BR Standard Class 5

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BR Standard Class 5
Salisbury BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 geograph-2744275-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
A Standard Class 5 at Salisbury in 1963
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Designer R. A. Riddles
BuilderBR Derby Works (130)
BR Doncaster Works (42)
Build dateApril 1951 - June 1957
Total produced172
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.6 ft 2 in (1.880 m)
Length62 ft 7 in (19.08 m)
Width8 ft 9 in (2.67 m)
Height13 ft 0 in (3.96 m)
Axle load 19.70 long tons (20.02 t; 22.06 short tons)
Adhesive weight 58.05 long tons (58.98 t; 65.02 short tons)
Loco weight76.00 long tons (77.22 t; 85.12 short tons)
Tender weightBR1/BR1H: 49.15 long tons (49.94 t; 55.05 short tons);
BR1B: 51.25 long tons (52.07 t; 57.40 short tons);
BR1C: 53.25 long tons (54.10 t; 59.64 short tons);
BR1F: 55.25 long tons (56.14 t; 61.88 short tons);
BR1G: 52.50 long tons (53.34 t; 58.80 short tons);
Tender typeBR1 (50), BR1B (62), BR1C (35), BR1F (10), BR1G (3), BH1H (12)
Fuel capacityBR1C: 9.00 long tons (9.14 t; 10.08 short tons);
All others: 7.00 long tons (7.11 t; 7.84 short tons)
Water cap.BR1/BR1H: 4,250 imp gal (19,300 L; 5,100 US gal);
BR1B/BR1C: 4,725 imp gal (21,480 L; 5,674 US gal);
BR1F: 5,625 imp gal (25,570 L; 6,755 US gal);
BR1G: 5,000 imp gal (23,000 L; 6,000 US gal)
Firebox:
  Grate area28.7 sq ft (2.67 m2)
BoilerBR3
Boiler pressure225 psi (1.55 MPa)
Heating surface:
  Firebox171 sq ft (15.9 m2)
  Tubes and flues1,479 sq ft (137.4 m2)
Superheater:
  Heating area358 sq ft (33.3 m2)
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 19 in × 28 in (483 mm × 711 mm)
Valve gear Walschaerts (73000–73124, 73155–73171)
Caprotti (73125–73154)
Performance figures
Tractive effort 26,124 lbf (116.2 kN)
Factor of adh. 4.98
Career
Operators British Railways
Power class5MT
Numbers73000–73171
Axle load class Route availability 7
BR (WR): Red
WithdrawnFebruary 1964 – August 1968
DispositionFive preserved, remainder scrapped

The British Railways Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 is one of the 12 BR standard classes of steam locomotive built by British Railways in the 1950s. It was essentially a development of the LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 ("Black Five"). A total of 172 were built between 1951 and 1957.

Contents

Background

William Stanier's Black Five had been the most successful mixed-traffic type in Great Britain. Construction of the Black Fives had started in 1934 and continued past nationalisation to 1951. A new set of 'standard' locomotives was to be built by British Railways, based on LMS designs and incorporating modern ideas.

In particular, the Standard design incorporated features designed to make disposal of the engine after a working "turn" easier: a self-cleaning smokebox and a rocking grate removed the necessity for crews to undertake dirty and strenuous duties at the end of a long shift. [1] This was a necessary investment with the ever-increasing costs of labour following the Second World War.

The original design proposal for the class 5 locomotive had a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement, [2] similar in concept to the Bulleid Light Pacifics that performed impressively during the 1948 Locomotive Exchanges. However this was deemed unnecessarily large and costly for a class 5 power requirement, so the successful LMS Class 5 4-6-0 design was used as the basis instead. The pacific design went on to be enlarged and used for the BR Standard Class 6.

Design and construction

73140 with Caprotti valve gear and a big tender at Chester General in 1964. Chester General 5 railway station 2115460 fecdef70.jpg
73140 with Caprotti valve gear and a big tender at Chester General in 1964.

