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|events4 = Return to service
|length = 60ft 0"
|weight = 67t 18cwt(without tender)
|power = 25,515 lb
|pressure = 225 lb/sq in
}}[[File:Standard class 4MT 75069 at Hastings, Ashford 150.jpg|thumb|300px|right|75069 at Hastings circa 1992]]'''75069''' is a '''BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 ''' locomotive designed by R.A. Riddles, one of six examples preserved from a total of 80 built. The Standard 4MT was designed for mixed traffic use on secondary routes where the BR Standard Class 5 and its predecessor, the ‘Black Five’[[LMS Stanier Class 5 45110|Black Five]], would be too heavy.In essence they were a tender version of the [[BR Riddles 4MT 80079|BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T]] and had similar characteristics to the [[GWR 7819 Hinton Manor|GWR Manor class]], although built to universal loading gauge. The engine normally used a standard BR2 or BR2A tender weighing approximately 42 tons and carrying 3,500 gallons of water and 6 tons of coal. This gave a BR route availability of RA4, almost universal over the BR network. However the final batch of 15, which included 75069, were allocated to BR's Southern Region where they were paired with a larger BR1B tender weighing approximately 49 tons and carrying 4,250 gallons of water<ref group="note">The additional water capacity was useful in the Southern region where 'third rail' electrification prevented the use of water troughs for taking water on the move.</ref> and approximately 7 tons of coal. This resulted in their becoming RA7 and therefore subject to the same weight and route restrictions as the Standard Class 5.
==75069 in service==
75069 was one of the final batch allocated to the built in 1955 at BR Southern Region which were built 's Swindon works and entered traffic at Dover. It was fitted with a larger tenderdouble chimney at Eastleigh in 1960, returning to traffic at Stewart's Lane. This gives greater coal <ref>Heaton, John, 'Oxted Line Steam: 1961', The Railway Magazine, January 2021</ref> After just 11 years in service around London and water capacitythe South Coast, but restricting the weight and route restrictions to that of the Standard Class 5locomotive was withdrawn from service at Eastleigh in September 1966.<ref>[http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=locodata&type=S&id=75069&loco=75069 BRDatabase] Retrieved 29 January 2015. </ref>
==75069 in preservation==
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A notice appeared in SVR News for winter 1971-72 advising that a fund to acquire 75069 arrived on the SVR from [[Barry Scrapyard]] was to be set up by "the same team that organised the funds for [[43106]] and later [[80079]]". A meeting to discuss the proposal took place in Birmingham on 18 May 1972, by which time secretary [[Mick York]] could confirm that a deposit of £500 had been secured against Dai Woodham's asking price of £3,500 and the locomotive had been successfully moved from "the death rows" to a separate siding in the lower yard at Barry.<ref>SVR News 22, 23, 24</ref> Further fund raising enabled the purchase of 75069 to be completed before the introduction of VAT, with the locomotive arriving on the SVR from Barry by rail on 31 March 1973. Fund raising <ref>SVR News 28</ref><ref>SVR Stock Book Ninth Edition</ref> Although the Funds for the three Class 4 locomotives 43106, 80079 and 75069 had separate shareholders, they were closely connected with effectively one group of volunteers working on all three. When 75069 arrived, 43106 (which had arrived in working order) was undergoing an overhaul while 80079 was already awaiting restoration from ex-Barry condition. The intention was therefore that work on 75069 would only begin once 43106 and 80079 were in service. Work on 80079 began in late 1973.<ref>SVR News 29</ref> 75069 was helped by a initially stored at [[:Category:SVR fundraising lotteries|raffle organised by Bewdley]], moving to the SVRA Birmingham Branchheadshunt at [[Bridgnorth]] in 1973Autumn 1974 after space became available. While work continued on 80079,attention was focussed on obtaining replacement fittings for 75069. The 80079 and 75069 funds jointly published a book "British Railways Steam" in 1975 to help raise funds.<ref>SVR News 3035</ref>. The 75069 fund also organised a number of railtours, both steam<ref group="note">At least two of [[LNER 60009 Union of South Africa|60009 Union of South Africa]]'s railtours to Scotland were for fundraising on behalf of 75069.</ref> and diesel hauled, with profits going towards the locomotive's restoration. After 80079 entered service in summer 1977, the volunteers turned to 75069 which was moved into the cattle dock at Bridgnorth. Work on the tender took most of 1978, with the body repair work contacted to Wagon Repairs Ltd at Stoke-on-Trent. The first half of 1979 saw the locomotive prepared for a boiler lift which took place on 17 July 1979.<ref>SVR News 54</ref> A further SVRA raffle to help fund the restoration and boiler re-tube had taken place in 1978.<ref>SVR News 47</ref> On 5 November 1982 the boiler was successfully steam tested, after being 'siamesed' to [[LMR 600 Gordon]] which provided the injectors. One cylinder liner required replacement; the process of fitting its replacement using liquid nitrogen was filmed and later [[List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway#TV News and Documentary|screened on BBC's 'Midlands Today']] in June 1983.<ref name=SVR74>SVR News 74</ref> In 1983 another [[:Category:SVR fundraising lotteries| raffle organised by the SVRA Birmingham Branch]] was held to raise funds for superheater elements.<ref>SVR News 66, 67</ref> The restoration which lasted more than 11 years was completed just in time for the locomotive, still in undercoat, to take part in the September 1984 Enthusiasts’ Weekend.<ref>SVR News 74</ref>
