4MT  75000 – 75079  4-6-0  BR Standard Class 4

75000 1.jpg

75000 2

Power Classification 4MT
Introduced 1951 – 1957
Designer Riddles, designed at Brighton
Company BR
Weight – Loco 69t 0cwt
               Tender BR1B 4,725 gallon – 50t 5cwt

BR2 and BR2A 3,500 gallon – 42t 3cwt
Driving Wheels 5ft 8ins
Boiler Pressure 225psi superheated
Cylinders Outside – 18in x 28in
Tractive Effort 25,515lbf
Valve Gear Walschaert (piston valve)

These locomotives were designed for cross-country and secondary passenger work. They are a smaller version of the Standard class 5 73000 locomotives and as they are weigh lighter they had almost universal route availability over main and secondary routes throughout Britain. Eighty of these engines were built at Swindon and they were based on the London Midland, Western and Southern Regions, including such routes as those of the former Cambrian Railways.

They were essentially a tender version of the Standard 4 2-6-4T, with similar characteristics to the GWR Manor class, though unlike the Manors they were built to the universal loading gauge. They used the same running gear as the tank engine (with the leading bogie from the Standard class 5), and substantially the same firebox, smokebox and boiler, although the boiler barrel was increased in length by 9 inches.

 73000 small Standard class 5 73000 introduced in April 1951
 75000 small Standard class 4 75000 introduced in May 1951
 80000 small Standard class 4 tank 80000 introduced in September 1952
 manor small GWR Manor class introduced in 1938.

From 1957 some locomotives (including all those allocated to the Southern Region in 1960 and 1961) were fitted with double chimneys.

Number in Service.

Built Withdrawals No. in Service
BR Numbers

Quantity
1951 75000-75015

  16

   16
1952 75016-75019

    4

   20
1953 75020-75024 and 75030-75049

  25

   45
1954 75025-75029

    5

   50
1955 75065-75077

  13

   63
1956 75050-75052 and 75078-75079

    5

   68
1957 75053-75064

  12

   80
1958-63

   80
1964

  2

   78
1965

11

   67
1966

21

   46
1967

36

   10
1968

10

     0
  • 75000 – 75049 had BR2 3,500 gallon tenders
  • 75050 – 75064 had BR2A 3,500 gallon tenders
  • 75065 – 75079 had BR1B 4,725 gallon tenders
  • Double chimneys were fitted to twenty-two locomotives

75003, 75005, 75006, 75008, 75020, 75026, 75029 and 75065 – 75079

  • 75057 was the shortest active member of the class. After entering service in March 1957 at Leicester Midland it moved to Derby in September 1962, Wigan Springs Branch in November 1963 before arriving at Skipton in March 1965 from where it was withdrawn in February 1966.
  • 75009 was the longest serving member of the class having entered service in October 1951 it remained in service until withdrawn when steam operations ended in August 1968. It was allocated to a variety of places during its working life.
  • 75064 was the last 4-6-0 locomotive built by BR.
Date Arrived Depot
October 1951 Shewsbury
September 1953 Cardiff Canton
April 1958 Worcester
September 1958 Gloucester Barnwood
September 1961 Templecombe
November 1962 Machynlleth
March 1963 Croes Newydd
February 1966 Llandudno Junction
June 1966 Machynlleth
December 1966 Shrewsbury
March 1967 Croes Newydd
May 1967 Lostock Hall
June 1967 Carnforth

Allocation of locomotives in service as at 1st of January.

1952 1955 1958 1962 1964 1966 1967 1968
Western Region 10 20 18 22 19
Southern Region 15 12 15 11 5
London Midland Region 6 30 45 46 46 56 41 10
16 50 80 80 80 67 46 10
Western Region
Bath Green Park 3
Cardiff Canton 5 6
Laira (Plymouth) 4
Oxford 3 3 6 2
Machynlleth 2
Oswestry 5 6
Shrewsbury 9
Swindon 1 3 3
Templecombe 5 4
Tyseley 4
Worcester 2 2 2
10 20 23 22 19   8
Southern Region
Basingstoke 6 4
Bath Green Park 3
Dover Marine 5
Eastleigh 1 4 7 11 5
Nine Elms 5
Stewarts Lane 2
Three Bridges 2
Yeovil Town 3
12 12 15 11 5
London Midland Region
Accrington 10
Aintree 5 3 3
Bangor 1
Bank Hall 5 5 7 9
Bedford 6
Bletchley 9 5 2 5
Carnforth 7
Chester 8 5 2 2
Croes Newydd 9 3 10
Derby 1
Edge Hill 1
Holyhead 2
Leicester Midland 5 10
Llandudno Junction 6 7 4 1
Machynlleth 2 3
Mold Junction 7
Nottingham 4 5
Nuneaton 3 2
Patricroft 5
Shrewsbury 7 8
Skipton 12 10
Southport 1 5 5 5
Stoke 11 11 10
Tebay 3
Walton on the Hill 1
Wigan Springs Branch 10
Willesden 3
6 30 45 46 46 56 41 10
16 50 80 80 80 67 46 10
  • Bath Green Park and Templecombe were transferred from the Southern Region to Western Region control in February 1958.
  • 15 locomotives were initially allocated to the Southern Region and were largely based there for the whole time they were in service. The three exceptions became Western Region engines when Bath Green Park was transferred to Western Region control in February 1958. They subsequently moved on to Templecombe. One engine (75071) then moved to Croes Newydd in July 1964 before ending its days at Stoke (June 1967 – August 1967). These 15 engines were fitted with 4,750 gallon tenders as there was no water troughs on the Southern Region network.
  • Machynlleth, Shrewsbury and Croess Newydd were transferred from Western Region to London Midland Region control in September 1963.
  • None of the class were allocated to Scotland. The nearest were perhaps 75019, 75027 and 75039 which were stored at Carlisle Upperby for a time even though they were allocated to Tebay for banking duties.
  • The most northerly depot that any member of the class worked from was Workington where75028 was based from April 1960 until June 1960. This engine had started service at Plymouth Laira in May 1954 and after working its way north through Wales (via Oswestry, Rhyl and Chester) to Workington it returned south (via Mold Junction, Rhyl and Bletchley) to Machynlleth where it was withdrawn from service in December 1965.
  • Five members of the class survived until the end of steam in August 1968. 75009. 75019, 75020, 75027 and 75048 were all withdrawn from service at Carnforth in August 1968.

The locomotives allocated to Templecombe performed a wide range of duties on the Somerset & Dorset line from hauling four or five coach trains to double heading the Pines Express along with a class 9F 2-10-0. They also piloted West Country pacific on the heavy holiday expresses.

The locomotives allocated to Dover were used on services to Victoria and Charing Cross and other heavy commuter trains.

The engines allocated to Exmouth Junction were employed on services to Plymouth via Oakhampton.

75041-Leeds Holbeck-July 1966.jpg 75041 passing Leeds Holbeck shed-July 1966. The locomotive was based at Skipton when I took this photograph but was moved to Carnforth in April 1967. It was withdrawn from service in January 1968 and scrapped in August 1968.

 Preservation

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