BR standard class 5 73050

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The preserved 73050, as seen in 2007

British Railways standard class 5 No. 73050 is a preserved British steam locomotive. Unnamed in service, it has been named City of Peterborough; it is owned by Peterborough City Council and operated by the Nene Valley Railway on a 99 year lease.

[edit] Locomotive History

73050 left Derby Works on 14th April 1954, and was chosen to represent the class at the "International Railway Congress, Willesden, London" between 26th & 29th May. After the exhibition, 73050 moved to its home shed of Bath Green Park to take up duties on the Somerset & Dorset (S&D) line from Bath to Bournemouth. 73050 was one of only 3 BR Standard Fives (73050 to 73052) to be built with the larger BR1G tender for working over this route - The only other locomotives to use these tenders were the large 9F, including the last steam locomotive to be built for BR, 92220 "Evening Star".

73050 sometimes piloted the famous "Pines Express". It remained on the S&D until 1964 when it was moved to Shrewsbury, before spending some time in store. In 1966 another move took 73050 to Agecroft, in Manchester, before finally ending up at Patricroft and eventual withdrawal in July 1968 having run approximately 825,000 miles.

[edit] Preservation

Letters in the Nene Valley Railway's archive indicate that 73034, 73053 and 73136 were also considered for preservation, but 73050 was finally selected by the Rev. Richard Paten to be preserved in Peterborough. 73050 moved from Manchester to Peterborough in steam on the night of 11th September 1968 (one full month after the end of steam on BR). The engine was on a siding at the old Peterborough East station. The reverend then borrowed a compressor, and the engine was driven along the siding, on a mere 40 psi of air. This was the embryonic start of the Nene Valley Railway that exists today. The Locomotive was stored at various locations around the city until in 1971 it moved to the British Sugar Corporations factory at Woodston. In 1972 it was steamed for the first time in preservation, being named City of Peterborough by the Mayor of Peterborough on 28th August 1972. Richard Paten then donated the locomotive to the City Council in 1973, who in turn leased it to the NVR for 99 years.

73050 continued to be steamed at various open days at the sugar factory and also steam days at Wansford until 1975, when an overhaul was required. During 1977 the locomotive was moved to the city based factory of Peter Brotherhoods, where a major overhaul was undertaken as an apprenticeship project over the following three years, returning to the NVR on 16th July 1980 now carrying the BR Brunswick Green livery carried by some of her classmates that had been overhauled at Swindon.

On the 30th June 1986, 73050 was driven by HRH Prince Edward when he opened the extension from Orton Mere in to Peterborough Nene Valley. By 1987 the locomotive required another overhaul, which was started in the early 1990s. This was a very heavy, thorough, and time consuming overhaul; The entire loco was dismantled. New manganese steel was fitted to the axlebox horns , the paint on the frames was found to peel off easily; all parts were painstakingly stripped back to bare metal and re-painted. Much of the old firebox had begun to develop cracks which required rectifying. Large patches of the outer firebox had to be cut out, along the bottom of each side, and up the corners at the rear. New patches were cut, shaped and welded in. A new smoke box was fitted by the NVR fitters, new boiler cladding and a new cab fabricated from laser cut parts and hot riveted together. Sadly most of the original copper pipework was stolen and all this had to be painstakingly made again from scratch. The engine's air brakes, fitted in 1979 were modified so that the engine's brakes work in conjunction with the air brakes when hauling a train. Every valve and component was dismantled and overhauled, with the intention of making the loco as reliable as possible for the future. The engine was returned to traffic in July 2005, before aesthetic completion. The locomotive is now in regular traffic on the NVR. As such, it appeared in a 2006 television adaptation of Agatha Christie's The Mystery of the Blue Train, disguised to appear as a continental locomotive.