Top 10 | British Railways Standard Class Locomotives!
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- Опубліковано 13 лип 2024
- 🚂 This video looks at the Top 10 British Railways Standard Class Locomotives. Each of the Standards have a proud history, and here we look at each member of the fleet including all tender and tank engine examples. We look at their technical specifications, the routes they covered and the legacy they continue to forge today in the heritage era!
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📣 Leave a comment with your favourite things about the BR Standards and what you thought of the list! What order would YOU put the BR Standards in? 🤔
🙏 This video owes particular thanks to these sources, credited here and within the video -
- Lee Andrew Davies, who runs the successful Preservedrailway channel: shorturl.at/iELV8
- Ron Lovick from the Friends of the North Norfolk Railway Facebook Group
- Fangirlsince1988 for her always-excellent channel art and channel graphics AND footage!
👉 Visit these websites to find out about locomotive overhauls and new-build Standard projects!
- Clan Class 'Hengist' Project: www.theclanproject.org/
- Duke of Gloucester overhaul: www.theduke.uk.com/
- Class 3 Tank Project: www.82045.org.uk
- Class 2 Tank Project: www.bluebell-railway.com/brps...
*DISCLAIMER: All video/photos credited with video watermark and used under the assumption of fair use for newsworthy purposes/creative commons licenses and/or prior permission granted. All non-watermarked footage is own work and property of TrainsOnTheBrain*
🚂What are your rankings for the BR Standards? Comment below!🚂
I have definitely gained a new respect for the BR Standard classes. They really did feel like the epitome of steam, and their performances on heritage railways help to keep steam alive in Britain.
Absolutely Will. It's incredible when you think that their working lives under BR were really short in comparison to their predecessors. They still perform impeccably on heritage lines of course which is wonderful to see. Thanks for watching!
The skills involved in building these machines where phenomenal, as a retired engineer
diagnosed with terminal cancer, I really enjoyed this upload as a look back at the golden age
of British engineering.
Thanks for your work on this.
Thank you Rocky, really glad you enjoyed it. Hope you are doing ok in the circumstances and my very best wishes to you ❤️
An interesting and enjoyable overview of the BR Standard classes. Some points of clarification are required. The BR Standards never dominated the BR network in the 1950s. When they were schemed out in 1948/9 it was envisaged that they would have a working life of thirty years or more, gradually replacing older classes before electrification could be extended across all main lines. The Big Four were producing their own 'standard' and updated designs after WW2 right up until 1951, the BR Standards supplemented them. As it turned out the BR Standards only constituted 7% of the total stock of locomotives in the 1950s. Building and delivery proceeded slowly from 1951-1960 (steel prioritised for export, Korean War) by which time it was clear that the tide had turned against steam. They were dipersed right across the network, as intended, but the numbers were so small that they never had a chance to make an impact. They received a mixed reaction from crews and staff who preferred their tried and trusted existing locos.
Looking at individual classes,the Britannias were the most successful (along with the 9Fs). Here at least was the utilization that was originally intended. The bulk of the class were put to work on upgrading expresses in a region which had been somewhat neglected. They transformed services because they were bigger and better than any existing power and they were in sufficient numbers for crews to familiarize themselves with them. Combined with the enthusiastic management they showed what could be achieved in relation to rostering, mileages as well as performance. The batch sent to the Western were not so lucky. Here, they were divided between Laira and Canton. The Plymouth crews hated them. The Laira batch eventually joined those at Canton and because there were the numbers, they at least stood a chance of gaining acceptance which they did. The few Scottish Brits merely supplemented existing 'Scots' and 'Jubilees'
Tha Class '5' Pacific did emerge. It was the 6P5F 'Clan'. In 1948 the newly established BR was using the LMS power classification system.5XP was replaced by 6P, 'Scots' and 'Duchesses' becoming 7P and 8P respectively. A further batch was intended for the Southern Region, but what was exppected of them in the face of 110 'light' Bulleid' Pacifics is anybody's guess. The 'Clan' was neither fish nor fowl. It lacked the power and gusto of the Brit, and showed no advantage over the Jubilee or Black 5 and was said to be heavy on coal. One was trialled on GE Clacton service in 1958/9. It was sent back with a curt "no thanks" Polmadie got rid of its Clans in the first major cull of steam in 1962, Kingmoor's five hanging on until 1966.
