The Austerity 2-10-0 locomotives were developed from the 2-8-0 WD locomotives by Robert Arthur 'Robin' Riddles for the Ministry of Supply. They were intended for use by the British Army overseas during and after World War 2. Two batches were built by the North British Locomotive Company at a cost of £12,500 each. The first batch of 100 were delivered between 1943 and 1944, whilst the second batch of 50 were delivered in 1945.
The design for the 2-10-0 was started in 1942. The brief was to be easy to prepare for work, easy to maintain and drive, and to be efficient. The locomotives were designed as a military tool and it was reported that Sir Alan Mount, the then Chief Inspecting Officer for Rail, had clearly stated that they weren#t to be used on Britain's railways. Riddles retorted that he did not care if the engines were pushed into the sea once the war was won!
With Nationalisation in 1948, the British Transport Commission decided to purchase 25 of the 2-10-0s that were still owned by the War Department. These were officially listed as running stock in December 1948, although most were kept in store until 1949-50. These BR examples were allocated to LMS sheds, mainly in Scotland; and survived until withdrawals between 1961 and 1962.
Of the original batch of 100, one was allocated to the Longmoor Military Railway, and 20 were shipped out to the Middle East. The LMS received the remaining 79 until they were needed in continental Europe in late 1944. The second batch of 50 entered service between March and September 1945 to bolster the fleet.
After the war 103 engines were sent to the Netherlands and reclassified as NS 5000 Class and operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), 25 came back to the UK under British Railways ownership, 16 were bought by Hellenic State Railways (SEK) in Greece. Four ended up in Syria working for the Chemins de Fer Syriens (CFS) and known as CFS Class 150.6 and the final two were 600 'Gordon' and#601 'Kitchener' which resided at the Longmoor Military Railway.
Of the 150 locomotives built eight survive today. Not surprisingly the majority of the surviving
2-10-0's are Greek examples, of which 2 have been brought back to the UK, bringing the
total on UK soil to three. Both 951 and 960, better known in the UK as 90775 'The Royal Norfolk Regiment' and 3672 'Dame Vera Lynn', were fortunate enough to be repatriated and join ex- LMR 600 'Gordon' back on home turf. 90775 can be found hauling passengers through the picturesque views of north Norfolk on the North Norfolk Railway. It is currently the only operational UK based 2-10-0. 600 'Gordon' takes pride of place in the Engine House at Highley on the Severn Valley Railway where the locomotive can be seen
up close. Finally 3672 is currently undergoing a major refurbishment at the North Yorkshire
Moors Railway having just received an overhauled tender.
Overseas the 5 Ex-pat WDs are in various states of repair. 955 (3656), 962 (3677), 964 (3682) and 958 (3659) are all stored in various states internally and externally in Thessaloniki - Greece, having operated on the Drama to Xanthi line. However, 73755 is the sole surviving Dutch example that is proudly displayed in the Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum in Utrecht, currently in WD khaki green and was the 1000th WD locomotive to reach the continent.
Built for the Ministry of Supply in July 1945 and delivered as number 73791 with works number 25637. The locomotive#s first British Railways allocation was to March shed. While here, in 1948, the locomotive was renumbered 90767.
On the 6th August 1950 the locomotive was allocated to 68A Carlisle Kingmoor, then followed by allocations to 66A Polmadie and finally 66B Motherwell where it remained until withdrawal on 29th December 1962. From here 90767 was moved to Darlington locomotive works for scrapping.
- Die-cast Boiler, Smokebox & Chassis
- Brass & Plastic Constructed Tender
- Injection Moulded Cab & Fine Details
- High Quality Coreless Motor
- Finely Applied Separate Pipework
- Separately Fitted Cab Backhead Detailing
- Individual Specific Locomotive Details
- Separate Fire Irons included
- Fully Detailed Wheels & Axles
- Working Sprung Screw Link Couplings
- Sprung Buffers
- Left & Right Hand Drive Locomotives
- Finely detailed external and underside detailing
- Brass Bearings fitted to all Axles
- Firebox Glow
- Metal Cylinder Liners for Smooth Operation & Longevity
- Plug 'N' Play Next18 DCC Easy Access Harness
- Fully Removable Front & Rear Tension Lock Coupling
