73050 "City of Peterborough" BR Class 5MT 4-6-0
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Builders: British Railways, Derby. Year: 1954 Number of cylinders: 2 (19" x 28"(483x711mm)). Boiler pressure: 225 psi (15.8Kg/cm2) Driving wheels diameter: 6' 2".(1880mm) Weight :126 tons.(128tonnes) Train brakes: air/vacuum Original owner: British Railways (SR). Current owner: Peterborough City Council. |
Background History
The Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 was one of the 12 standard classes of steam locomotive designed by British Railways Chief Mechanical Engineer R A Riddles as a development of the LMS Stanier 'Black Fives' in the early 1950s. Ironically the ex-LNER Doncaster Works did the design work. The first of the class, 73000, was out shopped from Derby in April 1951. 172 were built between 1951 and 1957 of which most were built at Derby but 42 were built at Doncaster, starting in August 1955 and finishing in May 1957. Of the 172 Class 5MT there was six different Tender types and they had the Route Availability of 7. Allocated to All six regions of British Railways, the Southern Region members received the names off their King Arthur Class in 1959. The class withdrawal began in February 1964 until June 1968. Luckily five survived into preservation of which all now have returned to steam including 73096 which had a Mainline ticket and visited the NVR on 5th April 2003.
Locomotive History
73050 was the First of three BR Standard Class 5MT (73050 to 73052) to be built with the larger BR1G tender for working over the Somerset & Dorset route. 73050 had cost £19,655 to build, complete with tender, left Derby Works and entered service on 14th April 1954. The locomotive was specially chosen for display, in its BR lined black livery, at the 1954 International Railway Congress Willesden Exhibition. After the Exhibition 73050 was allocated to Bath Green Park (71G) for working to Bournemouth on the heavy gradients of the Somerset and Dorset Line sometimes piloted the famous "Pines Express”. The Western Region, having taken over the Somerset & Dorset line north of Templecombe in 1958, adopted a policy of re-routing the North-South through trains away from the Bath-Bournemouth route. As a result, the demand for passenger locomotives at Bath Green Park (82F) fell away and the more modern classes were moved elsewhere. Transferred for a 3-month spell at Gloucester (85B) in 1962 and found herself briefly at Llanelli (87F) in West Wales and was reallocated to Shrewsbury (89A/6D) in 1964 seeing intermittent use before being placed in store. In 1966, a further move took her to the London Midland Region being allocated to Manchester Agecroft (9J) a few miles North West of Manchester which later closed in October 1966 which required 73050 to be transferred to Patricroft (9H), a few miles further west. By now, steam was well and truly on the way out and Patricroft shed also closed to steam on 1st July 1968 and 73050 was withdrawn. Having run for 825,000 miles and having been 'spotter reported' as being seen on every region of British Railways was placed in store to await the fate of the scrapman.
Preservation
Rev. Richard Paten, of Peterborough wanted to put a steam locomotive on static display as a memorial to the age of steam in Peterborough. Rev. R. Paten had seen similar static displays in mainland Europe. John Me Intyre, Principal of Peterborough Regional College offered a site at the College. On 5th August 1968, Rev. Richard Paten, in search of a suitable locomotive visited Patricroft Locomotive Depot, Manchester, accompanied by Harry Botterill, a Peterborough New England Depot Foreman. Acting on the advice of Harry, who knew the locomotive to be in good condition, Richard Paten purchased 73050 for £3,000. With steam officially finished on British Rail on 12th August 1968 BR originally insisted that the move should be made by road but they later relinquished. In preparation of its upcoming move was transferred to Newton Heath (9D) depot. No. 73050 travelled under the cover of darkness to Peterborough to avoid adverse publicity, arriving 20 minutes to midnight on the 19th September 1968 Rev Paten and friends visited New England shed to inspect the purchase the next day realized that the locomotive was in too good a condition to be 'wasted' standing on a plinth. It remained for 3 weeks at New England Shed and was then transferred to a siding at Peterborough East Station, where BR generously provided 6 months accommodation free of charge in the spring of 1969. The members of the East Anglian Locomotive Preservation Society established a Peterborough branch in March 1969. Baker Perkins offered a site on their private siding adjacent to the East Coast Main Line at Westwood Sidings. By February 1970 the Peterborough Locomotive Society was formed to take care of 73050. The Westwood Sidings connection were to be removed by BR and 73050 then stood there until 1971 and must have been seen by literally millions of rail passengers travelling through Peterborough..
