BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0

The BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0 is a class of steam locomotive, one of the British Railways Standard classes of the 1950s. They were physically the smallest of the Standard classes; 65 were built.

BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0
78030 at Crewe on station pilot duty, 1963
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerR. A. Riddles
BuilderBritish Railways Darlington Works
Build dateDecember 1952 – November 1956
Total produced65
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-6-0
 • UIC1′C 2h
Gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia.3 ft 0 in (0.914 m)
Driver dia.5 ft 0 in (1.524 m)
Length53 ft 2 1⁄2 in (16.22 m)
Width8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Height12 ft 9 1⁄2 in (3.90 m)
Axle load13.75 long tons (13.97 t; 15.40 short tons)
Adhesive weight40.50 long tons (41.15 t; 45.36 short tons)
Loco weight49.25 long tons (50.04 t; 55.16 short tons)
Tender weight36.85 long tons (37.44 t; 41.27 short tons)
Tender typeBR3
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity4 long tons (4.1 t; 4.5 short tons)
Water cap3,000 imp gal (14,000 l; 3,600 US gal)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		17.5 sq ft (1.63 m2)
BoilerBR8
Boiler pressure200 psi (1.38 MPa)
Heating surface:
 • Tubes and flues		924 sq ft (85.8 m2)
 • Firebox101 sq ft (9.4 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • Heating area124 sq ft (11.5 m2)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size16.5 in × 24 in (419 mm × 610 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort18,515 lbf (82.4 kN)
Factor of adh.4.9
Career
OperatorsBritish Railways
Power class2MT
Numbers78000–78064
NicknamesMickey Mouse
Axle load classRoute Availability 3
WithdrawnNovember 1963 – August 1967
DispositionThree preserved, one in the process of being rebuilt into BR Standard 2MT 2-6-2T, remainder scrapped

Overview

The design was derived from the Ivatt-designed LMS Class 2MT 2-6-0, with a reduced cab to enable it to fit into a universal loading gauge, and other standard fittings, most notably a taller chimney, others including the lack of an Ivatt dome and side plates connecting the two sections of the engine. Like the LMS predecessor the BR design had a tender cab to enhance crew protection and visibility when running tender-first. They were all attached to a BR3 type tender. These locomotives are often known by the nickname "Mickey Mouse".

Construction

Darlington works was responsible for building the entire fleet of 65 engines and for a time construction of the LMS and BR designs overlapped. The last No.78064 was completed in 1956 but the class remained intact for just seven years. Coincidentally the first to be withdrawn No.78015 was a Darlington-based engine.

Route availability

Like the LMS counterpart, the Standard Mogul was arranged for a low axle-loading of just 13.75 long tons (13.97 t). This allowed it to operate on most lightly laid routes and secondary lines. The route availability was 3. Some of the class had speedometers fitted.

Reputation

Among crews the 2MT 2-6-0 gained a reputation for being very sure-footed. Some maintained however that the engine did not steam well. The loudest complaint was about the draughty and dirty footplate. This was surprising given the efforts of Robert Riddles and his team to optimise working conditions in the Standards' cab layout.

Shed allocations

Two former Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway sheds, Bank Hall (Liverpool) and Wigan (L&Y), respectively designated 27A and 27D, received an allocation of the class. Bank Hall had 78041–44 which were used with great success on both slow and fast trains from Liverpool Exchange to either Preston, Bolton or Rochdale. The Wigan engines 78040/61–64 were used on stopping trains to Liverpool, Southport, Bolton and Rochdale. They replaced LMS 2P 4-4-0s and LYR 2-4-2Ts. On the former L&Y lines this class was generally employed on passenger work whilst the LMS class 2 2-6-0s were normally found on shunting and freight jobs until the mid-1960s. When the Cambrian section closed and other areas dieselised, other members of the class came to the former L&Y lines (some as replacements for those originally allocated to 27A and 27D). These included 78002 (in green livery), 78007, 78027 and 78057. Some of these were used on shunting duties from Bolton and Lostock Hall sheds. Number 78022 preserved on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway had a spell as Preston station passenger pilot whilst allocated to Lostock Hall.

