get both GN liveries and probably an LNER job too. 😁

[Fredo]

Hi, have seen your announcement about the J52 68846. Will the model be based on when it was in steam in preservation in the late 90’s? Also have you considered a version when the loco was running around in the early 60’s as 1247? Thanks Fred

[SteveyDee68]

There is a real danger that I might just succumb to one of these in BR black early crest, as I always wanted one of the Hornby versions of this loco as a kid. Don’t really know why - it was something about the shape that I found aesthetically attractive!

 

Did these ever get into Norfolk/Suffolk?

 

Steve S

[rogerzilla]

Very tempted by the LNER one.  I have the old Hornby model (I painted the injector brass colour as the red seems to be a preservation thing) but it's quite crude.

[Compound2632]

Alas while there were many places where a Great Northern interloper might be acceptable to a Midland modeller - Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire, Manchester - I fear north Birmingham is just too much of a stretch. 

 

Must resist!

[NXEA!]

11 minutes ago, SteveyDee68 said:

There is a real danger that I might just succumb to one of these in BR black early crest, as I always wanted one of the Hornby versions of this loco as a kid. Don’t really know why - it was something about the shape that I found aesthetically attractive!

 

Did these ever get into Norfolk/Suffolk?

 

Steve S

A quick check of BR Loco Database suggests no - nearest to Norfolk/Suffolk would be Peterborough New England. Of course, there’s already Rule 1… 

[RapidoCorbs]

2 hours ago, Fredo said:

Hi, have seen your announcement about the J52 68846. Will the model be based on when it was in steam in preservation in the late 90’s? Also have you considered a version when the loco was running around in the early 60’s as 1247? Thanks Fred

Hi Fredo, it'll be 1960s condition although there aren't a huge number of differences between the two, the main one is the plate on the front splasher.

[Captain Kernow]

2 hours ago, SteveyDee68 said:

Did these ever get into Norfolk/Suffolk?

Rule 1, my friend, Rule 1 applies!

 

I bet not many people knew that at least one example got sold out of service to the Association of Independent Light Railways, joining the J72s and possibly the alleged J69, Y7 and J15 already on their books...

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:

Despite alleged appearances to the contrary, Captain Kernow does not confirm or deny liking or owning any LNER or ex-LNER locomotives and any rumours to the contrary will be treated as scurrilous and referred to the Supreme Pannier for adjudication.

 

Edited November 10, 2023 by Captain Kernow

[Asterix2012]

Did any of these get sold on to industry?

[Compound2632]

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

Alas while there were many places where a Great Northern interloper might be acceptable to a Midland modeller - Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire, Manchester - I fear north Birmingham is just too much of a stretch. 

 

Must resist!

 

Hum. I'm thinking that running powers from the Derby area - perhaps by virtue of the North Staffordshire - over the LNWR South Staffordshire line and hence onto Midland metals in the Walsall / Wolverhampton area might not stretch the imagination too far beyond the bounds of plausibility... 

 

The Great Northern turned up in some odd places, Stafford for example.

[SteveyDee68]

23 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

Rule 1, my friend, Rule 1 applies!

 

I bet not many people knew that at least one example got sold out of service to the Association of Independent Light Railways, joining the J72s and possibly the alleged J69, Y7 and J15 already on their books...

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:

Despite alleged appearances to the contrary, Captain Kernow does not confirm or deny liking or owning any LNER or ex-LNER locomotives and any rumours to the contrary will be treated as scurrilous and referred to the Supreme Pannier for adjudication.

 

 

Hmmmmm…. I think that a ‘debranded’ ref 958001 with frames in black might look suitably light railway… I am sore tempted (says he, having already pre-ordered an O1* in BR black late crest)

 

 

 

* Actually at one point I nearly accidentally ordered four of them due to a glitch in the order process recording multiple key strokes … it was the total amount being nigh on £700 that made me double take and back track!)

 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by SteveyDee68
Corrected model version reference number!

[wilks]

Fantastic news - I have placed an order for 1247 and look forward to receiving the model in due course to recreate the specials of the 1960. Hope that Rapido learn from the J52 and go onto to produce a J6.

[Ventnor]

7 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Hum. I'm thinking that running powers from the Derby area - perhaps by virtue of the North Staffordshire - over the LNWR South Staffordshire line and hence onto Midland metals in the Walsall / Wolverhampton area might not stretch the imagination too far beyond the bounds of plausibility... 

 

The Great Northern turned up in some odd places, Stafford for example.

The GN got to Derby (Friargate) so why not!! Mine will be running on the Southern Region. I’ve seen photos of them at Clapham Junction so good enough for me!! 

[Compound2632]

7 hours ago, Ventnor said:

The GN got to Derby (Friargate) so why not!! Mine will be running on the Southern Region. I’ve seen photos of them at Clapham Junction so good enough for me!! 

 

No physical connection between the GN and Mid at Derby itself but several other areas of overlap in Derbyshire:

 

 

Burton:

 

 

and to Stafford over its own metals from the North staffs at Uttoxeter:

 

 

[Embedded links to RCH Junction Diagrams at Wikimedia Commons.]

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Fine choice of subject. My old Hornby body on Bach 57xx mech can receive a late steam filth livery, and I can have a beautifully liveried example of Captain Bill's pioneering private preservation effort. (It was kept a short cycle ride from home, major element in my youthful nostalgia collection, I shall feast tonight on baked beans on toast in celebration.)

 

 

On 10/11/2023 at 12:30, RichardT said:

...Not sure J52s ever got to the north east of England though!...

Everyone in the KX inner-sub area knows that the North begins at Biggleswade*, so operation in North East England is a given at GNR locations East of Greenwich such as - Skegness!

 

*On departing the centre of the universe on The Great North Road, the signage was consistently 'next town name and The North'. The last sign in this style was 'Biggleswade and The North'; thereafter no more mention of 'The North': because you were in it. QED.

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by 34theletterbetweenB&D
typo correction

[AMJ]

I spy another loco that has operated at the Middleton in preservation, before @rapidoandy was a member.

 

Might look at an Ardsley based one even though the GNR is a gem to behold.

[2750Papyrus]

i have been growing a little jealous of the numerous quality models recently released for GW and Southern modellers, so I am delighted by Rapido's announcement regarding the J52.  A well travelled prototype, working regularly to Southern metals and as far west as Wrexham in addition to the regular GN and CLC haunts.  I am also pleased that a can motor is to be fitted. 

 

From the garden of my childhood home trains could be heard on both the ECML and working hard on the climb from Stroud Green to Crouch End.  Later I attended a school whose upstairs windows gave distant views of Ferme Park marshalling yard, so J52s were well known to me.  I think the suggestion regarding a condensing fitted example is a good shout, particularly if of a prototype allocated to KX or Hornsey in LNER days.

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, 2750Papyrus said:

i have been growing a little jealous of the numerous quality models recently released for GW and Southern modellers, so I am delighted by Rapido's announcement regarding the J52. 

 

Ah, you see, they are saving the best till last.

[Compound2632]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

Ah, you see, they are saving the best till last.

 

That is to say, after GWR, SR, and LNER...

[Wickham Green too]

No doubt the cows will argue 'til they come home whether "Captain Bill Smith ... became the owner of the World’s very first privately owned BR steam locomotive" - but I thought the Worlds very first preserved railway had acquired a couple of steam locomotives from a line that BR had fortuitously closed nearby ..... something like ten years before the good Captain appeared on the scene. 🙄

 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Wickham Green too