On closure of Baker Perkins' siding in January 1971, No. 73050 moved on again - this time to siding space offered by the British Sugar Corporation at their Woodston Factory site. In 1972, the locomotive was steamed for the first time in preservation and soon afterwards, on 28th August 1972, was officially named City of Peterborough by the Mayor of Peterborough, Councillor Roy Topley. In the winter of 1972 during the sugar beet campaign a total boiler failure at the BSC Woodston Factory works brought No. 73050 into use as stationary boiler. In 5th September 1973, 73050's owner, Richard Paten, donated the locomotive to Peterborough City Council and its citizens on the understanding that it would be leased to the Nene Valley Railway for 99 years. On 8th April 1974 No.73050 was hauled by ‘Derek Crouch’ to Wansford. Until 1975 No. 73050 operated trains at Wansford Station on NVR Open Days when the boiler ticket expired, a thorough refurbishment was required. On 3rd October 1977 No.73050 was moved by BR to Peter Brotherhood of Peterborough at their Walton Works (Now the site of a retail park!), who’s Apprentices agreed to carry out the task. The NVR desired a return to the National Network but a BR ultrasonic test and found a flaw in the rear axle. The boiler came from No.73014 which was painted in Brunswick Green by ex-GWR Swindon Works, which persuaded the NVR to have 73050 in the same livery. On 20th April 1980 the boiler was reunited with its frames and in addition air brakes equipment was fitted during the work. With the work completed, on 16th July 1980, in immaculate BR Brunswick Green livery, No. 73050 moved in steam onto BR metals before being hauled by a BR Class 08 No.08209 diesel shunter locomotive to St. Botolph sidings via the Fletton Loop. No. 73050 returned to the NVR at Orton Mere before departing back to Wansford and entering regular service. On 30th June 1986, to mark the opening of the NVR Peterborough Extension, 73050 entered the new Peterborough Nene Valley Station driven by HRH Prince Edward. The locomotive was withdrawn from service in 1988 on expiry of its boiler certificate.
Thus began first the wait, the dismantling and inspection and then the long, slow task of rebuilding and return to steam. 73050 was worked on throughout the 1990s. In late 1999 the NVR membership had been invited to cast their votes as to whether the locomotive should be repainted in BR lined Brunswick green or in BR lined black livery which won in favour. In January 2005 work began to refit the boiler to the locomotive frame, on 26th May 2005 No. 73050 steam was raised and initially for the next month 'disguised' as a continental locomotive, for the TV filming of Agatha Christie‘s Poirot 'The Mystery of the Blue Train'. So 73050 City of Peterborough, at age 51, was officially back into NVR service on 2nd July 2005, in its original British Railways lined black livery and early crest and a new nameplate in the style of the Southern King Arthur’s. After taking part in the Steam Gala in September 2014, No.73050 was withdrawn from service with an expired boiler ticket. Dismantling started again in March 2017and on 19th April 2017entered the heavy engineering workshop, with the boiler removed on 9th August 2017, expected to return to steam in 2021.
The Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 was one of the 12 standard classes of steam locomotive designed by British Railways Chief Mechanical Engineer R A Riddles as a development of the LMS Stanier 'Black Fives' in the early 1950s. Ironically the ex-LNER Doncaster Works did the design work. The first of the class, 73000, was out shopped from Derby in April 1951. 172 were built between 1951 and 1957 of which most were built at Derby but 42 were built at Doncaster, starting in August 1955 and finishing in May 1957. Of the 172 Class 5MT there was six different Tender types and they had the Route Availability of 7. Allocated to All six regions of British Railways, the Southern Region members received the names off their King Arthur Class in 1959. The class withdrawal began in February 1964 until June 1968. Luckily five survived into preservation of which all now have returned to steam including 73096 which had a Mainline ticket and visited the NVR on 5th April 2003.
Locomotive History
73050 was the First of three BR Standard Class 5MT (73050 to 73052) to be built with the larger BR1G tender for working over the Somerset & Dorset route. 73050 had cost £19,655 to build, complete with tender, left Derby Works and entered service on 14th April 1954. The locomotive was specially chosen for display, in its BR lined black livery, at the 1954 International Railway Congress Willesden Exhibition. After the Exhibition 73050 was allocated to Bath Green Park (71G) for working to Bournemouth on the heavy gradients of the Somerset and Dorset Line sometimes piloted the famous "Pines Express”. The Western Region, having taken over the Somerset & Dorset line north of Templecombe in 1958, adopted a policy of re-routing the North-South through trains away from the Bath-Bournemouth route. As a result, the demand for passenger locomotives at Bath Green Park (82F) fell away and the more modern classes were moved elsewhere. Transferred for a 3-month spell at Gloucester (85B) in 1962 and found herself briefly at Llanelli (87F) in West Wales and was reallocated to Shrewsbury (89A/6D) in 1964 seeing intermittent use before being placed in store. In 1966, a further move took her to the London Midland Region being allocated to Manchester Agecroft (9J) a few miles North West of Manchester which later closed in October 1966 which required 73050 to be transferred to Patricroft (9H), a few miles further west. By now, steam was well and truly on the way out and Patricroft shed also closed to steam on 1st July 1968 and 73050 was withdrawn. Having run for 825,000 miles and having been 'spotter reported' as being seen on every region of British Railways was placed in store to await the fate of the scrapman.
