History of this locomotive

Our Locomotive now masquerades as a J94 and carries the number 68012 The story goes that it had been thought the number had never been issued before and so would have been the next one to be used. However we now know 68012 was originally worn by sister engine Hunslet 3174 which was scrapped in February 1968. Our locomotive is not a J94 and so would never have carried a BR number but as it has been 68012 for so long, we are not about to change that now. There is another 0-6-0ST in the UK carrying the same number but this is a Bagnell variant and has a different style of funnel. It resides at Peak Rail in Buxton but sadly that locomotive is out of traffic also in need of boiler repairs.

The Locomotive at Butterly between 1979 and 1991 - exact date unknown

In fact Blackie was built in 1944 by Hunslet of Leeds as works number HE 3193 and War Department number 75142. It was later numbered 140. In October of 1962 it returned to Hunslet where it was rebuilt to works number 3887in 1964 and then purchased by Phil Wainwright. It later went to the Great Central Railway in about 1975 or 76 and from there moved on to the Midland Railway Centre in January of 1979. It was purchased sometime in the late 1980s or perhaps the very early 1990s for use at the privately owned preserved railway at Isfield. The locomotive was more recently purchased by the Lavender Line Preservation Society who are now its current owners.

When the society took over the running of the Lavender Line in 1991, the locomotive was out of traffic awaiting reinforcement of parts of the inner firebox. Once that work was completed the engine returned to traffic in 1995 and remained the principle workhorse of the railway until2003 when a small leak was discovered in the firebox. Subsequent examination revealed that part of the firebox wall was badly corroded and thin and so there was no option other than to withdraw the engine from traffic. Later detailed examination was to reveal that the firebox was in a worse state than had been imagined and well beyond economic light repair. A major programme of work would be required to remove the inner firebox and then rebuild parts of both the inner and outer firebox before refitting to the boiler. We are currently seeking finance to fund that project which are estimated to be between £60,000 and £90,000. 

At the platform in 1999

More about the class of locomotive

In 1942 the Ministry of Supply realised that large numbers of main line and shunting locomotives would have to be built to use on both British and the newly liberated European lines. Robert Riddles was put in charge of specifying and designing suitable engines which would have to be cheap, reliable and then easy to build and maintain although their life would not be expected to be very great. For shunting purposes he produced the WD Austerity 0-6-0ST, a design which was to prove to be both rugged and simple and also unexpectedly durable.

The ministry requirement was for a powerful yet cheap and reliable shunting locomotive. The locomotive had to be able to start a 1000 ton train on the level, one of 550 tons on a gradient of 1 in 100, and one of 300 tons on a 1 in 50 gradient. Riddles chose the standard Hunslet 18in inside cylinder industrial 0-6-0ST as a basis for his engine in preference to the main line LMS Jinty 0-6-0T mainly due to its simpler construction thus making it easier to maintain, an important feature in wartime when skilled labour was in short supply. As time and costs were both important, a number of adaptations were made to the design. The locomotives were not intended to last very long and the modifications were intended to reduce production time and costs by reducing the number of castings needed and using cheaper metals wherever possible. Wheel centres were cast iron, and the frames of welded steel plate. The slide valves were also cast iron, and the engines had valve chests located between the cylinders.

Production of these locos began in the autumn of 1942 and the first engine was steamed in January 1943. A total of 377 were built for the WD over the next four years and such was the success of these engines, they continued in production until 1964 with Barclay, Hunslet, Hudswell Clarke, Bagnall, Vulcan Foundry, Yorkshire Engine Co. and Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn together building a total of 484 of these locomotives. Of the total of 390 locomotives eventually built for the WD many worked abroad.

After the war the WD started to dispose of surplus engines and in 1946 sold many of them to shipyards, ironworks, docks, and the new National Coal Board. The NCB found the type well suited to their needs and so placed orders for several more new ones with the manufacturer. Hunslet sold some to other industrial users and later even purchased back a number of locos from the Army, reconditioned them and then sold them on. The LNER purchased 75 of the engines from the WD and classified them as J94s and gave numbers from 8006-80. These were all passed on to British Railways in 1948 and given BR numbers and a 4F power rating. In 1960 when BR started to withdraw the J94s, the design was still actually being produced which meant that these locomotives hold the rare distinction of being both built and scrapped at the same time!

This class of locomotives are frequently referred to as 'J94s' but this is in fact incorrect as they should be called WD Austerity Saddle Tanks or British Austerity Saddle Tanks. The term J94 was only applied by the LNER and then only to their own locomotives.