The Standard Fives should have been a sure winner but again they met with a mixed reception. The Black 5 3B boiler was used, an outstanding steam raiser, married to a better chassis with slightly larger driving wheels and cylinders. What could go wrong? On the LM they compared less favourably than the tried and trusted Stanier 5. Having said that Scottish and Southern crews did get some excellent work out of them. Steaming wasn't as good as expected perhaps as a result of design work being apportioned to all of BR's works and something being lost in the coming together. The Class 4 4-6-0, although having the same boiler as the Standard and LMS 2-6-4 tank did not perform as well. Another cunundrum. Rectification belatedly arrived via Swindon with a double blastpipe chimney albeit too late. Class 4 and Class 2 moguls were excellent successful locos but could hardly be otherwise based as they were on identical LMS designs. The 9Fs were arguably the best of the Standards, ironic as there was little that was standard about them compared to the others. They rank amongst the finest steam designs ever, the modificaions (double chimney, crosti boiler, mechanical stoker, Giesel ejector) proving to be of no avail and too little too late.
Thanks very much for your brilliant comment, I hung on every word and really appreciate the points of clarification, particularly the old stories about how crews were finding them! It’s interesting to see how the crews found them compared to other members of existing fleets - I’ve heard differing accounts over the years but perhaps some of those came from younger crews, who in theory wouldn’t have known much different if they just starting out. It does seem remarkable that 999 of them were built and had such comparatively short working lives.
@@trainsonthebrain You're welcome. One of the factors that separates railways from other modes of transport (apart from the obvious of course!) is that the trains themselves depend on an enormous infrastructure of permanent fixed assets in a way that other modes of transport do not, well not to nearly the same extent anyway. By the time the 1950s came round, changes were taking place in the short space of five years that in previous times, certainly before WW2 and earlier used to take twenty-five years. So by the time the Standards were hitting the rails, they were obsolete, almost dead in the water and with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight it is easy to understand that now. I prefer to remember them for what they were. Another episode in great saga of British steam locomotive development.
If you want to know more. The most comprehensive and exhaustive overview of the BR Standards is to be found in a four volume series from the RCTS ttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Detailed-History-Railways-Standard-Locomotives/dp/0901115770/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NVLYJGPT3WE7&keywords=BR+Standards+RCTS&qid=1678182613&s=books&sprefix=br+s
For a personal overview of the Standards by those who knew and worked with them, this DVD is one of the best there is:
www.amazon.co.uk/Power-BR-Standards-Transport-Publishing/dp/B001M8GTF4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2Z4QGE35JVF12&keywords=Transport+videos+BR+Standards&qid=1678182792&s=dvd&sprefix=t
You'll probably have to do a bit of tracking down, but well worth it.
Based on my (fairly good) knowledge of British steam (I'm an Aussie that *_LOVES_* British stuff) my favourite Standards would have to be as follows:
*#1* Class 9F
*#2* 4MT Tank
*#3* 2MT Tender (in particular 78018 - a Barry survivor that I've ridden behind at the GCR)
*#4* Britannias. I've ridden behind 70013 "Oliver Cromwell" at the GCR.
*#5* This is hard to pick for a Standard. I'm thinking the 4MT Tender, as to me, the 5MT was just a modified LMS Black 5 that didn't look as good. The Black 5 was as near to perfect as you could get for its time.
I have a favourite class from each of the Big Four, but that's for another discussion. 🚂🚂
All very worthy picks 👍 Nice to get a comment from an Aussie too, g'day!
My number 1 ranking goes to the Standard 4MT tank, this was the most versatile locomotive on BR in later days which was equally at home on short branchline trains, suburban traffic, goods and light express work on shorter routes.
Also in preservation they are very useable as they pull up to 9 coaches on even the steepest of preserved railways, and do so at relatively low coal consumption and maintenance costs.
Number 2 is the 9F, number 3 the 4MT 2-6-0.
The Duke only got good in preservation, but is a formidable performer now, it can hold up next to a Duchess or even outperform them.
Me too!
So happy that the Britannias got 1st place.. they are both my favourite standard type and my favourite locomotive class of all time..
The only choice 😁 glad you liked it!
Shame they are so unreliable
@@liammcgrath2306 and?
The fact that I liked this so much I initially forgot to hit the like button and save it to one of my private playlists.
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!
Very well documented video and great to see that a good number of these BR classes are in preserved condition.
