BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0

Last updated

BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0
Gloucester Eastgate 7 railway station 2117081 c5db7256.jpg
A Standard 4MT 4-6-0 at Gloucester Eastgate in April 1959.
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Designer R. A. Riddles
BuilderBR Swindon Works
Build dateMay 1951 – May 1957
Total produced80
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte 4-6-0
   UIC 2′C h2
Gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia. 3 ft 0 in (0.914 m)
Driver dia.5 ft 8 in (1.727 m)
Length60 ft 0 in (18.29 m)
Width8 ft 9+12 in (2.68 m)
Height13 ft 0 in (3.96 m)
Axle load 17.25 long tons (17.53 t; 19.32 short tons)
Adhesive weight 51.55 long tons (52.38 t; 57.74 short tons)
Loco weight67.90 long tons (68.99 t; 76.05 short tons)
Tender weightBR1B: 49.15 long tons (49.94 t);
BR2/BR2A: 42.15 long tons (42.83 t)
Tender typeBR1B (15), BR2 (50), BR2A (15)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacityBR1B: 7.00 long tons (7.11 t; 7.84 short tons);
BR2/BR2A: 6.00 long tons (6.10 t; 6.72 short tons)
Water cap.BR1B: 4,725 imp gal (21,480 L; 5,674 US gal);
BR2/BR2A: 3,500 imp gal (16,000 L; 4,200 US gal)
Firebox:
  Grate area26.7 sq ft (2.48 m2)
BoilerBR4
Boiler pressure225 psi (1.55 MPa)
Heating surface:
  Firebox143 sq ft (13.3 m2)
  Tubes and flues1,301 sq ft (120.9 m2)
Superheater:
  Heating area258 sq ft (24.0 m2)
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 18 in × 28 in (457 mm × 711 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort 25,515 lbf (113.5 kN)
Factor of adh. 4.52
Career
Operators British Railways
Power class4MT
Numbers75000–75079
Axle load classBR1B: Route Availability 7
BR2/BR2A: Route Availability 4
WithdrawnOctober 1964 – August 1968
Disposition6 preserved, remainder scrapped

The British Railways Standard Class 4 4-6-0 is a class of steam locomotives, 80 of which were built during the 1950s. Six have been preserved.

Contents

Background

75076 with a double chimney and BR1B type tender. Riddles 75076 (8164960266).jpg
75076 with a double chimney and BR1B type tender.

The class was introduced in 1951. They were designed for mixed traffic use on secondary routes where the otherwise ubiquitous BR Standard Class 5 and their predecessors, the Black Fives, would be too heavy. They were essentially a tender version of the Class 4 2-6-4T, with similar characteristics to the GWR 7800 Class, though unlike the 7800s 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 (229 mm). [1]

Design work was done at Brighton by R. A. Riddles, with help from Swindon, Derby and Doncaster. Construction was at the BR Swindon Works. [2]

The engine weighed 67.90 long tons (68.99 t; 76.05 short tons), was 60 ft 0 in (18.29 m) long, with 5 ft 8 in (1.727 m) diameter driving wheels. It had two cylinders of 18 inches (457 mm) diameter and 28 inches (711 mm) stroke operated at maximum boiler pressure of 225 lbf/in2 (1.55 MPa), to produce 25,515 lbf (113.5 kN) tractive effort. Its British Railways power classification was 4MT.

It normally used the standard BR2 or BR2A tender, which weighed 42.15 long tons (42.83 t; 47.21 short tons) and carried 3,500 imp gal (16,000 L; 4,200 US gal) of water and 6.00 long tons (6.10 t; 6.72 short tons) of coal. In this configuration its route availability was 4, almost universal over the British Railways network.

In service

The class was initially allocated to the London Midland Region (45) and the Western Region (20). The last 15 were allocated to the Southern Region. The Southern batch were built with BR1B tenders, which weighed 49.15 long tons (49.94 t; 55.05 short tons), and carried 4,725 imp gal (21,480 L; 5,674 US gal) of water and 7.00 long tons (7.11 t; 7.84 short tons) of coal. [3] This reduced their route availability to 7, the same as the Standard Class 5.

