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British Railways Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 No 92023 fitted with a Crosti boiler is seen equipped with test equipment standing outside Rugby Locomotive Testing Station. Built at Crewe works in March 1955, No 92023 was to remain in service until November 1967 when it was withdrawn from 8H Mollington Street shed in Birkenhead. Designed for British Railways by Robert Riddles, the ten Crosti boilered locomotives were a sub-class of his Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 design and were all built at Crewe works in 1955. The Franco-Crosti boiler took the form of a single cylindrical water drum running along the underside of the main boiler barrel; the standard chimney at the front was only used during lighting-up, in normal working the gases went through firetubes inside the pre-heater drum that led to a second smokebox situated beneath the boiler from which there emerged a chimney on the right-hand side (fireman's), just forward of the firebox. The design did not deliver the hoped-for benefits, and efficiency was not increased sufficiently to justify the cost and complexity. Moreover, conditions were unpleasant on the footplate in a cross-wind, this in spite the later provision of a small deflector plate forward of the chimney. These problems led to the subsequent sealing off of the pre-heater drum, over the period 1959-1961, and the locomotives were then worked conventionally. As a result of this, there was a reduced ability to generate steam, and so their power classification was reduced from 9F to 8F. All ten members of the sub-class were fitted with the BR1B-type 4,275 imperial gallons tender. Despite their carrying redundant equipment and the availability of Stanier 8F 2-8-0 locomotives or Riddles Standard 9F 2-10-0 locomotives, all but one locomotive remained in service until November 1967 just nine months before steam locomotive power was withdrawn from British railways.
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