GCR Class 9J
The GCR Class 9J, classified LNER J11 after the 1923 Grouping and universally known as the Pom-Pom on account of the explosive bark of their exhaust, was one of the most numerous and successful goods locomotive classes on the Great Central Railway: 174 inside-cylinder 0-6-0 tender engines built between 1901 and 1910 by Robinson at Gorton Works and by outside contractors. The J11 was Robinson's standard GCR goods engine, the equivalent of the Caledonian 812 Class or the Midland Railway Johnson 0-6-0s that formed the backbone of their respective companies' freight fleets.
The 9J/J11 was a straightforward and well-proportioned inside-cylinder 0-6-0 with a generous boiler that steamed freely, 5 ft 2 in coupled wheels appropriate for mixed goods work, and the clean, purposeful appearance that characterised all Robinson's designs. The nickname Pom-Pom derived from the distinctive two-cylinder exhaust beat that engineers compared to the sound of the Pom-Pom anti-aircraft guns that entered British public consciousness during the South African War of 1899–1902. The name stuck throughout the class's long service life.
The J11s were versatile and reliable locomotives that worked the GCR's goods traffic with the minimum of fuss for over fifty years. After the 1923 Grouping they became the LNER's standard former-GCR goods type and were maintained in service well into the British Railways era, the last examples not being withdrawn until 1962. At least one example is believed to survive in preservation at the Great Central Railway at Loughborough, operating on the heritage railway that covers part of the original GCR main line.
Design and development
Robinson designed the 9J at Gorton in 1901 as the GCR's standard inside-cylinder 0-6-0 goods engine. 174 were built over ten years, partly at Gorton and partly by outside contractors, making it easily the most numerous GCR locomotive class. The nickname Pom-Pom, derived from the characteristic two-cylinder exhaust beat, was applied early and remained throughout the class's life.
Service and withdrawals
The 9J/J11s worked GCR goods services from 1901 and became the GCR's most important freight type. Under the LNER from 1923 they continued as the standard former-GCR goods locomotive; many were superheated. BR continued to use them; the last examples survived until 1962 — over sixty years of service for the earliest members of the class. One passed to preservation at the Great Central Railway.
Identification features
Inside-cylinder 0-6-0 with 5 ft 2 in coupled wheels and Robinson's distinctive boiler proportions.
Notable locomotives
- Various — none preserved
Allocations and regions
Distributed across all GCR goods depots: Gorton (Manchester), Annesley, Leicester, Neasden (London), Immingham, and others for mixed freight across the GCR network. Under LNER and BR continued at former-GCR depots.
