Locomotive Performance

Review: BR Standard Locomotives
 
In the 1950's and early 1960, my Britannia runs were either on Railtours or for short distances only. I had a couple of runs on the Clans (both on the same day). But I did travel more frequently behind the class 5 and class 4 4-6-0's. 

And in more recent times, on Evening Star, once on 71000, and frequently on the class 4's, both the 4-6-0 75000, 76000 2-6-0, and 2-6-4T 80000 classes. 

It is a great pity that Time and Pocket money restraints prevented me from sampling the Britannias out of Liverpool Street in the 1950's. And I compounded the omission in the Main Line Steam era, missing 70000 altogether.

Included are details of runs on several of our Heritage Railways, many of which require hard work from their locomotives. And the Standards have excelled. 
 
   CLASS 8  4-6-2  
11th July 1990: 71000 Duke of Gloucester: Crewe to Holyhead & return on the North Wales Coast Express. The loco ran adequately, but the 60 mph linespeed was a considerable constraint, even with a 505 ton load.  [view log of 71000]
 
  CLASS 7 BRITANNIA  4-6-2  
29th December 1954: 70020 Mercury: Leamington Spa to Birmingham Snow Hill on the 9.10am Paddington to Birkenhead. A good climb up to Hatton  [view log of 70020]

4th October 1964: 70000 Britannia: Guildford to Reading & Portsmouth Harbour, and Portsmouth Harbour to Waterloo on the L.C.G.B Vectis railtour. A poor run back from Portsmouth with a modest 8 coach load [view log of 70000]
 
   CLASS 6 CLAN  4-6-2  
7th September 1961: 72002 Clan Campbell: Preston to Carlisle on the 9.30am Liverpool Exchange to Glasgow Central. Oh dear! [view log of 72002]
7th September 1961: 72001 Clan Cameron: Carlisle to Preston on the 1.45pm Glasgow Central to Liverpool Exchange. Oh dear again!  [view log of 72001]
 
   CLASS 5  4-6-0  

3rd July 1956: 73114 Brockenhurst to Winchester on the 3.05pm Bournemouth West to Waterloo. The loco worked down on the 9.30am from Waterloo [view log of 73114]

21st April 1957: 73081 London Bridge to Ashford on the 3.15pm Charing Cross to Margate [view log of 73081]

15th June 1957: 73026 Shrewsbury to Hereford on the 11.55am Manchester to Plymouth [view log of 73026]
19th April 1960: 73135 Birmingham New Street to Bristol on the 6.10am Derby to Bristol Temple Meads. Loco well on top of the job  [view log of 73135]
28th March 1965: 73022 Victoria to Horsham, Havant, Bournemouth & Evercreech on the SCTS Southern Wanderer railtour. A splendid railtour and a splendid performance by the loco throughout. 83 mph near Warnham and 80 mph near Billingshurst  [view log of 73022]
19th May 1984: 73050 on the Nene Valley Railway [view log of 73050]
3rd February 1996: 73096 on the Mid Hants Railway [view log of 73096]
 
   CLASS 4  4-6-0  
2nd August 1958: 75005 Machynlleth to Welshpool on the Saturday 11.00am Aberystwyth to Manchester. Competent work with a 12 coach load  [view log of 75005]
2nd March 1985: 75069 Newport to Gloucester, Swindon & return to Gloucester on a SLOA charter. Respectable work. Pity about the slip at Sapperton Tunnel  [view log of 75069]
28th July 1985: 75027 on the Bluebell Railway [view log of 75027]
22nd March 1986: 75069 Saltley to Marylebone on the SLOA South Yorkshireman railtour. Respectable work throughout. 74 mph below Saunderton  [view log of 75069]
12th April 1986: 75069 Marylebone to Stratford on Avon  on the SLOA Thames Avon Express. Another competent performance. 75 mph below Risborough  [view log of 75069]
27th April 1994: 75069 Worcester to Taunton on the Pathfinder Tours Exmoor Ranger railtour. 420 tons was pushing it a bit for a class 4. But the loco ran well, top speed 71 mph at Nailsea. 75069 was heading for the West Somerset Railway  [view log of 75069]
 
   CLASS 4  2-6-0  
4th July 1956: 76028 Bournemouth West to Brockenhurst via Wimborne on the 4.30pm stopping service from Bournemouth West. Really hard running between the stops to pull back the time lost by signal checks in the early stages. 65 mph before West Moors  [view log of 76028]

