View source for GCR Class 9N

{{Short description|Class of 4-6-2 tank locomotives}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}
{{one source|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox locomotive 
|powertype        = Steam 
|name             = GCR Class 9N <br /> LNER Class A5
|image            = Marylebone Station geograph-2358841-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
|caption          = A5/1 No. 9828 outside Marylebone station 1947
|designer         = [[John G. Robinson]]
|builder          = {{ubl|GCR/LNER [[Gorton Works]] (31),|[[Hawthorn Leslie and Company]] (13)}}
|serialnumber     = HL: 3616–3628
|builddate        = 1911–1926
|totalproduction  = 44
|whytetype        = [[4-6-2T]]
|uicclass         = 2′C1′ h2t
|gauge            = {{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
|leadingdiameter  = {{convert|3|ft|6|in|m|3|abbr=on}}
|driverdiameter   = {{convert|5|ft|7|in|m|3|abbr=on}}
|trailingdiameter = {{convert|3|ft|9|in|m|3|abbr=on}}
|length           = {{convert|42|ft|11+7/8|in|m|3|abbr=on}}
|locoweight       = ''A5/1'': {{convert|85.90|LT|t ST}}<br />''A5/2'': {{convert|90.55|LT|t ST}}
|fueltype         = [[Coal]]
|fuelcap          = {{convert|4.15|LT|t ST}}
|watercap         = {{convert|2280|impgal|abbr=on}}
|firearea         = 
|boilerpressure   = {{convert|180|psi|MPa|2|abbr=on}}
|cylindercount    = Two, inside
|cylindersize     = {{convert|20|x|26|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|valvegear        = [[Stephenson valve gear|Stephenson]]
|valvetype        = {{convert|10|in|mm|0|adj=on}} piston valves
|tractiveeffort   = {{convert|23750|lbf|kN|1|abbr=on}}
|operator         = {{ubl|[[Great Central Railway]],|[[London & North Eastern Railway]],|[[British Railways]]}}
|operatorclass    =
|powerclass       = BR: 4P, 3P from May 1953
|axleloadclass    = LNER/BR: [[Route Availability]] 5
|withdrawndate    = 1942, 1957–1961
|disposition      = All scrapped 
}}

The [[Great Central Railway]] '''Class 9N''', classified '''A5''' by the [[London and North Eastern Railway|LNER]], was a class of [[4-6-2]] [[tank locomotive]]s designed by [[John G. Robinson]] for suburban passenger services.  They were fitted with [[superheater]]s, [[piston valve (steam engine)|piston valve]]s and [[Stephenson valve gear]].

==Construction and numbering==
The GCR built 21 locomotives at Gorton Works in three batches between 1911 and 1917.{{sfn|Fry|1964|p=4}} They ordered a fourth batch of ten from Gorton, but this was not built until after the [[Railways Act 1921|1923 Grouping]], under which GCR became part of the newly formed [[London and North Eastern Railway]] (LNER).{{sfn|Fry|1964|p=4}} The LNER then ordered a fifth batch of 13 to a modified design, incorporating reduced boiler mountings and detail differences, and these were built by the outside contractors [[R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company|Hawthorn, Leslie & Co]]. during 1925–26 (works numbers 3616–28).{{sfn|Fry|1964|pp=4,7}}
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Year !! GCR Nos. !! LNER Nos. !! LNER 1946 Nos.
|-
| 1911 || 165–170, 23–24, 447–448 || 5165–70, 5023–24, 5447–48 || 9800–07, –, 9808
|-
| 1912 || 449–452, 128–129 || 5449–5452, 5128–5129 || 9809–9814
|-
| 1917 || 371–374, 411 || 5371–5374, 5411 || 9815–9819
|-
| 1923 || 3, 6, 7, 30, 45,<br />46, 88, 154, 156, 158 || 5003, 5006, 5007, 5030, 5045,<br />5046, 5088, 5154, 5156, 5158 || 9820–9829
|-
|1925–26|| — || 1712/19, 1738, 1750/56,<br />1760/66–68, 1771,<br />1782/84, 1790 || 9830–9842
|}
No. 5447 was withdrawn in 1942 because its frames were badly cracked.{{sfn|Fry|1964|p=7}} In 1943, the remaining engines were allocated new numbers in the 9800–42 block, but these were not applied until 1946.{{sfn|Fry|1964|pp=4,10–11}} Forty-three locomotives passed to [[British Railways]] in 1948, and between 1948 and 1951 their numbers were increased by 60000.{{sfn|Fry|1964|pp=8,10–11}} The class was divided into two parts in December 1948 as follows:{{sfn|Fry|1964|pp=4,7}}
* A5/1, 69800-69829: Built at Gorton to Robinson's design
* A5/2, 69830-69842: Built by Hawthorn, Leslie with modifications by Gresley

None have been preserved.

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|+ Table of withdrawals{{sfn|Fry|1964|pp=10–11}}
! Year !! Quantity in<br>service at<br>start of year !! Quantity<br>withdrawn !! Locomotive numbers
|-
| 1942 || 44 || 1 || align=left | 5447
|-
| 1957 || 43 || 2 || align=left | 69815/33
|-
| 1958 || 41 || 23 || align=left | 69802/04/07/10–11/18–19/22/24/26/28/30–32/34–42
|-
| 1959 || 18 || 8 || align=left | 69800/03/05/09/12/16/25/27
|-
| 1960 || 10 || 10 || align=left | 69801/06/08/13–14/17/20–21/23/29
|-
|}

==Modelling==
A 7 mm scale kit is available from MSC models.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mscmodels.co.uk/products/locos/a5/a5-info.htm |title=MSC models GCR/LNER/BR Robinson A5 4-6-2T |access-date=21 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719225110/http://www.mscmodels.co.uk/products/locos/a5/a5-info.htm |archive-date=19 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2023, Sonic Models released a ready-to-run OO scale model in GCR, LNER, and BR variants.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://railsofsheffield.com/blogs/news/robinson-class-a5-tank-update |title=Rails of Sheffield 'SONIC ANNOUNCE OO ROBINSON LNER CLASS A5' Posted by Oliver Davies on August 11, 2021 |access-date=11 August 2021 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{RCTS-LocosLNER|7}}

==Further reading==
* Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, 1948 edition, part 4, page 55.

== External links ==
{{commonscat|GCR Class 9N / LNER Class A5}}
* [http://www.lner.info/locos/A/a5.shtml The Robinson A5 (GCR Class 9N) Pacific Tank Locomotives]
* [http://www.railuk.info/steam/getsteamclass.php?item=A5/1 Class A5/1 Details] at ''Rail UK''
* [http://www.railuk.info/steam/getsteamclass.php?item=A5/2 Class A5/2 Details] at ''Rail UK''

{{LNER Locomotives}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:GCR Class 09N}}
[[Category:Great Central Railway locomotives|09N]]
[[Category:4-6-2T locomotives]]
[[Category:Hawthorn Leslie and Company locomotives]]
[[Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1911]]
[[Category:Scrapped locomotives]]
[[Category:Standard-gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain]]
[[Category:2′C1′ h2t locomotives]]
[[Category:Passenger locomotives in the United Kingdom]]


{{England-steam-loco-stub}}