In addition to service on the SVR during the following 10 years, 75069 resumed service in 1989 and also returned to made a number of [[The Severn Valley Railway on the main line duties in 1991. The last | appearances on the main line tour was ]]. In March 1985 during a one-way working railtour from Kidderminster Newport to Minehead in April 1994, following which 75069 spent the season on hire Gloucester it returned to the West Somerset RailwaySwindon where it was originally built. During <ref>SVR News 76</ref> In 1987 the visitlocomotive was due to work a full Cardigan Bay Express season along with [[GWR 7819 Hinton Manor | 7819 Hinton Manor]], the boiler incurred some failures but was unable to complete this due to tubes and elements and following a return by road, cracks were found crack in the back firebox left hand flange, resulting in of the locomotive being withdrawn from servicefirebox.<ref>SVR News 11085</112ref> [[LMS Ivatt Class 2 46443 | 'Mickey Mouse' 46443]] was sent to Machynlleth to deputise and proved a worthy replacement. The firebox was repaired by the insertion of a new copper lap and a re-studded seam;<ref>SVR News 86</ref> however subsequent investigation of the boiler led to 75069 missing the 1988 season while the flue tubes were replaced.<ref>SVR News 87-91</ref>
75069 resumed SVR service shortly after Easter in 1989. In Autumn 1990, John Robinson's locomotive notes suggested other locomotive crews could "''take a leaf out of Trevor Matthews' book and try to beat his record – all week on 75069 without taking coal''."<ref>SVR News 97</ref> (a feat undoubtedly made possible by the large BR1B tender). 75069 also returned to main line duties in 1991. <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">Standard class 4MT 75069 at Hastings, Ashford 150.jpg|75069 at Hastings in 1992</gallery> 75069's last main line tour was a one-way working from Kidderminster to Minehead in April 1994, after which it spent the season on hire to the West Somerset Railway. During the visit, the boiler incurred some failures to tubes and elements and following a return by road, cracks were found in the back firebox flange, resulting in the locomotive being withdrawn from service.<ref>SVR News 110/112</ref> A full list of 75069’s 75069's main line appearances between 1984 and 1994 is as follows:
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After a lengthy period in storageawaiting overhaul by the SVR, hopes of a return to service were raised in early 2009 when work was carried out to assess the condition of the boiler. However this assessment revealed that significant work would be required<ref>SVR News 168</ref> and [[GWR Pannier 1501 | 1501]], seen as a potential quick turnaround, was selected for overhaul instead.<ref>SVR News 169</ref> 75069’s Heavy General repair finally began in early 2013<ref>SVR News 180</ref>: the boiler barrel and much of the firebox was entirely new and many of the fittings and almost all of the pipework were replaced. A new cab, new smokebox and chimney, replacement steelwork in the tender coal space and new drag box were among other major repairs. Work cost over £900,000 and involved more than 25,000 man hours of effort.<ref>Express Points, January 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-47237824/men-rebuild-steam-engine-for-severn-valley-railway BBC News 15 February 2019] (Retrieved 16 February 2019)</ref> Although initially advertised as returning to traffic prior to both the 2017 and 2018 [[Autumn Steam Gala]]s, the locomotive's first test runs started 11 December 2018 with her boiler exam two days later.<ref>The Railway Magazine, January 2019, p.66</ref> She returned to traffic 16 February 2019 at the start of the season's services.
In the early morning of 22 July 2019, 75069 collided with a [[Tales from the Severn Valley#Minor_Derailments|fallen tree]] between [[Hampton Loade]] and [[Country Park Halt]] while running light engine from Bridgnorth to work a service train from Kidderminster. The locomotive’s bogie was derailed and although the bogie axles were found not to have been bent, a number of front end fittings were damaged including the guard irons, steam heat and vacuum pipes, and a cylinder drain cock casting and drain pipe.<ref>Steam Railway Magazine Issue 496, p 13, ''Severn Valley '4MT' derailed after hitting tree'', statement attributed to [[Severn Valley Railway Engineering Services|ESMP]] Manager Neil Taylor.</ref> After repairs, the locomotive resumed service on Friday 6 September.
==See also==
*[[Steam Locomotives]]<br>*[[The Severn Valley Railway on the main line]]<br>*[[SVR-based locomotives visiting other events]] ==Notes==<references group="note"/>
==References==
==Links==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BR_Standard_Class_4_4-6-0 BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0 on Wikipedia]
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