Scrapping of pre Grouping locos.

Yes, but in that case the computer seems to have a rather fuzzy definition of the distinction, as the two LSWR O2s finished in December 1966 in mainline service, but the computer apparently says March 1967, at which point they were in service with the engineers department!

Tom

 

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pregrouping, would that include the LSWR engines such as the radial tanks, the M7's most of these did not get cut up until the beeching cuts made them redundant, then of course there would be the last 02 in 1967 at ryde.

 

58143/48 and 82 were used on the Leicester West Bridge branch. Glenfield tunnel, on the branch, had restricted clearances. The locos were modified to suit. When they were withdrawn, two Standard 2 2-6-0s were modified and used until the line closed.

 

I was close then, take a tender away and I was there.

 

Fenchurch was older when withdrawn: built 9/1872, withdrawn 11/1963, at just over 91 years old. Like many of the elderly surviving Southern locos (the Beattie Well tanks at Bodmin, the Adams Radials at Lyme Regis, the last Terriers, Stirling 01 No. 65 etc) the survival has a lot to do with limitations on infrastructure imposing limitations on motive power best met by keeping small old engines in traffic. In the case of the Terriers, it was the restricted loadings on the Hayling Island bridge.

Tom

 

i thought we were talking scrapping date , not withdrawal date, because many older engines withdrawn on depot may have been stored for years before being cut up, now i should think that the only pregrouping engines left on BR in 1967 were those earmarked for preservation , so i would guess that the last pre grouping engine to be cut up has to be chale W31, the preservation movement was already in being by then, and any suitable engines would have been subject to preservation attempts.

 

I guess the most recently broken up (as opposed to cut up) pre group loco has to be GWR 2861.

 

True Tom, while they were indeed used by the engineer's departments I don't think that the two O2s were transferred to departmental stock unlike the SECR C class locos.

Nick

 

Both the FR and G&SWR suffered very early withdrawal of their indigenous locos .

 

LWSR B4 0-4-0T No. 96 (BR 30096) was sold out or service and worked until 1972 shunting a wharf in Southampton and named "Corrall Queen." It ourlived the O2s by five years. Thankfully, it wasn't scrapped and is now based at the Bluebell, reverting to its original name "Normandy".

As to the last surviving SE&CR Loco, "P" Class (31)178 was sold to Bowaters of Sittingbourne and was on their books as late as 1968, being re-named "Pioneer II". (It may have been longer than this. It' s just that the most recent pre-reservation picture of it in"Bluebell Steam in Retrospect" was taken on 30th July 1968, one year and 21 days after the world ended South of the Thames.) Whether it was still actually being used after 31592 was withdrawn, I'm not sure. Perhaps Tom will know.

 

I think Pioneer II made it until 1969, at which point it was withdrawn with a cracked cylinder block and was then taken into preservation at the Bluebell. So it lasted longer in operation than 592, but not as long as 96. I think it had been sold by BR into industrial service as early as the late 1950s though, whereas 592 was still in BR ownership and service up to August 1967, albeit only as a stationary boiler for the last few months.

Tom

 

re the Isle of Wight

the last Isle of Wight ex-LSWR O2 to steam under BR auspices was already withdrawn loco No. 27 Merstone on 18th April 1967, hauling a line of condemned O2s to the Freshwater yard at Newport for scrapping. this was after N0.24 Calbourne and N0. 31 Chale had been steamed for the last time for engineering duties.

for a few years until 31st December 1966 O2 N0.14 Fishbourne was the oldest loco in use on BR, and was used on the last passenger train on 31st December 1966. the Isle of Wight has a history of having the oldest locos in use, another example being ex IWR 'Ryde' of 1864 vintage withdrawn on 2nd July 1932 by the SR.

cheers,
julian

 

...and has maintained that tradition to the present day - admittedly, not locos but both generations of tube stock that have operated the line since 1967 are disticntly ancient. Still, these old LT units do the job.