Class 5P5F "Black Five" Mixed Traffic Locomotive
Technical Data
Introduced: 1934
Number built: 842
Wheel arrangement: 4-6-0
Number built: 842
Wheel arrangement: 4-6-0
The Class 5P5F (Laters 5MT) "Black Five" was William Stanier's response to the LMS requirement of a mixed traffic locomotive, and became one of the most prolific designs ever built, with examples surviving to the very end of British steam main line operations in 1968. Introduced in 1934, the class would continue to be built until 1951, under British Railways, at which point the Standard designs took over.
The design of the class would evolve over the course of production, with various modifications being made in order to improve performance. A lot of the earlier production batches were sub-contracted to independent constructors; in the initial phase of construction, the first Vulcan Foundry batch was ready before the Crewe batch, resulting in the first locomotive into service being 5020, and not 5000 as might been expected.
Generally, the locomotives weren't named, although five did get named after Scottish Regiments: 5154 "Lanarkshire Yeomanry", 5155 "Queen's Edinburgh", 5156 "Ayrshire Yeomanry", 5157 "Glasgow Highlander" and 5158 "Glasgow Yeomanry". Some further examples have received names in preservation.
As stated previously, some class members were in service until 1968. 44781, 44871 and 45110 were used on the final BR steam working "The Fifteen Guinea Special" on the 11th August, 1968, with 45110 hauling the final British Railways steam passenger working on the mainline. 44871 and 45110 survived in preservation; 44781 was scrapped after being used on a film shoot.
Number | Works Built at | Year Built |
5000-5019 | Crewe | 1935 |
5020-5069 | Vulcan Foundry | 1934/1935 |
5070-5074 | Crewe | 1935 |
5070-5124 | Vulcan Foundry | 1935 |
5125-5224 | Armstrong Whitworth | 1950 |
5225-5451 | Armstrong Whitworth | 1936-1938 |
5452-5471 | Crewe | 1938 |
5472-5491 | Derby | 1943 |
4800-4825 | Derby | 1944 |
4826-4835 | Crewe | 1944 |
4836-4860 | Crewe | 1944 |
4861-4920 | Crewe | 1945 |
| 4921-4931 | Crewe | 1946 |
| 4932-4943 | Horwich | 1945 |
| 4944-4962 | Horwich | 1946 |
| 4963-4981 | Crewe | 1946 |
| 4982-4990 | Horwich | 1946 |
| 4991-4999 | Horwich | 1947 |
| 4738-4782 | Crewe | 1947 |
| 4783-4799 | Horwich | 1947 |
| 4758-4767 | Crewe | 1947 |
| 44738-44757 | Crewe | 1948 |
| 44718-44737 | Crewe | 1949 |
| 44698-44717 | Horwich | 1948/1949 |
| 44688-44697 | Horwich | 1950 |
| 44686-44687 | Horwich | 1951 |
Preservation
18 members of the class survive into preservation:
4767 - Located at Carnforth, undergoing overhaul
4871 - Located at the East Lancashire Railway, operational
4901 - Located at the Vale of Berkeley Railway, awaiting restoration
4932 - Located at Carnforth, operational
4806 - Located at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, operational (has carried names "Magpie" and "Kenneth Oldcroft" in preservation)
5000 - Locatied at Shildon Locomotion Museum as 5000, static display
5025 - Located at Strathspey, operational (the oldest member of the class in preservation - see above)
5110 - Located at Carnforth, stored (previously owned by the Severn Valley Railway, has carried name "RAF Biggin Hill" in preservation)
5163 - Located at Riley and Son, undergoing restoration
5212 - Located at the Keighley and Worth Railway, operational
5231 - Located at Crewe Diesel TMD, awaiting overhaul (has carried the name "The Sherwood Forester" in preservation)
5293 - Located at the Colne Valley Railway, under restoration
5305 - Located at the Great Central Railway, under overhaul (has carried the name "Alderman A.E Draper" in preservation)
5337 - Located at the East Lancashire Railway, under overhaul
5379 - Located at the Mid-Hants Railway, stored
5407 - Located at the East Lancashire Railway, operational (has carried the name "The Lancashire Fusilier" in preservation)
5428 - Located at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, operational (has carried the name "Eric Treacy" in preservation)
5491 - Located at the Great Central Railway, under restoration