Withdrawal
Table of withdrawals
YearQuantity in
service at
start of year		Quantity
withdrawn		Locomotive numbersNotes
196365178015
196464478005/09/48/53
1965601778000–01/04/06/11/14/24–25/27/29–30/32–33/35/42–43/54
1966433078002–03/08/10/16–19/22/31/34/36/38–40/45–47/49–52/56–61/63–64
1967131378007/12–13/20–21/23/26/28/37/41/44/55/62

Preservation

Four members of the class survived into preservation, however one member of the class (78059) is currently in the process of being converted to the tank version of the class.[1]

Number Built Withdrawn Service Life Location Livery Status Image Notes
78018 Mar 1954 Nov 1966 12 Years, 8 months Great Central Railway BR Lined Black, Late Crest Operational [lower-alpha 1]
78019 Mar 1954 Nov 1966 12 Years, 8 months Great Central Railway N/A Undergoing Overhaul [lower-alpha 2]
78022 May 1954 Sept 1966 12 Years, 4 months Keighley & Worth Valley Railway BR Lined Green, Early Emblem Operational [lower-alpha 3]
78059/

84030[2]

 Sept 1956 Nov 1966 10 Years, 2 months Bluebell Railway N/A Undergoing conversion into BR Standard Class 2 2-6-2T [lower-alpha 4]

Footnotes

Notes
  1. 78018: Built at Darlington North Road Works. Entered traffic on 3 March 1954 at West Auckland Shed (County Durham). Became famous for getting stuck in a snow drift during February 1955, which resulted in the film Snowdrift at Bleath Gill. Transferred to Chester Midland in April 1960; Workington in 1962; Willesden in May 1963; Nuneaton in September 1965; Shrewsbury before withdrawal on 12 November 1966. Spent 11 years at Barry scrapyard before being preserved at Shackerstone in November, 1978. Owned & rescued by the Darlington Railway Preservation Society in 1981 from Barry in Wales, after a 34-year restoration effort by the DRPS the locomotive was 85% complete, it was then transferred to the Great Central Railway in 2012 where the remainder of the work was carried out. The locomotive went back into active service on the GCR on 6 October 2016, owned by the DRPS and operated by the GCR. Boiler ticket expires in 2026.
  2. 78019: Built at Darlington Works. Allocated to Kirkby Stephen (51H), working on local and banking duties through the Lake District. Then Willesden (1A); Nuneaton (2B); and Crewe South (5B). Withdrawn in 1966, sold to Woodham Brothers, Barry, moving there in 1967. Sold to Severn Valley Railway in 1973, but only stored there before moving to and being restored at the Great Central Railway. Boiler ticket expired in May 2015 and is undergoing overhaul.
  3. 78022: Withdrawn for major overhaul December 2000. Having spent over a decade on display in the K&WVR museum at Oxenhope it was moved into Haworth workshops in 2014 in preparation for its long-awaited overhaul and its boiler was removed from the frames in early 2015. Running in commenced in August 2018 following 18 years out of traffic and entered active service in November. Boiler ticket expires in 2028.
  4. 78059/84030: Lost tender whilst at Woodham Brothers. After rescue to Bluebell, decision was taken to restore the locomotive in the tank-engine form, of which there are no surviving examples. The last BR standard class 2 2-6-2T was numbered 84029, this locomotive takes the next number in the sequence.

References
  1. "Bluebell Railway Locomotives - 84030". www.bluebell-railway.co.uk.
  2. "Bluebell Railway - Locomotives under overhaul". www.bluebell-railway.co.uk.

Further readings
  • Bradley, Rodger P. (1984). The Standard Steam Locomotives of British Railways. David & Charles. ISBN 0715383841.
  • A Detailed History of BR Standard Steam Locomotives, - Vol 2 - The 4-6-0 and 2-6-0 Classes. RCTS ISBN 0-901115-93-2
  • steamlocomotive.info
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