LMS Route: Trent Valley Line

LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

Nuneaton Shed: lnwrns1706

Ex-WD 'Austerity' 8F 2-8-0 No 90678 is seen at the rear of the shed next to the turntable having been coaled and watered for its return to the north. Built as WD No 79210 by the Vulcan Foundry in 1944 No 90678 remained in service until June 1967 when it was withdrawn from Wakefield shed to be scrapped during October 1967 by Cox & Danks of Wadsley Bridge near Sheffield. The War Department (WD) 2-8-0 was a type of heavy freight steam locomotive that was introduced in 1943 for war service. A total of 935 were built. The Austerity 2-8-0 was based on the LMS Class 8F, which until that point had been the government's standard design. Various modifications were made to the 8F design by RA Riddles including a boiler of simpler construction which was parallel rather than tapered and a round-topped firebox rather than a Belpaire firebox. The firebox was made of steel rather than the rarer and more expensive copper. The North British Locomotive Company of Glasgow built 545 and the Vulcan Foundry of Newton-le-Willows built 390. The North British Locomotive Company also built a larger 2-10-0 version. Most saw service with the British Army in mainland Europe after D-Day.

back