As an enthusiastic 'train-spotter' when a boy in the 60's, I saw many of these locomotives on the Southern region. Only ever 'copped' one Britannia class though, 70051 'Firth of Forth'. Boy, was I 'over-the-moon' to see that! Such a rare loco on Southern rails. Thanks again for a terrific video.
Thanks very much Brian, lovely to read about your time trainspotting in the 60’s too. I often feel like I might have been born in the wrong era, would love to have been around seeing these beasts in their prime!
Great video , Crewe born and bored so its great to see locos built at Crewe.
Cheers Colin! It’s nice that even today Crewe is such a massive railway hub - even steam engines are still stabled there (Locomotive Services LTD I think!). Hopefully it’ll be a bustling rail haven for years to come!
Absolutely my favourite locos, and my 00 gauge collection reflects this. This video is heaven for me 🤩
Glad you liked it Adrian! I bet you’ve got quite the 00 collection too. This was a lot of fun to pull together - hoping to do some similar videos shortly for the Big Four companies so watch this space!
My BR Standards list is:
1) Standard 5MT 4-6-0
2) Standard 8P 4-6-2 'Duke'
3) War Department 2-10-0
4) Standard 2MT 2-6-0
5) Standard 4MT 2-6-0
6) Standard 9F 2-10-0
7) Standard 4MT 4-6-0
8) Standard 3MT 2-6-2T
9) Standard 7MT 4-6-2 'Britannia'
10) Standard 2MT 2-6-2T
11) War Department 2-8-0
12) Standard 6MT 4-6-2 'Clan'
13) Standard 4MT 2-6-4T
14) Standard 3MT 2-6-0
Great list Luke!
Those are the good old days, train spotting at Shrewsbury Station in my younger days.
On my to do list to visit. Wouldn't mind spending an hour or so in the giant signal box.
I caught the Mansfield/Worksop to Nottingham Midland Station on a number of occasions, as trainspotters were not allowed on the station with a platform ticket. The haulage was normally a Standard Class 2 tender loco. Number 78018 (now at the Great Central Railway, was featured in a film called 'Snow Drift At Bleath Gill' which can be seen on UA-cam.)
That must’ve been a great time to be around as a spotter especially in the last days of steam. I do sometimes feel as though I was born in the wrong era! I’m going to have to check that film out now as well, thanks for the tip off!
Evening Star and Oliver Cromwell make me a little sad, they both significant in the end of steam, one was the last of its kind and the other closed the door on British steam, I guess that’s why I love them both and why Evening star is my favourite locomotive of all time, both gave steam one last hurrah before it died
1. 9F
2. 8P Duke of Gloucester
3. 7P Brittania
4. 4MT tank
5. 2MT tender
6. Standard Class 5
7. 4MT tender
8. 2MT tank
9. 3MT tank and tender
10. War Department 2-8-0 and 2-10-0
A superb presentation, great footage and well researched. Thank you!
Thanks Philip, enjoyed pulling it together 👍
Beautiful loco’s 😍 nice video mate!
Thanks pal 👍
Nice one! Very entertaining, thank you :)
Thanks pal, hope you’re well!
Excellent summary, thank you.
Thanks very much Steve, glad you enjoyed it 👍
Lovely video Nick!!!
Cheers Jacob, really happy with this one!
Loved this informative show. Have you created one on the early BR Modernisation and prototype fleet of engines.
Thanks very much Peter, glad you enjoyed it and thanks for that great comment. I haven't but that's a great idea to consider 👍
Awesome video!!
Thanks very much CSX!
British Railways did what they did to the WD locomotives to th 16Ton mineral wagons built during WW2 for the MOT/MOWT.
Hmm, l enjoyed that.
Subbed. 😊👍🏻
Welcome aboard! 👍
Another good video :)
Thanks very much Simon, hope you’re keeping well 👍
Thank you for explaining the complicated minefield that is the standards. Personally I feel BR could have rationalised the number of designs further and stopped building them earlier, so as to concentrate on the incoming diesel and electric designs.
That said, I do like a BR standard engine. Who doesn’t remember with fondness the Hornby models of Oliver Cromwell and Evening Star?!
Thanks very much David, really glad you enjoyed it! It was certainly a muddled practice at the time now you mention it - for instance, why build the 9Fs when their working lives would have been knowingly quite short? Then again when wouldn't have had gems like Evening Star etc. Perhaps more of them could have been stored for preservation rather than cut up. Hindsight is a beautiful thing!
