DRG 64 305

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64 305 in Bridgnorth Yard in 1975

DRG 64 305 was briefly resident on the SVRSevern Valley Railway between 1975 and 1977.

This locomotive was built by the German firm of Krupp in 1934 for the German state railway Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DRG Class 64 was a standard passenger train tank engine with a wheel arrangement of 1'C1' (UIC classification) or 2-6-2 (Whyte notation).

Number 305 was purchased for use on the SVRSevern Valley Railway by the ‘German 064 Klasse Fund’ in September 1974, and moved from Weiden depot near the Czech border to Stolberg. In June 1975 a move to Zeebrugge took place, with the locomotive being shipped by sea to Harwich. The locomotive finally arrived at the SVRSevern Valley Railway several weeks later on 16 July 1975, after a delay in finding a suitable road route for the final part of the journey.

The locomotive was steamed later in 1975, and recorded 5 miles of travel. This is believed to have been a return trip from Bridgnorth to Eardington, of which three photographs are shown below.

It soon transpired that the measurements of the locomotive that had been provided prior to purchase were incorrect, and also that the Severn Valley Railway had not been built to standard GWRGreat Western Railway gauge as had been assumed. Significant modifications to the locomotive’s profile and to platform clearances would have been required before it could enter service, so in 1977 the locomotive found a new home on the Nene Valley Railway, the only UK heritage railway built to continental loading gauge.

Gallery

Eardington Test Run

Three photos of 64 305 on a test run back from Eardington, its only known movement outside of Bridgnorth.

Sources

SVRSevern Valley Railway News
Severn Valley Railway Stock Book, seventh edition.

See also

Former Residents