British Railways 4-6-0 Locomotives in Great_Britain

Class Class 4MT (Locobase 2373)

These RA Riddles-design engines were a standard mixed-traffic locomotive for British Railways. M John Stretton of ([]) explains that like the others in the Standard series, the 4MT had to answer to a requirement for higher availability and lower maintenance cost. The design also had all the modern conveniences. Based on LMS's Class 2 2-6-4Ts, they were the first of the Standards to enter production at Swindon (May 1951 being the debut date). Of the 80 that were built, 7 were modified with a double blastpipe and stack that was not visually pleasing, but did a good job in improving drafting. Those 4MTs on ex-Southern lines (75065-75079) received a different double-blastpipe front end.

Stretton says the engines proved themselves "efficient and economical," as well as ubiquitous. A typical 4MT might take on all manner of traffic and collect anywhere from 30,000 to 55,000 annual miles. They were popular with their crews, although Stretton notes that some of this affection may have stemmed simply from the newness.

As a class, they didn't last long in service, however, simply because steam itself was on the way out. By August 1967, only 22 of the 80 were left in service and these then were withdrawn as a block. Six were preserved. 75029 The Green Knight had run in excursion service until tube problems forced it out of operation in 1997. Steam Powered Services, Ltd refitted the engine for mainline excursion service and it resumed running in 2000.

Class Class 5MT (Locobase 2372)

Data from diagram of Standard Class 5 4-6-0 and "5MT 73000 - 73171 4-6-0 BR Standard Class 5" at [], last accessed 14 January 2025. See also the Southern Railway Email Group's "More about Standards" written by David Gerry Butler and published in the Spring 2002 issue of "Bluebell News" which presents the BR series "from the Driver's viewpoint. (Thanks to Alexander Blessing for his 4 January 2025 email pointing out the 30 Caprotti-valve engines.)

my.genie.co.uk/sfdesmond/73082/papers/std5.htm reprinted an article published by the 73082 Camelot Locomotive Society in June 1996 [dead link]. The writer claims a kinship for this design with Churchward's Great Western Saint design of 1902.

"The link between the [LMS Stanier] Black Five and the BR Standard Five is much clearer of course [it being a similar design] but featuring the rocking grate and hopper ashpan applied to all the BR Standard types , roller bearings throughout and the high running plate." The boiler was basically that of the LMS 3B.

Doncaster designed and built 42 of the class, with Derby producing the other 130 from 1951 to 1957. Of these, most used the Walschaert constand-lead radial valve gear. 73125-73154 ermerged from the Derby shops with Caprotti's valves that used camshafts to actuate poppet valves.

A photo shows a Belpaire firebox behind a tapered boiler topped by a small dome. Locobase 1051 describes Stanier'a domed Black Five that inspred the BR designe.

The Preserved British Locomotives account renders a resoundingly positive verdict on Riddles's design:

"The Standard class 5 was a much more economical high speed express engine than the earlier [Black Five] locomotive. The Standard Class 5 were fast, they could really fly with good steam, easily to 100 mph [161 kph] in the view of many engine drivers. Like the Clans, which could only manage one more carriage on an express than these locomotives, the Standard class 5 took a long time to shake down, and only started to really pull when different firing techniques, which allowed them to steam using poor quality coal were developed, for these low emission passenger locomotives, came into use."

Gerry Butler, commenting on the Bluebell's Camelot 73082, added "I consider No 73082 Camelot to be one of the most comfortable locos I have ever worked. Both the regulator and the reverse work very easily, the view is good and I don't get a crick in the neck when going in reverse."

The Preserved British Locomotives site includes elevation dawaings showing the seven tender variants and two showing the Caprotti locomotives with two of the tender types.

Despite the class's excellent performance across the BR's regions, thh 172 engines stood a full strength from 1958-1963. Once the BR committed to a full conversion to diesel power, the entire class had departed by the end of 1968.