The LNER Encyclopedia

I have been doing some research for my forthcoming Gresley book (shameless plug over) and have come across a real historical oddity!

I have a document entitled Use of Engine Power. This covers 1942-1946 for the LNER's locomotive fleet. I have been organising a part of my spreadsheet version of this document into a whole-line average for the different classes, when I noticed this:

https://www.national-preservation.com/a ... png.64856/

A quick check of the LNER encyclopaedia here reveals this is the only class J7 listed: https://www.lner.info/locos/J/j7.php

https://www.national-preservation.com/a ... png.64857/

These were all gone by 1936 according to the LNER Encyclopaedia, RCTS Green Books, and pretty much any source I have that lists them. So I thought - okay, hands up - I've made an error in the spreadsheet when copying across.

Except, I haven't. Here's a snippet from 1946 where class J7 is clearly given:

https://www.national-preservation.com/a ... png.64855/

One single locomotive of class J7 working in the SE part of the LNER.

So here's the thing. Knowing how these records were collated, I am forced into thinking that there are a range of potential "truths"

• A surviving loco has been put back into service. How likely is this? Not very given it would be 10 years since they were all supposedly scrapped

• Another loco has been mis-identified. This seems more likely, but if it's a one off locomotive, then to add it into the statistics specifically as J7 seems unlikely.

• J7 has been used to describe another class, possibly from another region. I can find no record of any 0-6-0s being loaned to the LNER, but they did loan the GWR some J25s

Have I missed an historical quirk of the LNER somewhere here? Where and what was class J7 in 1946?

Answers on a postcard...!

May I ask, in the table that shows one J7, what do the other columns represent?

It's possible that one J7 (or the remains of such) could have been in use as a stationary boiler.