9F Mystery

Both locos appear to be well coaled so it looks as though their future use was planned but when did Crewe stop doing anything on steam locos? (Preserved one excluded.) The Flickr photo is dated 4/3/67. And why fully coal them at Crewe if they were going to another shed to be put into service?

 

I don't think there was much detailed planning towards the end of steam. I have a book somewhere on the Cambrian lines in which it records that a trainload of loco coal arrived at Aberystwyth shed a month after it closed to steam!

 

Would have kept the Vale of Rheidol locos running for a while !

Bob.

 

Certainly the only steam at Crewe at Easter 1968 was Evening Star in the paintshop (and I think there was an A4 outside in a siding which had some bits stripped off??)

 

60026? Was it still about as late as that?

 

No, scrapped in September 1967.

 

Ahh, maybe not then, possibly No7 before it’s move to Philadelphia?

 

60026 lay about at Crewe for about a year after moving from Scotland. It was partly cannibalised for 60007, which was being restored at the time. It turned up without a tender and other bits at our local North Blyth scrapyard in the summer of 1967, much to the astonishment of us all, just at about the time all of our local steam had ceased operating on 9th September.

 

An evening visit to Kingmoor September 1966 found 60026 laying over on its move to Crewe Works. No need for colour film in those days!

 

The last time I visited Crewe works 92220 was in the paint shop, and 60026 was dumped outside with the remains of 71000.

Bob.

 

Another bit to add regarding 42663. The weekend following the photo 42663 was damaged following a runaway incident at Mollington Street, where two dead locos mysteriously ran away down the shed yard and crashed into a Crab stored inside the shed. I think that 42663 was one of the runaways.
This was the final weekend of Birkenhead to Paddington trains and the shed was packed with enthusiasts. Perhaps somebody has a record of which 9Fs were on shed.

Bob.

 

For a moment I thought that WAS colour fim. Exactly how I remember it.

 

I have another question about 9Fs. I remember reading somewhere that 92220 Evening Star wasn't the last 9F, because 92219 came out of the works later.
Is there any truth in this?

 

There was a Hoo-Ha claiming 92220 isn't the same 92220 which left Swindon in 1960. Something to do with a heavy shunt and some over-active imaginations.

 

This is the "Heavy Shunt" damage. Photo taken at East Dock shed June 1965.

 

Ooh ... didn't realise it knocked the nameplate off! Very similar to the damage to another T3 (No.571 IIRC) which ensured it was No.563 that remains with us.