| GWR Pannier 5764 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 5764 at Bewdley | |
| Built By | GWR Swindon Works |
| Configuration | 0-6-0PT |
| Power class | 4F by BR(W) |
| Status | Out of service |
| Loco Number | 5764 |
| History | |
| Built | 1929 |
| Designed By | Charles Collett |
| Type | GWR 5700 |
| 1971 | Arrived on SVR in working order |
| 1989 | Re-entered service |
| 2001 | Re-entered service |
| 2011 | Withdrawn for overhaul |
| Technical | |
| Length | 31ft 2" |
| Weight | 47t 10cwt |
| Tractive effort | 22,515 lb |
| Pressure | 200 lb/sq in |
5764 is a GWR Collett 5700 class 0-6-0PT ‘pannier tank’, one of two examples on the SVR (the other being 7714). The GWR 5700 class was the most numerous class of engine designed and built by the Great Western Railway; more than 860 were built between 1929 and 1950. Pannier tanks could be found at work all over the former GWR system and although designed primarily for shunting duties, they were regularly used on local freight and passenger workings. British Railways Western Region 'BR(W)' rated the class as 4F,[1], although elsewhere the class was rated 3F.[2]
Contents
5764 in service
GWR / BR
5764 was built at Swindon and entered service in 1929 at London’s Old Oak Common depot. It remained at that depot post-War, serving the GWR and BR for more than thirty years. Duties involved local freight and shunting in the West London area as well as ECS working in and out of Paddington station.
Following a heavy overhaul at the Wolverhampton Stafford Road works in February 1960, the locomotive returned to London but was then withdrawn by BR in May 1960 having run an estimated 520,259 miles in service.
London Underground
BR sold a number of pannier tanks, including 5764, to London Transport who used them mainly to run PW and engineering trains on their Metropolitan Lines, operating from their Neasden Depot and also from Lillie Bridge, Kensington. While with London Underground, 5764 was allocated the number L95. By the end of 1963, recorded mileage had increased to 668,771.[3]
5764 in preservation
The SVRA Kidderminster Branch set up a fund in 1970 to acquire one of the last three pannier tanks still in use at London Transport. 5764 was successfully purchased and was moved by road to Bridgnorth, arriving on 19 June 1971 and entering service still in LT livery the same year.[3] An indication of how quickly it entered service may be judged by the lighting of a fire in the engine whilst it was being unloaded from the low-loader.
Arrival of 5764 (David Cooke)
5764 was repainted into GWR livery in 1972. During the next few years 5764 made appearances in the BBC television series Carrie's War in November 1973 and The Signalman in 1976. The early success of 5764 led the SVRA Kidderminster Branch to purchase a second pannier, 7714, in 1973.
In early 1977 a slipped tyre led to 5764 being withdrawn from service.[4] In summer 1978, SVR News announced that another pannier, 3612, had been acquired from Barry to provide new wheels for 5764 as well as a spare boiler for 5764 and 7714.[5]. After re-profiling on the Noble and Lund wheel lathe, the new wheels were installed and the locomotive re-painted in time for a return to service in mid-1979. One of the first duties was for the filming of the BBC TV series God's Wonderful Railway that year.[6]
5764 was withdrawn from service in 1982 awaiting a heavy overhaul. The locomotive was steamed again in early 1989; the first test movement in steam being an unusual sight because the tanks had not been fitted! By June of that year a full return to service had been achieved in time for an appearance in the summer steam gala.[7] During the course of the 10 year ‘ticket’ that followed, 5764 spent 1993 on hire to the South Devon Railway. 1998 saw another television appearance in the TV movie Cider With Rosie; service ended later that year.
Following a boiler exchange made possible by the 1978 acquisition of a ‘spare’,[8] 5764 entered a third period of service in summer 2001.[9] Another 10 year ‘ticket’ saw 5764 withdrawn from service in January 2011. The locomotive then moved into The Engine House on display in May 2011, but was removed to make a guest appearance as a static exhibit at the Gloucester Warwickshire Steam Railway’s Broadway station in May 2013.
5764 at Broadway in May 2013
As of 2017[update] the locomotive is stored in Kidderminster Carriage Shed, a facility not normally accessible to the general public.
The locomotive is owned by the SVR Pannier Tank Fund who also own GWR Pannier 7714.
See also
References
- ↑ Midlands Division (Ex WR) & Gloucester District - Locomotive Route Availability (Branch Lines)- June 1963 Retrieved 7 January 2017
- ↑ Classic British Steam Locomotives (ISBN 1-86147-138-6), Wikipedia etc
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 SVR Stock Book 9th Edition
- ↑ SVR News 44
- ↑ SVR News 48
- ↑ SVR News 51-53
- ↑ SVR News 92-93
- ↑ SVR News 133
- ↑ SVR News 136
Links
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