Spa Valley Railway

Spa Valley Railway, West Station, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5QY
Telephone: 01892 537715
Email spavalleyrailway@email.com

(Photo ©M. Dives)

BR Class 09 No. 09004

BR Darlington - Built 1959,
BR Darlington, England
Engine Specification - "Straight six" 400hp normally aspirated diesel engine
Wheel Arrangement - 0-6-0
Tractive Effort - 26,000 lbs
Weight - 48 tons 12 cwts
Length - 29' 3"
Wheel Diameter - 4' 6"
Drive - Electric
Maximum Speed - 27.5 mph

Built in 1959 by British Railways at Darlington and numbered D3668, the engine spent all of it's life on the Southern region, operating in shunting yards and on short freight duties to places like London Bridge, Three Bridges, Bricklayers Arms, New Cross Gate and Redhill.

Re-numbered as 09004 under the TOPS classification in 1969, it was repainted into the then new corporate 'rail blue' livery, it continued to work all over the Central region, and sometimes on the Eastern section too. Work in the yards decreased in the 1970s and the engine was transferred to Selhurst depot where it worked all round the works. It continued to work all across the Southern region and could be found anywhere, especially after the Level 5 Works closed at Selhurst in 1993.

In 1996, 09004 passed into the ownership of Connex South Central. It was during this time that the engine suffered a minor accident at Paddock Wood in 1998, where it suffered cracked frames. This made the loco unfit for mainline duties and the engine was confined to Selhurst yard for shunting duties, being 'beyond economic repair'.

In May 2000 the approach was made to Connex by three individuals to purchase the engine as it was thought to be an excellent candidate for preservation. It was delivered to the Lavender Line, Isfield on 14th December 2000, and following maintenance and repairs to the cracked frames the engine entered service working trains until late 2002. The decision was made to move 09004 and 73140 to a line with better maintenance facilities and a longer run, and so 09004 arrived at Tunbridge Wells in early 2003.

Livery - BR Blue

Current Status - Undergoing Overhaul

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