Preservation
Rev. Richard Paten, of Peterborough wanted to put a steam locomotive on static display as a memorial to the age of steam in Peterborough. Rev. R. Paten had seen similar static displays in mainland Europe. John Me Intyre, Principal of Peterborough Regional College offered a site at the College. On 5th August 1968, Rev. Richard Paten, in search of a suitable locomotive visited Patricroft Locomotive Depot, Manchester, accompanied by Harry Botterill, a Peterborough New England Depot Foreman. Acting on the advice of Harry, who knew the locomotive to be in good condition, Richard Paten purchased 73050 for £3,000. With steam officially finished on British Rail on 12th August 1968 BR originally insisted that the move should be made by road but they later relinquished. In preparation of its upcoming move was transferred to Newton Heath (9D) depot. No. 73050 travelled under the cover of darkness to Peterborough to avoid adverse publicity, arriving 20 minutes to midnight on the 19th September 1968 Rev Paten and friends visited New England shed to inspect the purchase the next day realized that the locomotive was in too good a condition to be 'wasted' standing on a plinth. It remained for 3 weeks at New England Shed and was then transferred to a siding at Peterborough East Station, where BR generously provided 6 months accommodation free of charge in the spring of 1969. The members of the East Anglian Locomotive Preservation Society established a Peterborough branch in March 1969. Baker Perkins offered a site on their private siding adjacent to the East Coast Main Line at Westwood Sidings. By February 1970 the Peterborough Locomotive Society was formed to take care of 73050. The Westwood Sidings connection were to be removed by BR and 73050 then stood there until 1971 and must have been seen by literally millions of rail passengers travelling through Peterborough..
On closure of Baker Perkins' siding in January 1971, No. 73050 moved on again - this time to siding space offered by the British Sugar Corporation at their Woodston Factory site. In 1972, the locomotive was steamed for the first time in preservation and soon afterwards, on 28th August 1972, was officially named City of Peterborough by the Mayor of Peterborough, Councillor Roy Topley. In the winter of 1972 during the sugar beet campaign a total boiler failure at the BSC Woodston Factory works brought No. 73050 into use as stationary boiler. In 5th September 1973, 73050's owner, Richard Paten, donated the locomotive to Peterborough City Council and its citizens on the understanding that it would be leased to the Nene Valley Railway for 99 years. On 8th April 1974 No.73050 was hauled by ‘Derek Crouch’ to Wansford. Until 1975 No. 73050 operated trains at Wansford Station on NVR Open Days when the boiler ticket expired, a thorough refurbishment was required. On 3rd October 1977 No.73050 was moved by BR to Peter Brotherhood of Peterborough at their Walton Works (Now the site of a retail park!), who’s Apprentices agreed to carry out the task. The NVR desired a return to the National Network but a BR ultrasonic test and found a flaw in the rear axle. The boiler came from No.73014 which was painted in Brunswick Green by ex-GWR Swindon Works, which persuaded the NVR to have 73050 in the same livery. On 20th April 1980 the boiler was reunited with its frames and in addition air brakes equipment was fitted during the work. With the work completed, on 16th July 1980, in immaculate BR Brunswick Green livery, No. 73050 moved in steam onto BR metals before being hauled by a BR Class 08 No.08209 diesel shunter locomotive to St. Botolph sidings via the Fletton Loop. No. 73050 returned to the NVR at Orton Mere before departing back to Wansford and entering regular service. On 30th June 1986, to mark the opening of the NVR Peterborough Extension, 73050 entered the new Peterborough Nene Valley Station driven by HRH Prince Edward. The locomotive was withdrawn from service in 1988 on expiry of its boiler certificate.
Thus began first the wait, the dismantling and inspection and then the long, slow task of rebuilding and return to steam. 73050 was worked on throughout the 1990s. In late 1999 the NVR membership had been invited to cast their votes as to whether the locomotive should be repainted in BR lined Brunswick green or in BR lined black livery which won in favour. In January 2005 work began to refit the boiler to the locomotive frame, on 26th May 2005 No. 73050 steam was raised and initially for the next month 'disguised' as a continental locomotive, for the TV filming of Agatha Christie‘s Poirot 'The Mystery of the Blue Train'. So 73050 City of Peterborough, at age 51, was officially back into NVR service on 2nd July 2005, in its original British Railways lined black livery and early crest and a new nameplate in the style of the Southern King Arthur’s. After taking part in the Steam Gala in September 2014, No.73050 was withdrawn from service with an expired boiler ticket. Dismantling started again in March 2017and on 19th April 2017entered the heavy engineering workshop, with the boiler removed on 9th August 2017, expected to return to steam in 2021.