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London North Western
Railway:
Midland
Railway:
Stratford
Midland Junction Railway
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LMS Route: Nuneaton to Coventry
Foleshill Station: lnwrf1473
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British Railways Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 No 73003 is
standing at the up platform with a local passenger service to Coventry. Built
in May 1951 at Derby works No 73003 remained in service until December 1965
when it was withdrawn from Oxford shed to be scrapped by J Cashmore of Newport
in June of the following year. One of the standard classes of steam locomotives
built by British Railways in the 1950s, some 172 of the class were built which
was essentially a development of the LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 design. In
particular the standard design incorporated features adopted by the LMS under
Ivatt which were designed to make disposal easier: a self-cleaning smokebox and
a rocking grate removed the necessity for crews to undertake dirty and
strenuous duties at the end of a long shift. The design work was done at the
former LNER's Doncaster works but the bulk of the construction was undertaken
by Derby works. The locomotive featured a Type 3B boiler which was almost
identical to that of the LMS Black Five locomotives. A higher running plate,
slightly enlarged driving wheels (from 6 ft 0 in to 6 ft 2 in diameter) and a
standard cab which was much more enclosed were the most obvious visible
changes. The first of the class, No 73000, was outshopped from Derby works in
April 1951 and a total of 30 locomotives were in service by January 1952. There
was then a gap in construction before Derby works resumed building its
remaining order of 100 locomotives. Another 42 were built at Doncaster works
commencing in August 1955 with the last being built in May 1957. The last of
Derby's order of 100 locomotives followed a month later. Thirty of the class,
No 73125 to No 73154, were built with Caprotti valve gear and poppet valves
with one, No 73129 surviving today at Butterley, and along with BR Standard
Class 8 are the only engines with Caprotti gear left in Britain.
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