5th July 1956: 76018 Salisbury to Southampton on the 5.07pm Salisbury to Portsmouth [view log of 76018]
11th July 1956: 76028 Southampton to New Milton on the 6.45pm Portsmouth & Southsea to Bournemouth West stopping service. Hard work with 9 coaches [view log of 76028]
7th July 1984: 76017 on the Mid Hants Railway [view log of 76017]
5th October 1991: 76079 on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway [view log of 76079]
25th May 1997: 76079 on the Llangollen Railway  [view log of 76079]
23rd March 1999: 76079 on the West Somerset Railway [view log of 76079]
 
   CLASS 2  2-6-0  
30th July 1954: 78003 Dovey Junction to Welshpool on the 11.15am Aberystwyth to Paddington, the Cambrian Coast Express. In 1954 this service was an all stations stopper to Welshpool. The most crowded train I have ever travelled on  [view log of 78003]
5th July 1964: 78038 on the LCGB Surrey Wanderer railtour [view log of 78038]
 
   CLASS 4  2-6-4T  

3rd October 1965: 80039 & 80043 Exeter to Barnstaple Junction & return on the SCTS Exeter Flyer. At Barnstaple Junction the train divided into Ilfracombe and Torrington portions [view log of 80039 & 80043]

30th September 1984: 80079 on the Severn Valley Railway [view log of 80079]

22nd May 1988: 80080 Derby to Matlock & return, twice, on the 11 coach Derwent Explorer railtour [view logs of 80080]
7th October 1990: 80135 on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway [view log of 80135]
30th April & 1st May 2000: 80098 on two Dawlish Donkey Exeter to Newton Abbot return journeys, with some fine running in the up direction. [view logs of 80098]
30th April 2000: 80098 Exeter St Davids to Plymouth & return. This evening excursion also had plenty of spectacular running, particularly on the return run [view logs of 80098]
 
   CLASS 3  2-6-2T  
21st July 1955: 82004 Newton Abbot to Kingswear on the 11.10am Exeter St Davids to Kingswear stopper. The loco struggled a little  [view log of 82004]
13th July 1955: 82019 on the 5.21pm Exmouth to Tipton St Johns  [view log of 82019]
19th May 1959: 82030 Kidderminster to Worcester Shrub Hill on the 8.19am from Kidderminster, the Cathedrals Express. At Worcester, the train would be combined with the Hereford portion, for the onward Castle hauled journey to Paddington [view log of 82030]
 
   CLASS 9  2-10-0  
15th November 1980: 92220 Saltley to  Oxford on the Zenith railtour, with some unexpected high speed running [view log of 92220]
22nd May 1982: 92220 Didcot to Dorridge on the Salopian railtour [view log of 92220]
17th April 1982: 92220 Shrewsbury to Hereford on the top leg of the  SLOA Welsh Marches Express. An excellent climb to Church Stretton   [view log of 92220]
14th September 1983: 92220 York Circular: York, Harrogate, Leeds, York, & York, Leeds, Harrogate, York, on the Scarborough Spa Express  [view log of 92220]
 
HIGHLIGHTS: The running of the BR 5MT 4-6-0's 73081 and 73114 on the Southern Region in 1956 and 1957, together with the splendid 73022 on the 1965 Southern Wanderer railtour.  A nice run on BR 45MT no 75005 on the Cambrian in 1958, and excellent running with 75069 in the 1980's. And the 4MT 2-6-0's were equally excellent on the Southern Region in the 1950's, and in preservation, both 76017 on the Mid Hants Railway, and 76079 just about everywhere it has been. The 4MT 2-6-4T highlight was on the Dawlish Donkey, and over the South Devon banks with 80098 in 2000. Two particular efforts by 92220 Evening Star stand out. The high speed dash south from Tyseley in 1980, and a good climb southbound to Church Stretton in 1982. 
LOW POINTS: The Clan 4-6-2's, which seemed poorly equipped (in steam raising capacity) to handle even the modestly loaded services over Shap. Why were they ever built?. Some lethargic running with 92220 on 1980's Main line steam specials. And the smaller class 2 and 3 classes, the 78000 class 2-6-0's and the 82000 class 2-6-2T's, which ran adequately and efficiently on light loads, but were certainly no improvement in pulling power, if indeed the equal, of the older locomotives that they displaced.
 
RECOMMENDED READING: BRITISH RAILWAYS STANDARD LOCOMOTIVES (E S Cox-1966)