75027

75027 was built at Swindon in May 1954.

Motive power depot allocations.

Date Arrived	Depot
May 1954	Laira (Plymouth)
September 1954	Reading
December 1954	Oxford
February 1959	Swindon
February 1960	Templecombe
November 1962	Machynlleth
May 1963	Croes Newydd
February 1965	Bank Hall
October 1966	Aintree
November 1966	Skipton
January 1967	Carnforth
April 1967	Tebay
January 1968	Carnforth

At the end of the 1962 summer timetable all through services were diverted away from the S&D route which resulted in 75027 being transferred to Machynlleth in November 1962 where it was employed on the Cambrian Coast route.

When Bank Hall closed in October 1966 the engines based there were transferred to Aintree.

Whilst at Skipton one of its duties was to serve Swinden quarry on the Grassington branch.

In April 1967 it was moved to Tebay to perform banking duties on the Grayrigg incline between Oxenholme and Tebay. In January 1968 the banking duties were taken over by Clayton (D85xx later class 17) but these were not always reliable and steam locomotives were held in reserve to cover for diesel failures until it was decided that diesel powered trains no longer required assistance from banking engines. 75027 was still employed on banking duties as late as May 1968.

75027 was withdrawn from service in August 1968 along with any remaining steam locomotives on the BR network.

It was purchased from BR in 1968 by the late Charlie Pyne who donated it to the Bluebell Railway.

When it arrived at Sheffield Park in January 1969, 75027 appeared to be far larger than was necessary on the Bluebell Railway of the late 1960s. It ran almost immediately after delivery, largely in ex-BR condition (albeit with its grimy green paintwork well cleaned) and soon proved its worth in the 1970s. After a repaint in 1971 it continued as the mainstay of the fleet until 1975.

After being overhauled 75027 returned to service on the Bluebell Railway in 1978 where it ran for another ten years until its boiler certificate expired. After another overhaul it was back in service in 1997 and remained operation until withdrawn from service for a major overhaul in February 2007. When withdrawn in 2007 it had achieved the highest mileage on the Bluebell Railway of any of the fleet of locomotives running there.

In 2009 it was painted but remains on static display awaiting its overhaul.

Given an overhaul in 1978, it ran for another period of service through much of the 1980s, and again for a decade following a further general repair completed in 1997. It was withdrawn from service to await another overhaul at the end of February 2007.

In April 2018 was taken into the works at Sheffield Park to be repainted as the locomotive has suffered from standing out in the open for many years. The locomotive is being used to demonstrate the mechanics of valve gear in the educational centre being developed at Sheffield Park

At its next overhaul the locomotive will require new frames and a new firebox.

Home Base

Current Status

Owner

Bluebell Railway

Awaiting overhaul

Bluebell Railway