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|caption = 46443 at Kidderminster(June 2011)

'''46443 ''' is an '''LMS Ivatt Class 2''', a mixed traffic locomotive designed by H.G. (George) Ivatt for work on secondary and branch line duties. Locomotives of this class were often referred to as a "Mickey Mouse". It is a [[Whyte notation | 2-6-0 'Mogul']], rated 2MT by BR following nationalisation. Locomotives of this class were often referred to as a "Mickey Mouse". The first 20 were built by the LMS, with a further 108 including 46443 completed by BR after nationalisation. The design of the BR Standard class 2 2-6-0 closely followed the Ivatt Class 2 design.

46443 was built at BR’s BR's Crewe works at a recorded cost of £8,734 and entered traffic in April February 1950 and . It was based at Derby for the first 11 yearswhere it worked local passenger services to Burton, Nottingham and Birmingham as well as acting as station pilot. <ref name=SB9>SVR Stock Book Ninth Edition</ref> On 16 May 1953 it worked a Stephenson Locomotive Society Special which traversed colliery and minor lines in the Nottinghamshire area. In the same year it was recorded working a local passenger service at Nottingham. In April 1959 it was recorded on station pilot duties.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Ferris (1995)]] p. 100.</ref> At the end of 1960 it had recorded a total mileage of 259,262 miles.<ref name=SB9/> In November 1961 46443 moved to Saltley, where duties were limited to infrequent rush hour journeys, acting as carriage sidings pilot and occasional local trip work on the Longbridge branch. A Its last overhaul was carried out after it was involved in a collision with a BRCW Type 2 Diesel.<ref name=SB9/> The increasing introduction of diesels saw a final move to Newton Heath (near Manchester) in October 1966 . The following month 46443 was followed by withdrawal declared surplus to requirements and stored in serviceable condition at the disused local depot at Bury. It was formally withdrawn at the end of March 1967.<ref> Information display board in [[The Engine House]https://www.brdatabase.info/locomotives.php?loconum=46443 BR Database]</ref><ref> SB9/</ref>.

46443 saw use on the SVR in the early gala events before the official opening of the SVR. On 27 September 1969, 46443 and [[3205]] together with a number of other items of SVR rolling stock were piloted by a BR Class 47 from Bewdley to Tyseley to take part in an open day there. The route taken was via Stourport, Worcester, Honeybourne, Long Marston and Stratford-upon-Avon.<ref>SVR News 14</ref> 46443 and 3205 had both originally arrived on the SVR facing south, but 46443 returned from the open day facing north, becoming the only locomotive to be turned to face in a different direction before the SVR opened in May 1970.<ref>SVR News 115, “North "North and South before the Turntable”Turntable", Quentin Haigh</ref>. 46443 was one of the locomotives used on the opening weekend in May 1970. [[Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC | SVR(H)]] bought the locomotive in 1972. She was taken out of service in early 1973 after the right trailing axle box caught fire. Repairs lasted until the following year, with the locomotive re-entering revenue earning service on 19 May 1974.<ref>SVR News 34</ref>. She continued in use until being withdrawn at the end of 1979 due to the poor condition of the flue tubes. She had covered more than 29,000 miles on around 600 steaming days, more than any other SVR locomotive in the same period.