But, of course, dieselisation meant imported oil. Hmmm
Funny thought Oliver Cromwell was a round head ?😆 totally cracking video Nick..top stuff !👌👌
Indeed!! Probably more fondly remembered for being a locomotive 🤣 Thanks Paul!
In naming the Britannias, the number 13 must have been something of a headache for those responsible. An unlucky number, so what name to give it? Ah, I know, why not "Oliver Cromwell", he was a bit unlucky for the population at the time? Brilliant! That's what we'll call it. And so a legend was born. But who engineered that particular engine's survival, and why, when there were 53 others available to choose from? Many will say: "It just worked out that way, because of works' schedules, and its place in the overhauls queue." But I do wonder........
my list of standard is
1. 4 mt tank
2. 3mt tank
3. 9f
4. 7mt ( britannia )
5. 5mt ( black 5 )
the rest any order you like all wonderful locomotives in their own right.
The only reason I the put the 4mt and 3 mt tanks at the 1 and 2 spot is its always the large tendered locomotives that always get the recognition. we must also remember that BR finished the remainder of the bullied west country/battle of britain class with its sexy brown and firth wheels.
Good list Paul! Quite right, I think the 4MT tank especially deserves a lot of recognition. Hope you enjoyed the video, thanks for commenting!
yes I did enjoy the video excellent work. thank you. The engine that made me love the standard 4 mt tank so much was the fairburn, the engine that made me love the fairburn was the southerns large tank locomotives especially the w class. Just wish Hornby or Bachmann would release some models in ready to run form as I can't scratch build any more
For me, it's got to be the 9F, useful on both heavy freight and passenger turns if needed! Isn't there a story somewhere where one 9F got clocked at over 90mph on a passenger run? And then the whole fleet got restricted to 75mph!
I’ve heard that before as well! 75 is still quite impressive for a best of that size. What brilliant machines.
mint👍🏻🚂
Cheers! 🍻
Why ‘top ten’ there were only 12 standard classes, including the singleton duke of Gloucester. If you want to include the austerities, describe then as ‘riddles locomotives’. Conversely, the tank and tender versions of similar power class locos have always been regarded as separate cases. That said, this is a super video, many thanks.
Thanks Brian, all noted, glad you enjoyed it!
Riddles and his team did some good work merely upgrading successes like the black five but coming up with all new masterpieces like the Britannia and the 9F. But why on earth in a supposed push for standardisation in they produce a dozen different classes? One of the big advantages of steam engines is their versatility and ability to carry out a wide range of tasks. To produce all those but each defined for a narrow job was ridiculous and any operational fuel saving from having an engine designed exactly for that specific job would have been swallowed up in design, machining, crew and shed staff training, spare parts supplies and maintenance. For example there was nothing the clans could do that Britannias couldn't do better. And just two tank engines could have carried out the full range of required duties
Great post Andrew! From what I can gather, one of the main reasons for different classes were mainly things like different loading gauges in different lines. For instance, it would make sense to only build one version of a standard tank like the Class 4MT tanks, but they’re too heavy for some lines, so those jobs would with go to locomotives previously part of the big four, or lighter standard classes. At least in theory!
Some of the Standard fives had Caprotti valve gear.
Thank-you!
Please, which didn't get into the top ten? Perhaps, why?
Thanks John! I think that’s actually covered all classes in the ‘Standard’ range - there are no others to my recollection (keep in mind some entries are combined, like the Standard 3 Trent and tank variants). So hopefully no omissions. Tough to nail down the list but fun to make!
Very good! Although I hear nothing but issues with the Brits nowadays, always breaking down.
Great vidéo 👍 +148
Thank you! Merci!
And thank you very much for subscribing to my channel by the way, I have done the same in return! I hope 2021 is a great year for both of our channels!
They deserve to be rebuilt for excusrion!
They are getting ready to get the duke back on the mainline once again Nick and that loco is having both names Robert riddles name on one side and duke of Gloucester on the otherside
They sure are - can’t wait to see it in action again!
@@trainsonthebrain yeah and vintage trains are having that engine
Gotta love steam trains :P
You’ve got to indeed! 🥂
Can you do LMS locomotives after?
Thanks Steven! Absolutely - I’m currently building a content schedule around my work schedule and a similar LMS-themed version of this is definitely on my radar. Watch this space. Thanks for watching!
Wait a minute there like 5 or 4 2mt tanks still around you dirty little diesel