The design work was done at the ex-LNER Doncaster Works but the bulk of the construction was done at Derby Works. The locomotive featured a BR standard boiler very similar in dimensions to the Stanier Type 3B fitted to the Black Fives, but made from manganese steel instead of nickel steel. The most obvious visible changes were a higher running plate, slightly enlarged driving wheels (from 6 ft 0 in (1.829 m) to 6 ft 2 in (1.880 m)), increased cylinder bore (from 18½ in (457 mm) to 19 in(483 mm)), a standard cab with external pipework and the regulator gland on the driver's side of the boiler below the dome. Many of these changes were to reduce maintenance or to incorporate standard components that could be shared between other standard classes.

The first of the class, 73000, was outshopped from Derby in April 1951 and 30 were in service by January 1952. There was then a gap in construction before Derby resumed building its remaining 100 engines. 42 were built at Doncaster, starting in August 1955 and finishing in May 1957, with Derby's last engine following a month later.

Thirty engines, numbers 73125 to 73154, were built with Caprotti valve gear and poppet valves.

Table of orders
NumberDateBuilderTenderValve gearNotes
73000–291951 Derby BR1 Walschaerts 25 for LMR, 5 for ScR
73030–491953DerbyBR1Walschaerts10 for LMR, 10 for ScR
73050–521954DerbyBR1GWalschaertsfor SR (S&DJR)
73053–641954DerbyBR1HWalschaerts10 for LMR, 2 for ScR
73065–711954DerbyBR1CWalschaertsfor LMR
73072–791955DerbyBR1CWalschaerts3 for LMR, 5 for ScR
73080–891955DerbyBR1BWalschaertsfor SR
73090–991955DerbyBR1CWalschaertsfor LMR
73100–091955 Doncaster BR1BWalschaertsfor ScR
73110–191955DoncasterBR1FWalschaertsfor SR
73120–-241956DoncasterBR1BWalschaertsfor ScR
73125–341956DerbyBR1B Caprotti Poppet valves; for WR
75135–441956DerbyBR1CCaprottiPoppet valves; for LMR
73145–541957DerbyBR1BCaprottiPoppet valves; for ScR
73155–591956DoncasterBR1BWalschaertsfor ER
73159-711957DoncasterBR1BWalschaertsfor NER

In service

These locomotives had a trouble-free introduction in comparison to several of the other Standard classes and were used interchangeably with the pre-nationalisation class 5 engines they supplemented. They were utilised as the haulage power on duties varying from fast passenger trains to slow unfitted freight trains, displaying their versatility.

Different regional allocations had differing tender designs, with locomotives assigned to the Southern Region having tenders with high water capacity to make up for the lack of water troughs.

Like the "Clan" class locomotives, the Standard 5s, with their high-stepped running board, were partly conceived to be more economical and serviceable replacements for the Bulleid Pacific. The Standard 5s were also quite the speedy engines, they could really fly when fired hard, with many engine men claiming they could easily reach just under 100 mph. Like the Clans, which could only manage one more carriage on an express than a 'Five' the Standard Fives took a long time to shake down, and only started to really pull when different firing techniques, which allowed them to steam using poor quality coal were developed. [3] They pulled much of the traffic on the last express lines for steam in the mid and late 1960s: Edinburgh-Aberdeen, London- Southampton-Bournemouth- Weymouth and local express traffic in the North and Midlands around Sheffield and Leeds. They were also used on the locals between Liverpool, Manchester and Blackpool, some steam hauled to the last day of steam in 1968.[ citation needed ]

Naming

Named Class 5MT, No. 73113 Lyonesse at Battledown flyover. The nameplate is positioned above the centre driving wheel. Battledown Flyover Cornwall - Waterloo express coming under geograph-2744322-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
Named Class 5MT, No. 73113 Lyonesse at Battledown flyover. The nameplate is positioned above the centre driving wheel.

In 1959, 20 of the Southern Region locomotives were named, the names being transferred from SR King Arthur class locos that were then being withdrawn. These were:

Withdrawal

Table of withdrawals
YearQuantity in
service at
start of year
Quantity
withdrawn
Locomotive numbersNotes
19641721573012/17/24/27/46–47/52/58/61/74/76,
73109/16/61/64.
19651574373001/03/08/15/21/23/30–32/36/38/41–42/44/49/51/54/56/62–63/68/75/77/84/90–91,
73103–04/06/11–12/22–24/47–48/52/62–63/65–68.
19661143873005/07/09/13/16/28/55/57/72/78/80–83/86–89/95/98–99,
73101–02/05/07–08/14/20–21/45/49–51/53–54/69–71.
1967765373002/04/06/11/14/18–20/22/25–26/29/37/39/43/45/48/59–60/64–66/70–71/73/79/85/92–94/96–97,
73100/10/13/15/17–19/27/29–30/37/39–41/44/46/55–56/58–60.
1968232373000/10/33–35/40/50/53/67/69,
73125–26/28/31–36/38/42–43/57.

