GCR Classes 8K and 8M No. 3758 at Whitemoor Depot
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer John G. Robinson Builder Build date 1911–1914 Total produced 8K: 126 8M: 19 ROD 2-8-0: 521
Specifications Configuration: • Whyte 2-8-0 • UIC 1′D h2 Gauge 4 ft 8+ 1 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm ) standard gauge Leading dia. 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Driver dia.4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) Tender wheels 4 ft 4 in (1,321 mm) Wheelbase 51 ft 2.5 in (15.608 m) • Engine 25 ft 5 in (7.75 m) • Tender 13 ft (4.0 m) Length 61 ft 8.5 in (18.809 m) Loco weight 72.5–74.65 long tons (73.66–75.85 t; 81.20–83.61 short tons) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 6 long tons 0 cwt (13,400 lb or 6.1 t) Water cap. 4,000 imp gal (18,000 L; 4,800 US gal) Firebox: • Type Belpaire (some engines were fitted with round top fireboxes when the GCR was grouped into the LNER) • Grate area 26.24 sq ft (2.438 m2 ) Boiler: • Tube plates 15 ft (4,600 mm) Boiler pressure 180 psi (1.24 MPa) Heating surface: • Firebox 153 sq ft (14.2 m2 ) • Tubes 1,348 sq ft (125.2 m2 ) • Total surface 1,756 sq ft (163.1 m2 ) Superheater: • Type Robinson • Heating area 225 sq ft (20.9 m2 ) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 21 in × 26 in (533 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Piston valves
Career Operators Class Power class BR: 7F Numbers LNER (from 1946): 3500–3920 Axle load class LNER/BR: Route Availability 6 Withdrawn December 1958 - April 1966 Disposition One preserved, remainder scrapped
The Great Central Railway (GCR) Class 8K 2-8-0 is a class of steam locomotive designed for heavy freight. Introduced in 1911, and designed by John G. Robinson , 126 were built for the GCR prior to the First World War. Including wartime construction for the British Army ROD and the post-war GCR Class 8M , the class and its derivatives totalled 666 locomotives.
