The LNER Encyclopedia

I have a picture taken in 1949 of an LNER saddle tank (J52 or J53). It still has the LNER lettering above the hand rail on the tank and the number 8317 under the handrail. Both letters and numbers are very grimey but clear enough to decipher.
I can find no record of this type of loco carrying this number - the nearest is 8817 but the "3" is the clearest of the four numbers.
Does anyone have any clues?
8817 was allocated to Doncaster but I don't think this is where the picture was taken.

The picture is currently for sale on ebay via this link :- (or search for "LNER 8317")
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Railway-Photo ... 500wt_1156

Regards

Geoff

It is a J52 by the looks of it. I wonder if that coal stage is Grantham's?

It is a J52 by the looks of it. I wonder if that coal stage is Grantham's?

The number could one of three. It is either the LNER's first renumbering, the Thompson 1944 renumbering or the 1946 renumbering.

8317 was one of two J55s that made it into BR. It was withdrawn December 1948. The other was 8319 which lasted until July 1950 ( as 68319) as a departmental shunter at Doncaster.
The last move of 8317 was in 1945 when it went from New England to Doncaster, it also had a short spell in Scunthorpe were it was loaned to Richard Thomas Ltd.

Thank you that fits very well - so I suspect this is Doncaster - but I don't recognise the building. Still I never went there in 1949 (it was a long way for my mother to push the pram).
The dome on this one makes it look very like the J52/3 not much like the pictures of other (earlier??) J55 pictures here. Presumably as it was one of the last it had undergone some "surgery" over the years