47279 (LMS 7119, LMS 7279 and BR 47279)

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7279 was produced by the Vulcan Foundry at their Newton-le-Willows site in Lancashire in 1924 and was originally numbered 7119. It spent its early years shunting the vast marshalling yards at Toton in Nottinghamshire before being transferred to Nottingham Depot in 1934 when it was renumbered 7279 by the LMS. Following nationalisation of the railways and the forming of BR in 1948 the engine was renumbered 47279.

BR motive power depot allocations.

Date ArrivedDepot
January 1948Wellingborough
August 1957Bedford
July 1963Wellingborough
November 1963Workington
December 1965Aintree
November 1966Sutton Oak

Towards the end of its period at Workington it was placed in store there.

47279 was withdrawn from Sutton Oak in 1967 and sold to the Woodham Bros. scrap-yard in South Wales.

After languishing in South Wales for 12 years, the engine was purchased by the 3F Trust for use on the KWVR, arriving on the Railway in August 1979, bereft, after so many years, of many parts including a chimney. A suitable chimney turned up stored (for eventual use as a flowerpot) in an outside lavatory.

Restoration involved completely dismantling the engine and then doing a rebuild which enabled 47279 to steam again in February 1988.

It was taken out of service in 1997 when the boiler certificate expired but after a quick heavy overhaul it returned to traffic again in 2001.

Following the expiry of the boiler certificate in 2011 47279 was withdrawn from service again and placed on static display at Oxenhope whilst it awaits its turn in the queue for its next overhaul.

Home BaseCurrent StatusOwner
Keighley & Worth Valley RailwayOn static display at OxenhopeKeighley & Worth Valley Railway
47279 at Bedford shed – May 1963
47279 at Workington – November 1965
47279 in Woodhams scrapyard at Barry – August 1967
47279 in Woodhams scrapyard at Barry – August 1974
47279 at Haworth on the KWVR - July 1989.jpg
47279 at Haworth on the KWVR – July 1989
47279 at Oxenhope on the KWVR – 1989
47279 approaching Oxenhope on the KWVR – March 1991
47279 on the Kent & East Sussex Railway – August 1997
47279 at Haworth on the KWVR along with 52044 – October 2010
47279 at Haworth on the KWVR – October 2010
47279 banking the goods train out of Keighley on the KWVR -October 2010
47279 on static display at Oxenhope on the KWVR March -2013

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