BR Riddles 4MT 75069

75069 at Hastings circa 1992

75069 is a BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 locomotive designed by R.A. Riddles. The Standard 4MT was designed for mixed traffic use on secondary routes where the BR Standard Class 5 and its predecessor, the ‘Black Five’, would be too heavy.

Contents

75069 in service

75069 was one of the final batch allocated to the BR Southern Region, which were built with a larger tender giving greater coal and water capacity but with the same route restrictions as the Standard Class 5.

75069 was built in 1955 at BR’s Swindon works and entered traffic at Dover. After just 11 years in service around London and the South Coast, the locomotive was withdrawn from service at Eastleigh in September 1966.

Being a Southern engine 75069 is paired with a BR1B tender. This weighs approximately 49 tons (49.94 t), carrying 4,250 gallons of water and approximately 7 tons of coal.

75069 in preservation

75069 arrived on the SVR from Barry Scrapyard on 31 March 1973. After a restoration lasting more than 11 years, the locomotive finally entered service in 1984.

While at the SVR, 75069 saw service on the main line as well as the SVR itself. This included attending the Ashford 150 celebrations in 1991/1992.

As of 2016, 75069 is being overhauled at Bridgnorth Loco Works.

One major task that has already been completed is that of complete replacement of the dragbox. Additionally, during dismantlement of the cylinders the flange of one of the rear cylinder covers was found to be broken. A pattern for the replacement (along with its other handed partner) is in the course of construction in the SVR's pattern shop.

The locomotive is owned by The 75069 Fund.

See also

Steam Locomotives
The Severn Valley Railway on the main line