Hard Working Steam: Classes 3 and 4
 
 
Having previously covered Classes 1 and 2, it is now the turn of classes 3 and 4. In this category fall the more powerful small tank engines, the medium powered suburban tank engines, many of the older 4-4-0 classes, the odd 0-6-0 class, and the class 4 rated 2-6-0's and 4-6-0's. And once again, we visit a few branch lines, and secondary routes. Plus Summer Saturday holiday train workings on the main lines.

If this page seems rather lengthy, it is because many of my favourite classes of locomotive fall into the class 3 &4 category.
   
5700 CLASS 0-6-0PT no 3775..On 31st March 1959, I travelled home from Paddington to Kidderminster on the Cathedrals Express. At Worcester Shrub Hill, the Kidderminster 4 coach portion was taken forward by Pannier tank no 3775, with a crew who were intent on seeing how fast the loco could go. Down the grade beyond Fernhill Heath we reached 63 mph, and more vigorous running followed to Hartlebury and Kidderminster, reached 2 minutes early. An exciting 25 minutes.

5700 CLASS 0-6-0PT no 4666..On the East Devon Railtour from Waterloo on Sunday 28th February 1965, various Branch line options were available. I chose the option that included the Seaton branch (80041), and the Sidmouth branch, which also included the Otter Valley and Exmouth lines. 4666 was 13 late away from Sidmouth Junction, then called for a photo stop at Ottery St Mary. We then ran through Tipton St Johns, where the 1 in 50 gradient to the summit began. Even with a 4 coach load, it was hard work. We duly arrived at Sidmouth 11 minutes late. The return from Sidmouth, also 1 in 50 up to the summit, was a struggle, and we dropped 2 minutes to Tipton. Here the two portions of the train (The other had done Lyme Regis and Seaton branches) were joined, and the combined train continued to Exmouth (reverse) and Exeter Central with 41206 and 4666 double heading the 10 coach train. And hard work was needed up the 1 in 50 to the summit beyond Budleigh Salterton.
   
 
   
BR CLASS 3MT 2-6-2T no 82004..On Thursday 27th July 1955, I travelled from Newton Abbot to Kingswear on the 11.10am from Exeter St Davids. With a 6 coach load, the loco sounded impressive, but in fact we only just managed to keep the booked running times, and with station overtime at Churston, we were 5 minutes late into Kingswear. 26 mph at the summit beyond Kingskerswell, and 22 mph up the grade to Churston, were hardly impressive.
 
2251 COLLET GOODS 0-6-0 nos 2295, 2286 & 2264..On Saturday 24th August 1957, I travelled almost the whole of the Cambrian Coast line behind Collett 0-6-0's. On the 12.00pm Dovey Junction to Barmouth, 2295 had a well filled 6 coach load, dropping 4 minutes on the 60 minute allowance, wholly due to station overtime. At Barmouth, I changed to the 11.00am Ruabon to Pwllhelli, which came in 30 minutes late with 2286 and 2264 double heading an 8 coach train bulging with passengers. The pair ran extremely well, but for every minute they pulled back, more were lost through station overtime and delays crossing southbound trains. The pilot came off at Criccieth. We ended up minutes 55 late at Penychain, despite a 4 minute gain by the locomotives.
 
T9 CLASS 4-4-0 no 30707.. In 1956, despite the arrival of the BR Standard 4 moguls, the T9 4-4-0's were still doing much useful work in Hampshire. On 5th July, 30707 gave me a splendid and noisy run from Southampton to Brockenhurst on the 6.07pm Bournemouth "stopper". Hard accelerations away from each stop, and fast run ins turned a 2 minute late departure into a 2 minute early arrival.
 
L CLASS 4-4-0 no 31776...Possibly the noisiest loco I have come across. On Tuesday 3rd April 1956, on the 10.42am Ashford to Tonbridge "stopper", we were was 6 late away. But the loco was worked very hard, and with 5 intermediate stops, we were 1 minute early into Tonbridge. We reached 63mph before Pluckley, 68mph before Headcorn, and 62mph before Paddock Wood. The class were known as the "Germans", since 10 locomotives were built by Borsig in 1914.
 
5100 CLASS 2-6-2T no 5192..On 1st April 1955, I returned from Stratford on Avon to Tyseley on the 4.23pm to Birmingham Moor Street stopping service. The load was 6 non corridors. Vigorous running was necessary just to keep time. We reached 55 mph before Wooton Wawen. Who said stopping services were boring?
 
