A few of the 8Fs survived to the end of steam in 1968. No. 48305 was built in November 1943. In 1950, it was working from Wellingborough shed on the coal trains to Brent Sidings, Cricklewood, and to Toton. In April 1957, it was transferred to Northampton, remaining there for the next 5½ years until its next transfer to Crewe South in December 1962. After 2 years there, it went to Northwich for 3 months before it made its final transfer to Speke junction in Liverpool. It was withdrawn from there in January 1968 and arrived at Woodham’s scrapyard at Barry in September 1968. Whilst at Barry, it became well known as the engine with the slogan “please don’t let me die”, and the crying face on the smokebox door. It remained at Barry until it was transported to Loughborough, the engine arriving at Quorn on November 20th 1985. and the tender followed on April 22nd 1988. The restoration was completed to BR unlined black livery in early 1995 The engine visited the Midland Railway centre that summer, returning via Toton wheel lathe. After a few years away, the engine returned to the Great Central Railway in April 2006.

The BR standard 2 moguls are a direct development of an earlier LMS design. Darlington built 65 of this class in the 1950s for use in many parts of Britain. Completed in March 1954, 78019 was initially based at Kirkby Stephen, and spent six years working the lines through the Pennines and the Lake District. Line closures saw the engine gradually moving south, spending time at Wigan Springs Brach, Northwich and Willesden in London, before heading north to Nuneaton, and finally Crewe South shed. Withdrawal was in November 1966, and the engine was moved to Barry scrapyard early the following year. The engine spent six years at Barry, before purchase by a member of the Severn Valley Railway. It arrived at Bridgnorth on the 10th March 1973, and like many of the early departures it came complete. Other priorities prevented the SVR restoring the engine. In 1998 the engine, was moved to the GCR for restoration. The agreement will see the engine working on the GCR for ten years after restoration.

(Loughborough engine yard)

Pentax K-X
Pentax 18-55mm lens
ISO-200
Cable release and bracket mount
Tripod

HDR in Photomatix Pro 3.26 – from 6 manually bracketed RAW files at -3, -2, -1, 0, +1. +2 ev

Tags: Transport Locomotives

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