A life from the Welsh to the Yorkshire valleys via the Capital

Arguably one of the most successful of the Great Western small tank designs, these versatile engines could be found at work all over the former Great Western system

Withdrawn by BR in 1963, 5775 found further use with London Transport before entering preservation away from its homeland in 1970.

A life in the Valleys to a life in the Capital

No. 5775 is a member of the largest class of steam engines designed and built for British main-line use. There were 862 built between 1929 and 1950 and they were generally regarded as the most successful of the Great Western small tank designs. They could be found at work all over the former Great Western system and although designed primarily for shunting duties they could also be found on local freight and passenger workings

No.5775 was built at Swindon in 1929 and during British Railways ownership was ‘shedded’ at Danygraig, Carmarthen and Pontypool Road. It was withdrawn from Pontypool Road in January 1963, when like several others of the class it was sold into private ownership. Some locos went to the NCB and several others including No. 5775, were sold to London Transport for use on the Underground system on mainly nighttime engineers’ trains. In the LT fleet, it received the London Transport maroon livery and took the number L89 and served in the capital until it was put up for sale in January 1970.

Fame and fortune on the big screen

The loco was purchased and moved to the KWVR in 1970, where fame and a place in the railway’s history were instantly found. The loco is probably remembered most affectionately by many for its appearances in the 1970 EMI film ‘The Railway Children’ starring Jenny Agutter as ‘Bobby’. It is seen hauling the Old Gentleman’s saloon and famously comes to a halt as ‘Bobby’ successfully attracts the driver’s attention to a landslip blocking the line. For this role, the loco sported the fictitious GN&SR (Great Northern and Southern Railway) caramel livery 

The loco has worn further liveries over its time on the KWVR from British Railways green to London Transport maroon, during which time it appeared in Last of the Summer Wine in London Transport livery (L89) but with KWVR on the side tanks.

In May 2014, No.5775 went to the NRM at York and Locomotion at Shildon to be repainted in the livery used in the original Railway Children film to coincide with the opening of the Railway Children stage adaptation in York and London. Upon its return from the NRM in 2017, it was put on static display at Oxenhope as part of the 50th Anniversary of the making of the film

2023 and No.5775 was moved to Haworth shed for a thorough evaluation to ascertain the work needed to bring the loco back to service. Since then, funding has been agreed and the loco dismantled with the wheelsets and boiler moved off-site for work. The cylinders have also been removed and a pattern is being made to allow the casting of new cylinders

Further progress on the restoration will no doubt be posted on the railway’s Facebook feed.