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 73096 at Virginia Water station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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British Railways Standard Class 5 No. 73096 is a preserved British steam locomotive, unnamed in service. It has spent most of its time in preservation (since 1985) in the care of the Watercress Line (Mid-Hants Railway).
73096 was built at British Railways' Derby Works in November 1955 [1] and was used on the London Midland and Western Regions of British Railways. [1] [2] It was withdrawn from service at Patricroft depot [3] in the north west of England in November 1967 and sold to Woodham Brothers scrapyard based in Barry, South Wales. [1]
| Location | Shedcode | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Patricroft | 10C | 25 November 1955 |
| Shrewsbury | 84G | 6 September 1958 |
| Gloucester Barnwood | 85C | 14 July 1962 |
| Gloucester Horton Road | 85B | 4 May 1964 |
| Oxley | 2B | 1 November 1964 |
| Nuneaton | 5E | 6 March 1965 |
| Croes Newydd | 6C | 19 June 1965 |
| Patricroft | 9H | 24 July 1965 |
| Withdrawn | 25 November 1967 |
Rescued from the scrapyard in July 1985 by Hampshire-based businessman John Bunch, [1] 73096 was returned to service in October 1993 by the Mid-Hants Railway on the Watercress Line, [1] following major boiler overhaul [1] and the construction of a new tender, [1] based on the chassis from an LMS Jubilee Class tender, to a to BR1G style. [1] [4]
Operated on the Watercress Line between Alresford and Alton in its new lease of life, 73096 has been temporarily disguised as 73080 Merlin [1] and as 73054, [1] for special events and commemorations.
In September 2011, its boiler certificate expired and 73096 was consequently withdrawn from service. It left the Mid-Hants for Southall in late 2014. In November 2017, 73096 was purchased by the Mid-Hants-Railway and returned to Ropley for assessment and overhaul. In 2018 it was suggested that the locomotive could be back in steam by 2025.
The engine suffered over £200,000 worth of damage during the 14 March 2009 Spring Steam Gala services on the Mid-Hants Railway. Whilst on the first Alresford to Alton service of the day, 73096 suffered major damage to its left-hand (driver's-side) cylinder at Wander's Curve in the Ropley to Medstead section, about ¾ of a mile from Ropley station. It is thought a piston core-plug worked loose thus causing much damage to the cylinder covers, cylinder, piston and piston-rod plus other equipment in the area. There is no evidence that this was caused by priming (water in the cylinders, which can cause similar catastrophic failures) and the crew were absolved of any blame at the time of the incident.[ citation needed ]
No damage was done to the track or signalling, but No. 73096 blocked the line for some time. Shuttle services were quickly organised between Alresford and Ropley and between Alton and Medstead, until the line could be cleared. Parts of the steam locomotive's 'motion' (connecting rod, valve gear linkages etc.) on the driver's side had to be removed by motive power depot staff to allow the locomotive to be moved. As the 5MT was unable to move under its own power, a diesel locomotive was dispatched from Ropley engine shed to retrieve it. The Gala thereafter continued with a revised timetable.[ citation needed ]
A replacement cylinder casting was required, necessitating a new pattern made. As of the week commencing 9 August 2010, the locomotive was running again, hauling services on the line masquerading as Henry during the 'Day Out with Thomas' event. [5]
In 2019 the locomotive was collected and delivered to Dorset Steam Fair to raise awareness (and money) to have it repaired. Famous train transport firm Allelys transported the loco which was the subject of a 2019 programme on Yesterday Channel called Steam Truckers. Repeated several times.
The Watercress Line is the marketing name of the Mid-Hants Railway, a heritage railway in Hampshire, England, running 10 miles (16 km) from New Alresford to Alton where it connects to the National Rail network. The line gained its popular name in the days when it was used to transport locally grown watercress to markets in London. The railway currently operates regular scheduled services, along with dining trains, real ale trains and numerous special events throughout the year.
The British Railways Standard Class 5MT4-6-0 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. A total of 172 were built between 1951 and 1957.
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.
The BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0 is a class of steam locomotive designed by Robert Riddles for British Railways (BR). 115 locomotives were built to this standard.
The Mid-Hants Railway (MHR) originated when local people promoted a railway line between Alton and a junction near Winchester, connected to the larger London and South Western Railway at each end. It was authorised as the Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway in 1861, and changed its name to the Mid-Hants Railway in 1865. It was opened for traffic in 1865. It was a single track 18 miles long, and had some very steep gradients. It had been unable to raise much share capital and it was heavily indebted from the outset, incurring heavy interest outlays.
The London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Stanier Class 5 2-6-0 or Stanier Mogul is a class of 2-6-0 mixed traffic steam locomotives. Forty were built between October 1933 and March 1934.
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR) 7F 2-8-0 is a class of steam locomotive designed for hauling heavy coal and goods trains. Eleven were built in two batches in 1914 and 1925, and were used until withdrawal between 1959 and 1964. Two are preserved.
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The North Eastern Railway Class T2, classified as Class Q6 by the LNER, is a class of 0-8-0 steam locomotive designed for heavy freight, especially for hauling long coal trains to various collieries in the North Eastern region of the UK, with a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour. 120 were built at Darlington Works and Armstrong Whitworth between 1913 and 1921 to the design of Vincent Raven, based on the NER Class T and T1. The batch of fifty built by Armstrong Whitworth from 1919 were A-W's first locomotives to be built, after the conversion of their Scotswood works from ordnance to peacetime production.
London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Jubilee Class No. 5690Leander is a preserved British steam locomotive.
Ropley railway station is a railway station in Ropley, Hampshire, England, which opened in 1865 and reopened in 1977 after four years' closure, to be served by steam and select diesel trains on the Watercress Line which shares its terminus at Alton railway station along with the more major Alton Line.
Alresford railway station is a railway station serving New Alresford, Winchester, Hampshire, England.
The SECR N class was a type of 2-6-0 ("mogul") steam locomotive designed in 1914 by Richard Maunsell for mixed-traffic duties on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR). Built between 1917 and 1934, it was the first non-Great Western Railway (GWR) type to use and improve upon the basic design principles established by GWR Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) George Jackson Churchward. The N class was based on the GWR 4300 Class design, improved with Midland Railway concepts.
The London and South Western Railway T9 class is a class of 66 4-4-0 steam locomotive designed for express passenger work by Dugald Drummond and introduced to services on the LSWR in 1899. One example has been preserved after British Railways ownership. They were given the nickname of "Greyhounds" due to their speed, up to 85 miles per hour (137 km/h), and reliability.
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Medstead is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Alton, which lies 4.3 miles (6.9 km) northeast of the village. According to the 2011 census, the village had a population of 2,036 people. The parish covers an area of 1,536 acres (622 ha) and has an average elevation of approximately 600 feet (180 m) above sea level. One of the county's high points at 716 feet (218 m), King's Hill, runs through Medstead and Bentworth.
London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Thompson Class B1 No. 1264, is a preserved British steam locomotive.
The Watercress Line operates a wide variety of locomotives and other stock as part of its preserved operations. More comprehensive bank of information about the railway's locomotives and rolling stock can be found on the Watercress Line's website in the "Our trains" section.
The Watercress Line is a heritage railway in Hampshire, England, running 10 miles (16 km) from New Alresford to Alton where it connects to the National Rail network. The line has four stations and operates scheduled and special services. The line was opened as the Mid-Hants Railway in 1865 and was purchased by the London & South Western Railway in 1884.
