After many years being moved from pillar to post, the long-awaited restoration of the last ‘standard

Scotland was not exactly a stamping ground for Robert Riddles’ superlative ‘9F’ 2-10-0s. Indeed, none of the original 251 locomotives were ever allocated to Scottish sheds and, of those that did run north of the border, such occasional incursions were mostly made by those based out of Carlisle Kingmoor, which only received its first batch of ‘Spaceships’ as late as 1964. So, when No. 92219 – the penultimate ‘9F’ to be built – moved to Boat of Garten on the Strathspey Railway in May 2023, it made a little bit of history in becoming the first of its class to be officially based at a Scottish shed. But, more significantly, the move also heralded the start of its long-awaited restoration from Barry condition, and the beginning of its eventual return to steam after many years waiting in the wings.

Thursday, 22 August 2024

92219 its British Rail career

 

Five-year career

Only three British Railways steam locomotives ever carried a ‘Built 1960’ worksplate: ‘9Fs’ Nos. 92218, 92219, and 92220 Evening Star. Of those, only No. 92218 didn’t make it to preservation, having been withdrawn from Speke Junction (8C) shed in May 1968 and subsequently scrapped at Arnott Young Ltd’s yard in Parkgate near Rotherham in July that year. No. 92220 was famously painted in lined BR express passenger green and given cast brass Evening Star nameplates and a copper-capped chimney in honour of its status as the final steam locomotive built by British Railways. Therefore, No. 92219 was – and remains – the last ‘standard’ Standard ‘9F’.

It was outshopped from Swindon Works on January 3 1960, having been built at a cost of £35,000, but despite having been designed with a projected working life of 40 years, No. 92219’s career would – like so many of its classmates – be woefully short.

It was initially allocated to Bristol St Phillips Marsh for a month before being transferred to Cardiff Canton, from where it worked heavy iron ore trains from Banbury and also local freight services to places such as Gloucester, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, and Swansea. There are also reports of sightings at Carlisle Upperby and around Old Oak Common.

Although primarily used on freight haulage, the ‘9Fs’ had a good turn of speed, 90mph being not unheard of, so No. 92219 was occasionally seen on passenger outings. However, there were concerns that high rotational speeds of the plain bearings could cause excessive wear so BR management soon imposed a speed restriction and eventually stopped using them on express passenger duties altogether.

When Cardiff Canton closed to steam in August 1962, the locomotive moved to Cardiff East Dock from where it was withdrawn in March [wasn’t it August?] 1965 after just little over five years in service. It moved the short distance, reportedly under its own steam, to Dai Woodham’s scrapyard at Barry two months later. But while four of the nine ‘9Fs’ that ended up at Barry would leave the yard ahead of No. 92219, the ‘Spaceship’ would have to wait until May 1985 before it departed South Wales, becoming the 163rd locomotive rescued from Woodham’s. At least, however, it avoided the fate that befell Nos. 92085 and 92232, which were scrapped at Barry in 1980 and 1965 respectively.

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