Object of the Month
Smoke box door number plate '84029'
(DARRM: 1992.287)
May's object of the month was chosen by a volunteer from the museum.
“The plate in question is the smoke box door plate from a steam locomotive. The significance of the plate in the museum is that it is from the last steam locomotive built at Darlington in 1957, at a cost of £16,500, the final one of an order for ten locomotives and was delivered on June 11th. It first worked running in on the branch to Middleton in Teesdale replacing NER G5 67305 built in 1897 and working until 1958. From there it worked its way to the Southern Region allocated to Ramsgate along with 84027/8. Here it ran on passenger trains to Maidstone, Ashford, Rye, Hastings and Canterbury. The locomotives could not be used for their original purpose as they were built with vacuum push pull whereas the Southern system was one of compressed air!
1959 saw 84029 move to Ashford and to Eastleigh; September 1961 brought a move to Bedford ,to Neasden, Kentish Town, (both London sheds), then to Wellingborough and finally Leicester from where it was withdrawn in June 1964 and sold to J Cashmore at Great Bridge for scrapping after a life of a mere seven years and two days.
The plate, made of cast iron, would most probably have been cast at The Darlington Railway Plant and Foundry Company in Rocket Street (behind Yarm Road).
The plate was acquired by the museum some years ago.
In 1957 the locomotive was the last of the class but a new one is being built at the Bluebell Railway from the tender engine equivalent of the same class. This was 78059 also built at Darlington in 1956 but on withdrawal in 1966 it made its way to Barry scrap yard from where it was removed in 1983 without a tender and as similar tender locomotives still exist (78018/19/22) it was decided to build the tank engine version.
The photograph was taken in the works yard – Morrison’s car park - just before the locomotive left the works. The works plate “Built Darlington 1957” also of cast iron, or was it brass, is visible behind the front buffer.
The number plate is on permanent display at Head of Steam Museum.
Does this stir any memories? Does any other memorabilia survive from 84020-29?