R2715 BR 4-6-0 Standard Class 75000

The BR Standard 75000, a powerful workhorse and seen on the Midland, Western and Southern regions. The model is high in detail and strong on performance and includes pickups on all the wheels and a powerful 5 pole motor, which are so important for smooth running.

The BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0's were designed for mixed traffic use by Robert A Riddles, who held several posts in the railway industry between 1909 and 1953, interrupted by military service during both World Wars. His career began with an apprenticeship at Crewe in 1909, included working as a Principle Assistant to the great Sir William Stanier and ended as Chief Mechanical Engineer at the newly formed British Railways.

Designed at Brighton, with input from Swindon, Derby and Doncaster, a total of 80 Standard 4's were built between 1951 and 1957 at the BR Swindon works. A comparatively low axle weight of 17.5 tons made them suitable for almost all routes and regions. The Class as a whole were fitted with rocker grates, hopper ash-pans and self-cleaning smoke-boxes which helped make the end run disposal of steam quicker and cleaner.

Essentially, the final design for the lightweight Standard Class 4's were driven by the post war necessity to improve availability and reduce maintenance costs with both manpower and finance being in short supply.

Some locomotives and all the Class 4's allocated to Southern Region received double chimneys, following trials at Swindon which proved that steaming capacity was much improved. The final 9 due to be built were cancelled under the British Railways 'Modernisation Plan'.

Numbers 75000 - 75064 were allocated to the London Midland Region and Western Region fitted with BR2 or BR2A inset tender of 3,500 gallons as standard.

Numbers 75065 - 75079, allocated to Southern Region, came with BR1B tenders of 4,725 gallons due to the lack of trackside water troughs.

The first to be withdrawn was 75067 in 1964 and by August 1968 all 80 had been withdrawn. Five of the six surviving Standard 4's have been restored, two of which have been on mainline service. The sixth has still to be restored.