4F CLASS 0-6-0 no 44082.. A memorable "Duck 6" run. 44082 replaced an ailing member of the same class at Rotherham on the 9.20am Filey Camp to Kings Norton Saturday train. After delays to Chesterfield, we were 23 late away, and held or own with a 10 coach load, all the way to Birmingham New Street. The engine roared away past Hasland, with more of the same away from the Belper, Derby, Burton, and Tamworth stops. Another of those "never to be forgotten" days.
 
COMPOUND CLASS 4P 4-4-0 no 40932..My previous journeys behind Compounds hade been fairly tame affairs, but this was much better. On 6th December 1955, I had 40932 from Worcester Shrub Hill to Birmingham New Street on the 1.50pm from Gloucester. We were 9 minutes late away, and with some quite vigorous running, we cut that to 3 minutes late by New Street. We had a Jinty 0-6-0 banker up the Lickey, and reached our maximum speed of 64 mph at Northfield.
 
BR CLASS 4MT 2-6-0 no 76028..What splendid engine the BR class 4 moguls were, and are!. In July 1956, in Hampshire, I had several runs behind the class, one of which included a speed of 76 mph, and another involved a 10 coach load. On 4th July, 76028 worked the 4.30pm Bournemouth West to Brockenhurst, via the Ringwood line. Signal delays at Branksome and Holes Bay Junction, made us 7 minutes late away from Broadstone. But hard work, albeit with only 4 coaches, brought us into Brockenhurst just 1 minute down. We reached 65 mph between Wimborne and West Moors. I also had the same loco on the 8.10pm Southampton to Bournemouth stopper, on a 9 coach load as far as New Milton. We kept to schedule.
 
4300 CLASS 2-6-0's 4377 and 5369..On Summer Saturdays in the 1950's, Holiday services hauled by the 4300 class moguls often ran late. And it it was usually down to the locomotive. But Tyseley's 5369, and Machynlleth's 4377 were something quite different, at least if my experiences in 1957, 1958, and 1959 are anything to go by. On the Cambrian line services, they were superb. In August 1957, I had 4377 on the 5.40pm Machynlleth to Portmadoc, an 8 coach train filled to the brim. There was vigorous running between the stops, and a splendid climb "up the hill" to Llangelynin summit. On 2nd August, I had 5369 from Welshpool to Machynlleth on the 8.05am Birmingham to Aberystwyth, the highlight being 68 mph down Talerdigg bank. Two weeks later, on 16th August, I had 5369 again, this time from Birmingham to Welshpool on the 7.55am Birmingham to Aberystwyth. With 72 mph below Cosford, we went over the summit at Hollinswood at 41½ mph. On the same date, I returned from Machynlleth to Wolverhampton on 4377 on the 12.30pm Aberystwyth to Birmingham. We ran superbly as far as Westbury on Severn, but then we ran into heavy delays. All of the above were with 10 coach trains. A more substantial task was set 5369 on 4th July 1959. A 12 coach, 425 ton load, on the 9.25am Aberystwyth to Paddington. We were unassisted apart from a push from Westbury to Welshpool. How that locomotive fought it's way up to Hollinswood, and to the summit beyond Albrighton (mp 148)!. No Western loco ever sounded finer.
 
MANOR CLASS 4-6-0's 7817 and 7818: More Cambrian line services. But the Manor's were always associated with the Cambrian line, and Machynlleth shed always had a reputation for turning out well presented Manors.

On Saturday 24th August 1957, I travelled on the 7.55am Birmingham to Aberystwyth as far as Dovey Junction. 7818 Granville Manor had 10 mk 1's. We were checked by signals at West Bromwich, and lost a further 8 minutes by checks shortly after leaving Wolverhampton. Then we were clear to Welshpool, arriving 5 late, after 73mph beyond Walcot. An unscheduled crossing stop at Forden made us 15 late at Newtown, and then we took a banker (46523) from Moat Lane . After stops at Talerdigg (detach banker), and Machynlleth, we arrived at Dovey Junction at 11.27am, 11 minutes late. On 27th June 1959, I joined the Saturday "Cambrian Coast Express" at Wolverhampton, for a run to Welshpool. The 13 coach load had the double headed combination of 7817 Garsington Manor and 2-6-0 no 6367. The 70 minute schedule was a tight one. We did it in just under 68 minutes, with 77 mph below Cosford, and a very noisy 46 mph at Hollinswood summit. With nearly 230 tons per loco, it was excellent work.

The only other runs I had on Manors were 7813 Newton Abbot to Paignton, 7808 Reading to Swindon (railtour), and 7802 on the SLS Cambrian Farewell railtour.
 
 
 

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