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The North Eastern Railway E Class 0-6-0T, later the LNER J71, was the forerunner to the E1 (LNER J72) and whilst models of the E1 have famously been made by Bachmann and its predecessor Mainline Railways for almost 50 years, the NER E Class has never been produced in OO Scale, until now!
Drawing inspiration from the all-new Branchline E1 model that was launched to great acclaim just a few years ago, the new E Class employs a wealth of new tooling to accurately depict the NER’s original standard 0-6-0 tank locomotive. Despite the similarities, the E Class is instantly recognisable thanks to its larger driving wheels, while the smaller bunker means that the tanks, cab and bunker on this Branchline model are all-new too. Then there is the original boiler with clack valves and Ramsbottom safety valves – another early feature that necessitates its own, dedicated tooling.
The model boasts a diecast metal running plate with integral tank weights, again produced new for the E Class to portray the differences seen between the E and E1, and to this the precision moulded components are added, from the tanks to the boiler and many smaller details alongside. Metal parts are then used to replicate features like the lamp irons, guard irons and sand pipes, and the handrails are made from metal wire which is fitted into turned metal knobs.
Inside, the Branchline E Class employs a coreless motor with diecast gearbox and the driving axles each have separate metal bearings, a combination that ensures smooth and reliable running. With electrical pickup from all wheels, a firebox lighting system and Next18 DCC interface, plus a pre-fitted speaker in every model, the E Class boasts the same impressive technical specification as its E1 relative. Whilst the drive train and electronics may not be visible, every part of the model that can be seen is treated to an exquisite paint finish to complete the look, with rich colours and precision printing of the numbering and lettering to produce a model as elegant as its Victorian prototype.
DETAIL VARIATIONS SPECIFIC TO THIS MODEL
BACHMANN BRANCHLINE NER E CLASS (J71) SPECIFICATION
MECHANISM:
DETAILING:
LIGHTING:
DCC:
SOUND:
LIVERY APPLICATION:
NER E CLASS (J71) HISTORY
The NER E Class 0-6-0 Tank Locomotive, later classified as J71 by the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER), was designed by Thomas W. Worsdell for the North Eastern Railway and was intended to become the company’s standard design for shunting engines. T. W. Worsdell became the NER’s Locomotive Superintendent in 1885 and a year later, the first E Class tank entered traffic. Eventually totalling 120 locomotives, 60 were built under T. W. Worsdell’s tenure, followed by 60 more when his brother Wilson Worsdell took over as Locomotive Superintendent following Thomas’s retirement in 1890. Construction ceased in 1895 and three years later, Wilson introduced his own take on the design, the E1 Class, the first of which entered traffic in 1898.
The E Class was set apart from the later E1s by having larger driving wheels and smaller cylinders. The splashers were larger as a result of the larger wheels, meanwhile the ‘Es’ sported smaller bunkers and were not fitted with coal rails at first, although these were later included. Early examples had clack valves feeding the boiler with Ramsbottom safety valves and a bell whistle. Later, Ross Pop safety valves and a tubular whistle were fitted and the clack valves were removed, bringing commonality between the E and E1 types. Metal bufferbeams were employed as built, but later many were fitted with wooden planks sandwiched between two metal sheets, as found on the later E1 engines.
The E Class tanks were found to be suitable workhorses for the NER’s sprawling network across the North East, particularly at coastal ports, freight depots and wharves where tracks could feature tight curves and weight restrictions were often in place. They were also suited to station pilot duties and local trip working, as well as allocations at the NER’s Darlington Works and Shildon workshops where they handled internal movements. All 120 locomotives passed into LNER ownership upon Grouping in 1923, becoming J71s, and remained in similar roles to those the NER had previously assigned them. By 1930 however, the E1s (now classified as J72s by the LNER) had started to replace the older J71s and by the time of Nationalisation in 1948, the class had been depleted by almost a third, leaving 81 examples in traffic.
The fleet that British Railways (BR) inherited in 1948 remained largely intact to start with, but by the 1950s they were being replaced by new 350hp Diesel Shunters (later BR Class 08) and by 1961 the final J71, No. 68233, had been withdrawn after a service life of 74 years. None survived into preservation.