#0704

GER Class T26

🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Stratford Works· from 1891· class of 100 British 2-4-0 locomotives, later LNER class E4

5 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. 2-4-0 GER 420: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK· CC BY 2.0
2. Another trip to the Railway Museum in York (1521462): Geoff Charles· CC BY-SA 4.0
3. Bressingham Steam Museum and Gardens 13: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
4. GER Class T26 aka LNER Class E4 No. 490 at Bressingham Steam Gardens and Museum - September 2023: Steve Knight· CC BY 2.0
5. GER T26 LNER E4 Bressingham: Ashley Dace· CC BY-SA 2.0

what is it?

The GER Class T26 was a class of one hundred 2-4-0 steam tender locomotives designed by James Holden for the Great Eastern Railway. At the 1923 grouping they all passed to the London and North Eastern Railway, who classified them E4. Eighteen survived into British Railways ownership in 1948, and the last was withdrawn in 1959, making them the last 2-4-0 tender locomotives at work in Britain.

who runs it

Great Eastern Railway London and North Eastern Railway Eastern Region of British Railways

base stats

weight 40.6 tin working order
built 100made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

First built 135 years ago, in 1891.
Weighs about as much as 7 African elephants (~6 t each).
14.6 m long: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
Served for 68 years (1891–1959).

steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.

spec sheet

built: 1891–1902
in service from: 1891
retired: 1959
status: preserved
number built: 100
kind: Steam
traction: steam
origin: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
builders: Stratford Works
designer: James Holden
operators: Great Eastern Railway, London and North Eastern Railway, Eastern Region of British Railways
top speed: —
power: —
gauge: 1,435 mm standard gauge
wheel arrangement: 2-4-0
length: 14.6 m
weight: 40.6 t
nicknames: Intermediate

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q5513229, Wikipedia: GER Class T26 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.