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LMR 600 Gordon

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additional info and history

[[File:Longmoor Military Railway Gordon Severn Valley Railway.jpg|thumb|300px|right|LMR 600 Gordon on static display in The Engine House]]

~~==LMR 600 Gordon in service==~~

Longmoor Military Railway No. 600 'Gordon' was built in 1943 at the North British Locomotive Company’s Hyde Park Works in Glasgow as works number 25437. The locomotive, which is named after General Gordon of Khartoum, is a World War 2 ‘Austerity’ locomotive designed by R. A. Riddles, and was the second of 150 such locomotives built. It was originally numbered WD 73651 for the War Department.

File:Flangeless_Wheel_20160213.jpg | A flangeless driving wheel (left)

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==LMR 600 Gordon in service==

Although the 2-10-0 design was intended for overseas use, ‘Gordon’ only saw wartime service in the UK. Post-War, Gordon was mainly confined to the Longmoor Military Railway where, numbered 600, it was used by the Royal Engineers as a driver-training engine. However in 1957 during the Suez crisis, it is known to have worked highly secretive trains between Longmoor and Southampton.

==LMR 600 Gordon in preservation==

Gordon was still the property of the British Army when the Longmoor Military Railway closed and was subsequently sold for non-military purposes. Following this closure, Gordon arrived on the SVR in September 1971 on loan from The Transport Trust, accompanied by [[Carriages formerly resident on the SVR | three vintage carriages]].

~~Gordon saw regular use~~ After steam testing in January 1972, the ~~early days of the~~ locomotive entered service.<ref>SVR. News 23</ref> In August [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1970-1979#1975 | 1975]] it travelled to Shildon under its own power to attend the Rail 150 celebrations~~, and in~~ . Service continued with only a brief break for the boiler to be completely retubed during the summer of 1978.<ref>SVR News 48</ref> In [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1980-1989#1980 | 1980]] it Gordon travelled in light steam to Bold Colliery from where it participated in the locomotive parade at Rocket 150 at Rainhill.

Gordon is one of only two steam locomotives on the SVR (along with [[SR 34027 Taw Valley|34027 Taw Valley]]) which are equipped to work with air-braked rolling stock. This facility was occasionally used in preservation, including in May 1982 when Gordon worked an incoming train of 19 wagons delivering 1,800 concrete sleepers.<ref>SVR News 64</ref>.

File:LMR_600_20151122.jpg|Westinghouse air pump for working air-braked rolling stock

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Having seen action in each of the years 1972 to 1984, Gordon’s boiler succumbed to broken stays and thin firebox plates and the locomotive was withdrawn from service at the end of that year, in the words of Chef Engineer Alun Rees "''much to the relief of many of the footplate crews''".<ref> SVR News 74</ref> After a period out of service, Gordon ~~last saw~~ re-entered service on 8 December 1990, the day being marked by a severe blizzard.<ref>SVR News 98</ref> On 4 September 1993, Gordon took over an incoming railtour with the VSOE Pullman train at Kidderminster, when Prince Michael of Kent travelled on the footplate. The locomotive was also used for a series of specials with TV entertainer Roy Castle on 25 March 1994.<ref>SVR Stock Book 9th edition</ref> Service continued until 1998, although in the SVR News locomotive notes for spring 1999 Jan Chojnacki reported that "''I have it on good authority that a sweepstake is being organised for the next failure''".<ref>SVR News 129</ref> The words proved prophetic, as shortly thereafter a fractured small tube causing significant damage in the firebox.<ref>SVR News 130</ref> Gordon has not seen service on the SVR since 1999. It remained Army property until July 2008 when, by then the last steam locomotive owned by the Army, it was donated to the SVR. Gordon is now owned by [[Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC | SVR(H)]] and {{as of|2016|lc=y}} is on display in [[The Engine House]] at Highley. Mileage recorded by Gordon as reported in SVR News was as follows: {| class="wikitable"|-! Year !! style="text-align:right;" | Mileage |-| 1972 || style="text-align:right;" | 315|-| 1973 || style="text-align:right;" | 670|-| 1974 || style="text-align:right;" | 1,405|-| 1975 || style="text-align:right;" | 1,020|-| 1976 || style="text-align:right;" | 1,870|-| 1977 || style="text-align:right;" | 1,720|-| 1978 || style="text-align:right;" | 435|-| 1979 || style="text-align:right;" | 630|-| 1980 || style="text-align:right;" | 1,710|-| 1981 || style="text-align:right;" | 1,060|-| 1982 || style="text-align:right;" | 1,745|-| 1983 || style="text-align:right;" | 1,266|-| 1984 || style="text-align:right;" | 1,206|-| 1990 || style="text-align:right;" | 829|-| 1991 || style="text-align:right;" | 3,835|-| 1992 || style="text-align:right;" | 1,870|-| 1993 || style="text-align:right;" | 2,340|-| 1994 || style="text-align:right;" | 4,031|-| 1995 || style="text-align:right;" | 5,262|-| 1996 || style="text-align:right;" | 2,832|-| 1997 || style="text-align:right;" | 3,104|-| 1998 || style="text-align:right;" | 3,889|-| 1999 || style="text-align:right;" | 62|-| Total || style="text-align:right;" | 43,106|}

==See also==

==References==

~~Information principally from a display poster in the Engine House and past copies of SVR News.~~

Robin

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