BR ex-WD Austerity 2-8-0

The British Railways (BR) ex-WD Austerity 2-8-0 was a class of 733 2-8-0 steam locomotives designed for heavy freight. These locomotives of the WD Austerity 2-8-0 type had been constructed by the War Department, as war locomotives 1943–1945. After the war, they were surplus and so in 1946 the LNER bought 200 of them, classifying them as LNER Class O7, and by the end of 1947 when the LNER was nationalised, had taken another 278 O7s on loan. After nationalisation, BR purchased 533 more 2-8-0s, including all of those on loan, giving a class total of 733. As many of these needed overhauling before being put to work, they were activated slowly. BR chose to reclassify from LNER Class O7 and renumbered them from the 6xxxx LNER series in the 90000–732 series for BR standard designs.

BR ex-WD Austerity 2-8-0
90474 at Woodford Halse, 1964
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer R.A. Riddles Builder North British Locomotive Company Vulcan Foundry Build date 1943–45 Total produced 733
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-0  • UIC 1′D h2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 3 ft 2 in (965 mm) Driver dia. 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Length 63 ft 6 in (19.35 m) over buffers Axle load 15 long tons 12 cwt (34,900 lb or 15.9 t) Adhesive weight 61 long tons 5 cwt (137,200 lb or 62.2 t) Loco weight 70 long tons 5 cwt (157,400 lb or 71.4 t) Tender weight 55 long tons 10 cwt (124,300 lb or 56.4 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 9 long tons 0 cwt (20,200 lb or 9.1 t) Water cap. 5,000 imperial gallons (23,000 L; 6,000 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 28.6 sq ft (2.66 m2) Boiler pressure 225 lbf/in2 (1.55 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 168 sq ft (15.6 m2)  • Tubes 1,068 sq ft (99.2 m2)  • Flues 451 sq ft (41.9 m2) Superheater: ​  • Type 28-element Melesco  • Heating area 298 sq ft (27.7 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 19 in × 28 in (483 mm × 711 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type 10-inch (250 mm) piston valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 34,215 lbf (152.20 kN)
Career Operators War Department London and North Eastern Railway British Railways Power class 8F Numbers 90000-90732 Axle load class Route availability 6 Withdrawn 1959-1967 Disposition All scrapped.

Naming

90732 was named Vulcan after the Vulcan Foundry.

Classification

BR considered them as standard classes, numbering them in the numbering series allocated for BR standard classes, assigned them the boiler diagram BR10; while their tenders were assigned the diagram BR5. BR built 53 new boilers at Crewe between 1951 and 1954.

Operation

The class were used almost entirely on freight services, and were always unusual on passenger work. Well over half the total number were always on the former LNER system, from East Anglia up to Scotland, and there was also a large number across the former Lancashire & Yorkshire railway depots. Some were initially used on the Southern Region, but later left there, while another smaller group was on the Western Region for much of their lives. The Scottish ones later spread from just the ex-LNER lines across the rest of the Region.

Accidents and incidents

• On 16 January 1958, locomotive 90277 was standing foul of the line at Preston when it was run into by a passenger train due to a signalman's error. The passenger train was derailed, 90277 ended up on its side. Thirteen people were injured.

Withdrawal

The engines were withdrawn from service as follows:

Year	No. withdrawn	Nos
1959	1	90083
1960	2	90062 etc.
1961	0
1962	80
1963	97
1964	125
1965	201
1966	104
1967	123

Preservation

Preserved Austerity in British Railways livery and carrying a BR series number, was actually never a BR engine.

None of the BR Austerity 2-8-0s was preserved. However, one Austerity 2-8-0 (out of a total of 935 engines) has survived; WD No. 79257. This has returned to Britain via the Netherlands and Sweden, and has been restored to original condition and given the "BR number" 90733. It is based at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.

See also

• BR ex-WD Austerity 2-10-0
• WD Austerity 2-8-0

References

• Roger Tourret Allied Military Locomotives of the Second World War
• Willie Yeadon, Yeadon's Register of LNER Locomotives Vol.15: Class J94, O6, and O7 the engines from the years of expediency. Challenger, 1999

Notes