The LNER Encyclopedia

The NBR B Class (LNER Class J35) is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed by William Paton Reid for freight work on the North British Railway. They were introduced in 1906 and had inside cylinders and Stephenson valve gear. The first eighteen locomotives had piston valves and the remainder had slide valves.
Seventy-six locomotives were built and these passed to the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923. The LNER classified them as follows:[1]
J35/1 Engines with piston valves
J35/2 Engines with piston valves and short fireboxes
J35/3 Engines with slide valves
The entire class was fitted with superheaters between 1923 and 1942 and re-classified from 1937 as follows:
J35/4 Engines with superheaters and slide valves
J35/5 Engines with superheaters and piston valves
Seventy locomotives of classes J35/4 and J35/5 came into British Railways (BR) ownership at nationalisation in 1948 and were numbered as follows:[2]
Class J35/5, 64460-64477
Class J35/4, 64478-64535


This first collection features the locos in N.B.R. & LNER liveries



367 (N.B.R.) Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-BWNxdBd


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

4547



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-v2zj3Fj


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

9189



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-pm9PqMg


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

9367 Carlisle 20th June 1934



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-tgxg4br


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

9369


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-DcjF6b3


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years


9371




https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-tzSc68Z


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years


9857



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-KB3Z4NL


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years



Neil

Although I prefer those big, chunky 'S' Class Goods, this is a fine collection of 'B' Class pictures, and the first picture (of 367) is a cracker for its clarity.

I wasn't previously aware that the first 18 members of the class were fitted with piston valves but the remainder equipped with slide valves. That bucks the design trend of piston valves superseding slide valves in popularity, so why did the North British decide, presumably as production progressed, to go over to slide valves?

The last two in that set are both J37s.

The slide valves were the Achilles heel of the J35s.

The NBR B Class (LNER Class J35) is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed by William Paton Reid for freight work on the North British Railway. They were introduced in 1906 and had inside cylinders and Stephenson valve gear. The first eighteen locomotives had piston valves and the remainder had slide valves.
Seventy-six locomotives were built and these passed to the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923. The LNER classified them as follows:[1]
J35/1 Engines with piston valves
J35/2 Engines with piston valves and short fireboxes
J35/3 Engines with slide valves
The entire class was fitted with superheaters between 1923 and 1942 and re-classified from 1937 as follows:
J35/4 Engines with superheaters and slide valves
J35/5 Engines with superheaters and piston valves
Seventy locomotives of classes J35/4 and J35/5 came into British Railways (BR) ownership at nationalisation in 1948 and were numbered as follows:[2]
Class J35/5, 64460-64477
Class J35/4, 64478-64535




This second collection features the locos B.R days


64460 Kipps shed Reid J35



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-gXL6kDd


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

64462 (with snowplough fitted) Seafield Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0





https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-RwDvSKv


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years
64463 Carlisle Canal shed 1958 Reid J35



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-S5CX4q4


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years


64463 Dundee Tay Bridge shed 23rd August 1955 Reid J35



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-Z4mKSFq


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years



64474




https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-KjPstdj


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years
64479 St Margarets shed 27th August 1961 Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-TgTNwpN


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years
64490 Polmont April 1957 Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-WP9ps5C


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

64497 stored at Bathgate shed 28th May 1963 Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0




https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-Xh4XZLR


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years
64504



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-dGZq2Lm


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years


64506 Craigentinny September 1955 Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0




https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-jW35bdR


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years



64518


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-xDZmTFK


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years

64530 stored at Dundee 17th May 1959 Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-FBfGghV


Reid J35 (NBR Class B) 0-6-0 Locomotives - Railway-Photography
railway-photography.smugmug.com
railway photographs from the last 100 years
Neil

UpDistant wrote: ↑Thu Feb 15, 2018 3:50 pm The last two in that set are both J37s.

Which 2 photos is that please

Neil

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-xDZmTFK - 64548 - and https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-k8SfGbQ - 64540 - are both J37s.

I'm intrigued by UpDistant's comment that slide valves were the J35s' Achilles heel, and would like to know why. It makes the decision to switch to slide valves in mid-production all the more puzzling.

The first 18 J35s (NBR Class B) were built by the North British Loco Co. and were fitted with outside admission piston valves underneath the main cylinders. There was difficulty keeping the front and rear valve spindles steam tight and because they were outside admission it was boiler steam that escaped. The remedy, although not officially endorsed, was to insert one or two rings of extra packing. There was never any modification and the practice appears to have continued until withdrawal.

Whether this early problem hastened the change to slide valves for the remainder of the J35s isn't clear. The problem with the slide valve engines was of excessive wear of the brass slides, the wear being worse on the left hand valve which showed wear diagonally from full thickness (1.75") to near scrap size of 0.5". Evidence of excessive carbonisation of lubricant was found, but fitting anti-carbonisers did not prevent the excessive wear. Some J35s were fitted experimentally with bronze slides, but these wore in exactly the same pattern, albeit more slowly. The problem was never solved as the engines became due for withdrawal.

It has been suggested that, because the problem was in one valve only and involved wear across the diagonal, a mechanical issue caused by a design failure of the crankshaft or frames or springing of the wheels may have been to blame. An experiment in the mid 1950s involved replacing the laminated springs on the driving axle with coil springs. No conclusion seems to have been reached - engines withdrawn.

Most interesting, UpDistant, thanks very much for the information.

I had not been aware that the initial 'B' Class engines employed outside admission, but that fact alone is indicative of why problems were encountered.

Presumably a decision to revert to slide valves involved accepting a substantial re-design of the steam passages and valve chest, and the associated castings. If so I would have thought it might have paid to retain piston valves but change to inside admission.

A range of 1.25” diagonal wear on the slide valve engines sounds enormous but perhaps to be expected as a result of using so soft a material as brass. Obviously the cause of the wear phenomenon proved elusive and has remained so.

John Palmer wrote: ↑Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:56 pm https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-xDZmTFK - 64548 - and https://railway-photography.smugmug.com ... /i-k8SfGbQ - 64540 - are both J37s.

Many thanks, now moved to J37 collection

Neil