Accidents and incidents

Variations & proposed changes

The main variation across the class was the valve gear, with 142 using Walschaerts valve gear and the remaining 30 using British Caprotti valve gear. There was little difference in performance between the two groups, but the Caprotti fitted engines had a reputation for being good performers at higher speeds. There was potential for more BR standard locomotives to have Caprotti valve gear fitted as it allowed for longer periods between inspections, offsetting the higher initial cost of this valve gear.

Doncaster had designed double chimneys for the class, similar to the ones used on several of the BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0. If applied, this would have improved the draughting and increased the efficiency of the locomotives. With the Modernisation Plan of 1955 and the good performance of the class from the outset, these plans were shelved permanently.

Another proposal was to produce freight locomotives based from this design in response to criticism by the Western Region on the BR Standard Class 9F. The management believed that the 9Fs were too large and powerful for most heavy freight traffic, along with being far more expensive to build and operate than the older 2-8-0 locomotives they supplemented. In response to this, the British Transport Commission drew a 2-8-0 Class 8F based on the Standard Class 5, like the LMS class 5 and 8Fs. Changes included a higher boiler pressure of 250 psi and driving wheels 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m) in diameter to increase tractive effort. Preparations were made for series production to begin, but the work ceased after the Modernisation Plan was published.

Preservation

73156 and 73082 doubleheading a train at the Great Central Railway in January 2023. BR Standard Class 5 Doubleheader 73156 73082 Camelot GCR Winter Gala 2023.jpg
73156 and 73082 doubleheading a train at the Great Central Railway in January 2023.

Five members of the class survive and all have steamed in preservation with examples from both builders. 73050 was purchased directly from British Railways for preservation while the other four engines were rescued from Woodham Brothers scrapyard at Barry Island. To date 73096 has been the only member of the class to operate on the main line hauling railtours but in 2018 no. 73082 was moved by rail from its home at the Bluebell Railway to the West Somerset Railway. [5]

Number & NameTender AttachedBuilderBuiltWithdrawnService lifeLocationLiveryStatusImage
73050 "City of Peterborough"BR1G Derby Works April 1954June 196814 Years, 2 months Nene Valley Railway BR Lined Black, Early EmblemBoiler ticket expired in 2015, Under Overhaul BR Standard Class 5 73050.JPG
73082 "Camelot" BR1BDerby WorksJuly 1955June 196610 years, 11 months Bluebell Railway BR Lined Black, Early EmblemOperational until 2031 73082 Camelot on shed.jpg
73096 BR1GDerby WorksNov 1955Nov 196712 years Mid Hants Railway BR Lined Green, Late CrestPurchased by and transferred to the Watercress Line, at which it was formerly a resident under private ownership, in November 2017. Boiler certificate expired in September 2011 awaiting overhaul Coming on duty at Alresford - geograph.org.uk - 1289301.jpg
73129 BR1BDerby WorksAug 1956Dec 196711 years, 4 months Midland Railway - Butterley BR Lined Black, Early EmblemStatic Display, Boiler ticket expired in 2016. One of only two engines left in Britain with Caprotti valve gear. Bewdley - 73129.JPG
73156 BR1B Doncaster Works Dec 1956Nov 196710 Years, 11 months Great Central Railway BR Lined Black, Late CrestRecently emerged from scrapyard condition and came into full traffic in May 2018. BR Standard Class 5 73156 Rothley.jpg

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. Essery, Terry (August 1996). Steam Locomotives compared. Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN   0-906899-65-6.
  2. The story of the Standard, Southern and Western engines (DVD). Go Entertainment. 2011.
  3. Bishop, Bill (1984). Off the Rails. Southampton: Kingfisher. pp. 76–77. ISBN   0-946184-06-2.
  4. Holden, Michael (18 September 2018). "TIMINGS ADDED: Steam locomotive 73082 Camelot to make rare movement on mainline tomorrow". RailAdvent.