The T19 was one of James Holden's first designs in his service on the Great Eastern Railway. It was created as an express locomotive in the then classic 2-4-0 wheel arrangement with very large drivrs with a diameter of seven feet. Because the cylinders, connecting rods and valve gear were all inside the frame, the locomotive made a very tidy impression. Very large, completely closed splashers for the drivers were attached to the outer frame above the running boards. Half of the coupling rods and the cranks disappeared under the splashers. While the coupled axles were mounted in an inner frame, the leading axle was mounted in an outer frame. Between the years 1886 and 1897 a total of eleven batches of ten engines each were built for the GER.
As was usual for British steam locomotives, individual engines have undergone various conversion measures over the years. In addition to the conversion to oil firing, these also included changing the tenders to ones with a scooping device to collect water from troughs during the journey. Complete conversions were carried out in two different designs.
Between 1902 and 1904, initially 29 units were rebuilt while maintaining the wheel arrangement. They received a larger boiler with a Belpaire firebox, the dimensions of which corresponded to a 4-4-0 locomotive of the time, and a new cab. However, the result was very top-heavy due to the heavy boiler and was therefore nicknamed “Humpty Dumpty”. These were already phased out by 1920.
60 more were converted to new 4-4-0 locomotives between 1905 and 1908 using bogies from old locomotives with a 4-4-0 and 0-4-4 wheel arrangement. All but two of these made it to the LNER and were listed there under the designation D13. Most of these were retired in the second half of the 1930s, with the last three surviving to 1943 and 1944 respectively.
