Power type Steam Builder Crewe Works Build date September 1942 | Designer William Stanier Serial number 154 (second series) Configuration 2-8-0 | |
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LMS Stanier Class 8F No. 8151, British Railways No. 48151, is a preserved British steam locomotive.
Contents
Overview
8151 was renumbered as 48151 by British railways after the 1948 nationalisation.
After completion at Crewe works in September 1942 she was allocated to Grangemouth shed until 1949 when she was transferred to Canklow (19C) shed where she was based until December 1962. Other sheds she was based at during her career also included Stavely (today the Barrow Hill roundhouse) Jan 1963-Apr 1964, Edge Hill in Liverpool from Apr 1964 to Mar 1966 and finally Northwich until she was withdrawn in January 1968 with a working life of just over 25 years. After being withdrawn she was due to be sent away for scrapping at a nearby scrapyard, however she was sent down to Barry scrapyard in South Wales where she remained for over 8 years.
She was bought for preservation in 1975 and was based at the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway for a number of years. She was eventually bought by David Smith and after her heavy restoration was completed she returned to steam in 1987, initially at the Midland Railway - Butterley. Shortly after resteaming, she was certified for mainline use and became a regular runner on the mainline. Since emerging from her most recent overhaul in 2010 she is as of 2016 operational on the mainline and is operated by West Coast Railways.
She even during part of her preserved career carried the nameplates "Gauge O Guild", these were however removed prior to the 2012 season as it was planned to have her look more authentic for the season and haven't been re-applied since.
Fame in Preservation
In Nov 1995 she was loaned for a short time to Tunstead Quary to haul a 975-ton train of hopper wagons, she also 5 years later in Dec 2000 worked a special one off freight train along the Settle and Carlisle line from Hellifield to Ribblehead Quarry where the hopper wagons were loaded and she then worked the loaded train on from Ribblehead Quarry to Carlisle. Also in 2000, she made her first operational visit to a heritage railway, when she visited the Great Central Railway for a brief period in June of that year, as well as making a brief visit back to Stavely the following month, now the Barrow Hill Roundhouse.
In Oct 2003 48151 worked her first train over Shap Summit since the end of steam in 1968, the charter was operated by The West Coast Railway company and ran from Carnforth to Carlisle via Shap both ways.
In Aug 2008 48151 worked the Liverpool to Manchester leg of The Fifteen Guinea Special which was celebrating 40 years since the ending of steam on BR in August 1968, she was covering for 45110 as her mainline certificate had run out. This was also to be the first time since 1966 that 48151 had visited Liverpool since being allocated to Edge Hill.
In Aug 2010 she became the first member of her class to work over the Conwy Valley Line. The train's were The Railway Touring Company's "Welsh Mountaineer" from Preston to Blaenau Ffestiniog running via Chester & Llandudno Junction, the section from Chester to Llandudno Jcn being tender first due to the train reversing direction at the junction alongside the fierce 1 in 47 gradient in the Blaenau direction. The engine has visited the route on a number of occasions in July and August 2011, 2012 & 2014 with other trips being worked by 45231 The Sherwood Forester, 46115 Scots Guardsman or 61994 The Great Marquess.
In Apr 2012 she worked the first steam railtour from Southport since 1991, the train in question was Compass Tours "The Roses Express" which ran from Southport to York traveling out via Eccles and returning via Bolton, 48151 was also the first member of her class to visit the resort as no 8F's were allocated to Southport's former 27C shed in steam days.
In Jun 2014, she worked only her second train over Shap Summit for the first time since Oct 2003, the train in question was The Railway Touring Company's "Cumbrian Coast Express" that ran from London Euston to Carlisle. The 8F took over the train at Carnforth and worked northbound over Shap's 1 in 75 to Carlisle with the return leg being via Whitehaven and Grange-over-Sands on the Cumbrian Coast and Furness Line's.