One was lost at sea while being delivered,[3] and a replacement was built the following year.

They spread beyond Canterbury and could also be found working in Auckland, Waikato, and Hawke's Bay.

The J class worked well whether it was pulling a long goods train or operating important passenger services in the early days of the Main South Line, but as traffic increased, it was superseded by more powerful locomotives and in 1917-18, four members of the class were converted to 2-6-2 tank engines (the WA class) to perform shunting duties in yards.

[4] By 1935, all 32 original J class locomotives had reached the end of their usefulness and were discarded, and none survived to be preserved.

[4] Although none were preserved, relics of J class locomotives can still be seen to this day at sites where NZR dumped withdrawn equipment.