GER Class 28 0-6-0ST

The Great Eastern Railway Class 28 was a class of sixteen 0-6-0STs rebuilt from the Class 19 0-6-0s. The class was rebuilt from the Class 19s between 1904 and 1906.
  Originally, the Class 28s were 0-6-0 tender engines built between 1876 and 1879 to a standard design by Kitson of Leeds, England. The first (№48) was rebuilt from a Class 19 of the same number as the need arose for a new fleet of tank engines for goods work, shunting and local passenger services. It was decided that rather than order a new class of tank engines from either the GER's own works at Hanley or from an outside builder, an initial five Class 19s would be sent to Hanley Railway Works to be rebuilt as tank engines as it was seen as "renewals" rather than a new class. This meant they were able to lower the costs of the new class by labeling them as renewed locomotives.   History:
The first five were allocated to shunting and short trip workings out of Annerstone in Knightsbury, they proved to be successful so a further eleven were built over the next two years. Three found their mainstay on the Heatherton Loop Line on both goods and passenger services, including the connecting services for the Heatherton Main Colliery's Paddy Train at Lower Heatherton. During WW1, two locomotives (№ 56 & 61) were loaned to the ROD to help shunt the newly arrived 0-6-0Ts (№s 360 - 374) from Denton to their site four miles east for fitting. The class all entered service with the ENR and would last as an intact class until the first withdrawal in 1933. By this point the ENR had began production of two dedicated classes of 0-6-0Ts for shunting and short haul work. The first three to be withdrawn were all broke up for spares at Hanley Railway Works.   The class continued to be used by the ENR until the final withdrawal in 1966. №40781 was the last to be in service with the ENR having had a serivce life of 62 years. She was sold to B. Frye Scrap Metals where she was cut up for scrap in late 1968.   Sales:
In 1937, one locomotive (ex - GER №60 / ENR №40789) was sold to the Dalfirth Private Railway as their №14, a second was sold to the Winsbury Docks, Eyreshire in 1939 along with an ex - Vale of Eyre Railway 0-6-2ST. During the Second World War the Ministry of Supply requisitioned (and paid for post war) three locomotives being №40784, 40788 & 40790, two of which were kept on their roster until they were scrapped in late 1954 and one was was sold to the United Coke & Coal Board to run passenger trains. The three MoS locomotives worked at Ration Canning Factory №2 where they hauled train loads of MREs to an exchange siding near to Leamouth.   Preservation:
Today only two locomotives survive, ENR №s 40777 & 40788 were both saved from scrap after around six decades of service. №40777 was the first built originally being GER №48 she was retained by the ENR and was used in the Etorean Railways 125 cavelcade in 1963 after which she was withdrawn and preserved later that year. Whereas №40788 was used by the MoS until her sale in 1954 to the United Coke & Coal Board where she was used on paddy trains at Hampton Hall Colliery  until her withdrawal and preservaton in 1971 after being replaced by an electric locomotive.