46443 was one of the locomotives used on the opening weekend in May 1970. [[Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC | SVR(H)]] bought the locomotive from Richard Willcox in 1972.<ref group="note">SVR policy was always that locomotives were not normally acquired by the Company. The reason for 46443 being bought was not given in SVR News, although it had recorded the highest mileage of any SVR loco at the time and may therefore have been seen as a 'useful engine'. The purchase attracted no adverse comments at the time, unlike the subsequent Company acquisitions of [[4930|4930 Hagley Hall]] and [[45110]].</ref> It was taken out of service in early 1973 after the right trailing axle box caught fire. Repairs lasted until the following year, with the locomotive re-entering revenue earning service on 19 May 1974.<ref>SVR News 34</ref>. In late 1983 1975 it was repainted red for filming purposes (see below), later becoming LMS 6443<ref group="note">The LMS livery would have been carried by the first LMS-built examples, although not by BR-built 46443 itself.</ref> in summer 1977 and continuing in use until being withdrawn at the end of 1979 due to the poor condition of the flue tubes. It had covered more than 29,000 miles on around 600 steaming days, more than any other SVR locomotive in the same period. After spending the next few years in storage, SVR(H) announced in late 1983 that the locomotive had been sold as part of the deal that brought [[LMS Stanier Jubilee 45690 Leander|45690 Leander]] to the SVR, and that the locomotive would move to Loughborough after repairs to the boiler had been carried out.<ref>SVR News 70</ref> However the move did not take place, and a fund was launched to 'buy back' the locomotive,<ref>SVR News 71-72</ref> during which time it gained the nickname 'The Peoples Engine'. A part of the successful fund-raising entailed the sale of T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase "46443 The Peoples Engine". Part of the proceeds of the summer 1984 [[:Category:SVR fundraising lotteries|SVRA raffle]] were also earmarked to help the fund (the rest being used to fund better washing facilities for working volunteers).<ref>SVR News 73, 74</ref> It is now owned by the [[SVR 46443 Fund]], having been re-acquired in Autumn 1984.<ref>SVR News 73</ref>. Following completion of the boiler repairsand an overhaul to main line condition, the locomotive re-entered service in October 1984.<ref>SVR News 75</ref>

46443 returned to service once more in time for the 2001 [[Christmas services|Santa Special services]].<ref>SVR News 139</ref> She served As well as working lighter passenger services, it was regularly used on 'driving school' footplate experiences and 'Obbo trips'.<ref>SVR News 144, 146 etc</ref>. It completed a full 'ten year ticket' but , although shortly after gaining an extension, it suffered a steam leak due to a corroded superheater header and was finally withdrawn in October 2011 having covered 145,997 miles in preservation.<ref>SVR News 176</ref>

The locomotive is now <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">46443_20090912.jpg|46443 with a special, September 200946443_20100307.jpg|46442 on Eardington Bank, March 201046443_20110501.jpg|46442 on display in Eardington Bank, May 2011</gallery> In April 2012 46443 was shunted into [[The Engine House]] <ref>SVR News 179</ref> where it remains on display in awaiting its next overhaul. 46443 features on the pub sign of [[Bridgnorth#The Railwayman's Arms | The Railwayman's Arms]] at Bridgnorth.

46443 has appeared in a a number of [[List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway|film and TV productions and commercials filmed on the SVR]] including . In the early 1970s, 46443 appeared in commercials for History of Railways Magazine (1971) and Walls' Ice Cream (1972), both filmed at [[Bridgnorth]]. It was also one of a number of locomotives which appeared in a documentary on railway accidents entitled "Rail Crash" filmed at various locations on the SVR and shown on Horizon (BBC 1972). During 1975 46443 and classmate [[LMS Ivatt Class 2 46521|46521]] were painted red and cosmetically disguised as Austrian locomotives for filming [[The Seven-Per-Cent Solution]] (1976). <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">S4672_Austrian_Locos.jpg |46521 (nearer) and 46443 as Austrian locos (David Cooke) </gallery> Scenes for [[Hanover Street]] (1979) were filmed with 46443 in the same red livery, although these do not appear to have been used in the final release. Immediately afterwards, the locomotive was renumbered as Midland Railway 643 for [[The Thirty Nine Steps]] (1978), filmed in March of that year. Around the same time, the locomotive was also filmed for a Nat King Cole LP commercial. Two shots from The Thirty Nine Steps, including 643 emerging from Arley Station Bridge (below), were later re-used in [[Hanover StreetThe Elephant Man]] and (1980). <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">Thirty_Nine_Steps_screenshot_Arley.JPG|643 emerging from Arley Station Bridge</gallery> In summer 1977 the locomotive finally lost its 'Seven Per Cent red' livery, being repainted in LMS livery as 6443.<ref>SVR News 44, 45</ref> It then appeared in [[A Man Called Intrepid]] (1979), the scenes being filmed at night at [[Bewdley|Bewdley station]] and [[Bewdley Tunnel]].