9Fs in East Anglia

Just wondered, were 9Fs ever seen in East Anglia? Looking at the BR Database website, a few were allocated to March, and one (92014) spent some time at Stratford. Did they ever make it over in to Norfolk and Suffolk?

 

Looking at the RCTS book about the 9Fs, apparently not. The 9Fs allocated to March and 92014 worked March to Temple Mills trains, with a lot of restrictions in the Temple Mills/Stratford area. One interesting working on record was 92044 (31B) pulling a Bishops Stortford to Cambridge local passenger train on 7. 9. 55.
The only other regular workings by 9Fs were the block cement trains to and from the Purfleet area on the LTSR. These would travel up the East Coast main line then across north London. The locos were serviced at Tilbury depot.

 

I used to visit Tilbury shed from time to time. I remember the occasional 9F. There were also WDs there.

 

Didn't 9Fs also work oil trains from the Tilbury area in the late 1950s as I seem to recall ?

 

Would 92203 allocated to Weybourne count? We have a guy at work who was ex 31A I'll ask him if he remembers any 9Fs working over here.

 

Of course 9Fs would have no trouble there as Weybourne would be good M&GN track, not that flimsy GE stuff.

 

It was actually 92203 now being a permanent Norfolk resident that prompted me to ask the original question...

 

It's an intresting question, I'm trying to think of there being some traffic that would warrant the use of one over here.

 

I get the impression that other than Britannias, BR standard classes were not common in East Anglia.

 

Howzabout the Standard 4s on the LT&SR ?

 

Surely the Stanier 3-cylinder ones provided for that line's needs?

 

Is that Std 4 tanks or moguls?

On the subject of the Std 4 moguls, I think 76030-34 spent a number of years at Stratford and March, with '34 also spending some time at Norwich. Would these 5 have been seen in East Anglia whilst at Stratford and March, or were they more likely to have been seen round London and Cambridgeshire?

 

At the beginning of 1960 there were 28 Std 4 2-6-4 tanks allocated to LTSR sheds. 13 Fairburn 2-6-4 tanks were there, as well.

 

Other than the Brits, it looks like 76034 was the only Standard loco based in East Anglia. Now, I wonder where it worked to during its ten months at Norwich.
Apologies to 76084, which recently had a good run from Cromer, through East Anglia on its way to Carnforth.

 

For some of my childhood the LT&SR was my nearest railway. Those of us living along the Thames never considered ourselves to be living in East Anglia. That started way up North, past Maldon at least.

Incidentally the LT&SR saw a very varied range of locos on a summer weekend or bank holiday especially when the Illuminations were on. On such a morning there would often be an excursion train in every block queuing to unload at Southend Central. They were hauled by whatever one of the London sheds could find. Often 4Fs, Crabs, etc but less frequently exotica such as Black 5s or 8Fs.

 

Apologies for re-locating you into East Anglia but - as one from the northern climes - it has never been too clear where East Anglia began hence my thinking that it reached as far south as the Thames. My first visit to theLT&SR occurred when the electric service was introduced but had suffered problems leading to line services being operated by a veritable mix of EMUs; Stanier Class 4 2-6-4T; Standard Class 4 2-6-4T and Class 31/0. On this occasion also it was a Mystex from Leicester that had been powered by Stanier Class 5 to Cricklewood where it was replaced by Class 24 D5084 for the onward journey to Southend Central. Sadly I have no notes from that trip just memories in an ageing brain that still functions.

 

LT&SR was part of the L M S ,only transferred to the E R at nationisation.All loco's running on the LT&SR had to be fitted with the LT&SR type of AWS hence the change of loco's at Cricklewood. I had a similar run in the mid 1970s on a football special from Kettering ,45 to North London ,type 2 down to Southend. Unfortunately on changing loco's coming back the 45 walloped into the coaches ,no body noticed that it had become lock buffered with the first coach. We then set off up the Midland at speeds of 90 mph but were stopped at Bedford for a inspection due to complaints of rough ridding in the first coach,when all was revealed .Train was cancelled and we made our way home by a normal service train.

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Not correct, sorry.

Stratford had a batch of five Standard 4 2-6-0's allocated from new, 76030-76034, believe they were considered very useful by the ER, there are plenty of published photos of them in various locations including Liverpool Street, I know I have seen one photo I think in one of the John D Mann series published in the early 90's, of two of the class on shed at Walton on the Naze.

76034 was fitted with tablet catching apparatus for working on the M&GN whilst operating from Norwich and is also I believe documented as being present at Southend Victoria on the final day of steam on the Shenfield-Southend branch, Dec 30th 1956.

As for the Standard 2-6-4T, many of today's survivors are actually former LTSR locos, the allocations having been split between Plaistow, Tilbury and Shoeburyness sheds.

 

Wern't the Standard 4 tanks reallocated en masse to the Western when the LTSR was electrified? As you say this explains why so are still with us. I'd love to see standard tank back on the mainline again.

 

As has been mentioned previously, East Anglia is deemed to be Norfolk and Suffolk, not Essex.
Photographic evidence shows that 76030-34 probably all had recesses built into their cab sides for tablet catching apparatus, which was never fitted.
76034 could not have worked on the M&GN whilst at Norwich. It shut in 1959.