BR ex-WD Austerity 2-10-0

The British Railways (BR) ex-WD Austerity 2-10-0 Class was a class of 25 2-10-0 steam locomotives of the WD Austerity 2-10-0 type purchased in 1948 from the War Department.

90768 at Motherwell shed in 1958

Operational history

BR officially listed them in their running stock in 1948, though most were kept in store until 1949-1950. BR allocated them the numbers 90750-74. They were used to haul heavy freight trains and were mostly allocated to Scottish Region ex-LMS (Caledonian) motive power depots in the Central Belt, Motherwell and Grangemouth always being their principal bases, where they were mixed with the much more widespread WD 2-8-0s. They were withdrawn after about 12 years service between 1961-1962. In addition to the above engines, another WD Austerity 2-10-0 Longmoor Military Railway 601 Kitchener (original WD No. 73797) was hired from the War Department between 1957 and 1959.

Names

Both 90773 and 90774 were named North British after the North British Locomotive Company which built them (the last of the BR ex-WD Austerity 2-8-0s No. 90732 was similarly named Vulcan after the Vulcan Foundry). As one of 49 LNER Peppercorn Class A1s, No. 60161, was also named North British, BR had three locomotives with this name, though the A1 was named after the North British Railway rather than the engineering firm.

Classification

They were given the power classification 8F. BR considered them as standard locomotives, numbering them in the numbering series reserved for BR standard engines and assigning them the boiler No. BR11. The tenders were given the classification BR5.

Stock list
BR stock list
BR No.NameFormer WD No.BuiltTaken into BR stockWithdrawn
90750-73774June 1945December 1948May 1962
90751-73775June 1945December 1948December 1962
90752-73776June 1945December 1948December 1961
90753-73777June 1945December 1948July 1961
90754-73778June 1945December 1948July 1961
90755-73779June 1945December 1948December 1962
90756-73780June 1945December 1948December 1962
90757-73781June 1945December 1948December 1962
90758-73782June 1945December 1948December 1962
90759-73783June 1945December 1948December 1962
90760-73784June 1945December 1948May 1962
90761-73785July 1945December 1948November 1962
90762-73786July 1945December 1948December 1962
90763-73787July 1945December 1948December 1962
90764-73788July 1945December 1948May 1962
90765-73789July 1945December 1948December 1962
90766-73790July 1945December 1948December 1962
90767-73791July 1945December 1948December 1962
90768-73792August 1945December 1948July 1962
90769-73793August 1945December 1948December 1962
90770-73794August 1945December 1948December 1962
90771-73795August 1945December 1948December 1962
90772-73796August 1945December 1948December 1962
90773North British73797August 1945December 1948December 1962
90774North British73798August 1945December 1948December 1962

Withdrawal

Withdrawals started in 1961 and continued at a reasonable pace before the remaining 17 were withdrawn en masse in December 1962.

Year No. Withdrawn Nos
1961 3 90752-4
1962 22 90750/1/5-74

Preservation

None of the BR engines was preserved. However, there is a "90775" running in Great Britain which was repatriated from Greece, formerly being WD No.76352, SEK No. Lb951. It is based on the North Norfolk Railway.

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References
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