British Railways - Standard Class 4 4-6-0 Locomotive No.75027
No.75027 seen here during the run-round at Kingscote in 2005.
Derek Hayward - click to enlarge image.
No.75027 seen here during the run-round at Kingscote in 2005.
Derek Hayward - click to enlarge image.
The Standard 4 tender engines were designed as a modern branch-line engine, capable of hauling both freight and passenger services on the country's secondary routes. Some, with larger tenders, were allocated to the Southern Region; however No.75027 is a foreigner to the south.
On its withdrawal from service it was one of the very last steam locos operating on British Railways. It was bought from BR by Charlie Pyne, one of our members, and donated by him to the railway. The locomotive appeared to be far larger than was necessary on the Bluebell of the late 1960s, but it soon proved its worth though as we entered the seventies. A relatively modern loco, capable of hauling heavier trains up our 1-in-75 gradients, it was very much appreciated. It remains to this day the ideal locomotive for many of our trains, powerful yet economical, attractive and easy to prepare and maintain.
Having been the main-stay of the fleet between 1971 and 1975, for another period of service through much of the 1980s, and again for a decade following a major overhaul completed in 1997, it was withdrawn from service to await another overhaul at the end of February 2007.
The photo above shows No.75027 approaching Horsted Keynes with a goods train in 1998.
No.75027 in a classic Somerset and Dorset double-heading combination with U-class No.1618.
Mike Esau
Class: Standard Class 4
Length: 50ft
Weight: Engine 69 Tons, Tender 42 Tons 3cwt
Water capacity: 3,500 Gallons
Coal capacity: 6 Tons
Boiler Pressure: 225 lb/sq.in
Driving Wheels: 5ft 8in diameter
Cylinders: (2, outside) 18" x 28"
Tractive Effort: 25,515 lbs
BR power classification: 4MT
Photo right: The loco passes Sheffield Park distant signal - Derek Hayward
Three more of Derek Hayward's photos.
© Copyright April 1999 by Richard Salmon - Photos © Copyright Mike Esau and Derek Hayward