Table of withdrawals
YearQuantity in
service at
start of year
Quantity
withdrawn
Locomotive numbers
196480275001/67
1965781175000/03/05/07–08/22/25/28/38/72–73
1966672075011/14/23/31/36/44–45/49–51/53–54/56–57/63/65–66/69–70/79
1967473775002/04/06/10/12–13/15–18/24/26/29–30/33/35/37/39–40/42–43/46–47/52/55/58–61/64/68/71/74–78
1968101075009/19–21/27/32/34/41/48/62

Preservation

Six members of the class survive with both single chimney and double chimney examples. Two were purchased directly from BR (75027 & 75029); the remaining four were rescued from Woodham Brothers' scrapyard at Barry Island.

No member of the class is presently main line approved but three (75014, 75029 and 75069) have worked on the main line at various points in preservation. 75029 was passed to work on the main line between Grosmont and Whitby with occasional visits to Battersby during galas. All except for 75079 have operated in preservation.

Preserved locomotives
Number & NameTender AttachedChimney FittedBuiltWithdrawnService lifeHome BaseOwnerLiveryStatusImageNotes
75014 "Braveheart"BR2ASingleNov 1951Dec 196615 years, 30 days Dartmouth Steam Railway Dartmouth Steam RailwayBR Lined Black, Early EmblemOperational. Boiler ticket expires: 2026 [4] BR Standard Class 4 75014 Braveheart Toddington Railway Station.jpg
75027May 1954Aug 196814 years, 3 months Bluebell Railway Bluebell RailwayBR Lined Green, Late CrestStatic Display [5] 75027 Bluebell railway.jpg
75029 "The Green Knight"DoubleMay 1954Aug 196713 years, 3 months North Yorkshire Moors Railway North Yorkshire Moors RailwayBR Lined Green, Late CrestUnder Overhaul. 75029 at Grosmont (1).jpg Withdrawn in 2015 with cracks in firebox, overhaul commenced in 2018 [6]
75069BR1BSept 1955Sept 196611 years Severn Valley Railway 75069 FundBR Lined Black, Late CrestOperational. Boiler ticket expires: 2028 [7] Standard class 4MT 75069 at Hastings, Ashford 150.jpg
75078Jan 1956Jul 196610 years, 5 months Keighley and Worth Valley Railway The Standard 4 Locomotive Preservation SocietyBR Lined Black, Late CrestOperational. Boiler ticket expires: 2032 [8] Keighley and Worth Valley Railway near Haworth - geograph.org.uk - 624800.jpg
75079Jan 1956Nov 196610 years, 10 months Mid-Hants Railway Mid-Hants Railway Preservation SocietyN/AUnder restoration [9] BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0 75079 At Ropley.jpg

Model railways

Bachmann and Hornby have both recently released models of these engines in 00 gauge. Mainline Railways also released a OO gauge model of the Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0 in the 1970s, although this is no longer in production. In 1983, Mainline's model was reintroduced to their catalogue as locomotive 75033 in BR lined black. [10]

References

  1. Casserley, H.C. (1960). The Observer's Book of Railway Locomotives of Britain. London: Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd. p. 226.
  2. Green-Hughes, Evan (November 2008). "British Railways '4MT' 4-6-0". Hornby Magazine. No. 17. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 72–76. ISSN   1753-2469. OCLC   226087101.
  3. Duggan, Jamie (29 June 2018). "BR Standard 4s (4-6-0, 2-6-0 and 2-6-4T) steam locomotives - Class Information". RailAdvent. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  4. "Dartmouth Steam Railway - Our Trains".
  5. "Bluebell Railway - Locomotives on Static Display".
  6. "NYMR - 75029 The Green Knight". January 2020.
  7. "Severn Valley Railway - BR Riddles 4MT 75069". 5 October 2022.
  8. "KWVR - BR Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0 75078". February 2022.
  9. "Watercress Line - BR Standard Class 4MT 75079". 27 January 2022.
  10. "Mainline's big plans for 1983". Rail Enthusiast . EMAP National Publications. March 1983. pp. 36–7. ISSN   0262-561X. OCLC   49957965.