A footplate man prepares to board preserved BR Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 steam locomotive amidst clouds of steam in Hampshire
Nine 9F locomotives avoided being scrapped at the end of steam traction on British Railways. Seven locomotives were obtained from Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. The other two were preserved upon withdrawal, with 92220 Evening Star reserved for the National Collection, and 92203 being purchased direct from BR by the noted artist and conservationist, David Shepherd in 1967. As of 2013, four of the locomotives have not been restored to working order since withdrawal: 92134, 92207, 92219 and 92245. All were stored rusting in the open air for 20 or more years, and had component parts removed. Most have since received at least some cosmetic restoration to prevent them from deteriorating further. However, the 9F was one of the largest locomotives to run on British railways, and the cNo. 92212 was one of the last 9Fs to be built, being turned out from Swindon in September 1959. First allocated to Banbury, it was transferred in June 1961 to Bath (Green Park) for working over the Somerset and Dorset route to Bournemouth, it was transferred to Ebbw Junction, Newport in September 1961 and then to Tyseley in July 1962.[8] It remained there until November 1966, when it spent its last months at Carnforth.[8] The locomotive was sold to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales, where it arrived in January 1968. It was then bought by 92212 Holdings Ltd, and moved to the Great Central Railway at Loughborough in September 1979. Restoration was completed in September 1996, and the engine is based at the Mid-Hants Railway. Following a major overhaul lasting just over two years, in which time it was purchased by Jeremy Hosking, the locomotive returned to operational service on 11 September 2009. 92212 was hired to the Bluebell Railway to provide cover during its current motive power shortage and is expected to remain there until the autumn of 2013. The locomotive returned to the Mid-Hants Railway in 2013 and was used during the winter season.
Size: 3184px × 3980px
Location: Alresford, Hampshire UK
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 9f, br, class, footplateman, locomotive, preserved, railway, steam
