Spa Valley Railway

Spa Valley Railway, West Station, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5QY
Telephone: 01892 537715
Email: enquiriesatspavalleyrailway.co.uk
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(Photo © T. Harrison)

GWR 57XX Pannier L.99 (7715)

GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7715, Built 1930,
Wheel Arrangement - 0-6-0PT (Pannier Tank)
Kerr Stuart & Co. Stoke-on-Trent, England
Works No. 4450
Driving Wheel Diameter - 4ft 7½in
Cylinders - 17½in x 24in
Stephenson valve gear
Nominal Tractive Effort - 22,515lbs
Weight in working order - 47 tons 10c
Boiler Pressure - 200 PSI
Route Availability - Blue

The Pannier tank is probably one of the best known British tank engine and became one of the mainstays for the GWR in shunting yards, light freight workings and local passenger services across the whole system.

7715 was outshopped from Kerr Stuart & Co. works in 1930, shortly before the company was absorbed by Hunslet Engine Co. The engine was one of twenty five built by the company.

For the majority of its life, 7715 was based at St Blazey in Cornwall where the engine worked local pick-up freights and china clay trains. In its latter years on the national network, 7715 was based at Duffryn yard, Port Talbot.

Between 1958 and 1963 a number of 57XX panniers were sold to London Transport and saw use in and around Neasden and Lillie Bridge yards. The engines also saw use on works trains around the network. 7715 was one of the last of the class to arrive at LT in 1963, where it was renumbered L.99 and repainted into LT Maroon; a colour which it has carried in preservation.

On 2nd January 1970, 7715 was preserved by Buckinghamshire Railway Centre where it was pressed into service immediately that year. Having received an overhaul in 1972, the engine worked until 1979 when it became due for a heavy overhaul. Since then, it has received a further overhaul to bring the engine up to mainline standards, where it has returned to London Transport to haul steam specials from Neasden.

Undergoing another overhaul in 2003, the engine was outshopped in GWR green. Withdrawn from traffic requiring further work, the engine has undergone further repair at South Coast Steam, Portland, under a restore and run agreement. The engine is now on hire to the Spa Valley until October 2010, where it will form a major part of our running fleet, alongside Jinty 47493, in readiness for our opening to Eridge.

In October 2009 it was announced that 7715 will return to traffic in 2010 in its London Transport livery as L.99. The locomotive was repainted over the 2009/10 winter and was formerly launched at a special London Transport themed weekend in the April, where it was matched with former LT vehicles. After two and a half years on the railway, L.99 departed the Spa Valley Railway on 21st January 2011.

Livery - London Transport Lined Maroon

Current Status - Operated at the railway from June 2008 - October 2010

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