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Oldest Steam Locomotive in BR Service & Other Long Lived Railway Machinery

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bike2steam

bike2steam

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Midland Railway 1F 0-6-0T half-cab number 41708 was restored to working order in it's centenary year in 1980 ( with an optional back-cab) at Butterley, and spent most of it's next 10 to 15 years at Swanage Railway, where I spent a good amount of time in helping to keep it in running order - it's still out there somewhere!!

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11B

11B

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Windermere Lake crusies owen three boats (the forth was cut up a few years back), that date back to the Furness Railway. The MV Turn, built in 1891 was built as a steamer but converted to diesel inthe 50's. Built for the Furness Railway it passed all the way up to BR and beyond.

 

It must be a contender?

 

Ian

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9430

9430

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In 1867 The Cannock Chase and Rugeley Colliery co. took delivery of an 0-6-0ST which they called Marquis. It saw service at various pits in the Cannock Chase Coalfields before finally being broken up at NCB workshops Cannock Chase in May 1964.I make that 97 years.

 

Best regards, 9430.

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roythebus

roythebus

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The Ford diesel-electric on the KESR is still in regular service, built about 1923.

 

What about the oldest electric stock in regular daily use, on a non-preserved railway, the 1938 stock on the Isle of Wight?

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Clearwater

Clearwater

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My day job involves making long dated predictions/ assumptions for financial models. As a guide, I often look back to same time period as I look forward - eg if considering inflation over 40 years, what has happened to it since 1975. If we apply the same argument here to longevity of steam locos, where we seem to be topping out at c90 years, we'd just be withdrawing the first of the castles and would have another 15 or so years of A4s to look forward to....

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burgundy

burgundy

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I have a copy of Steam on the RENFE, by L G Marshall, which is copyright dated 1965 and makes fascinating reading about old engines. Spain, in those days, was still under Franco and in a state of isolation, which the tourist boom had hardly started to penetrate. The book records the oldest class (0-6-0 tender locos) as dating from 1857, delivered by E B Wilson, Kitson and Cail.  In the opening chapters, he notes that ".....when this book appears in print there will probably be over one hundred 'centenarians' still in use ...."  with many more well past their 90th birthdays. In the preface, he regrets not having written the book 15 years earlier "..before large scale withdrawals of the very early types had taken place."

It makes Fenchurch look a bit of a youngster!

Best wishes

Eric

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AMJ

AMJ

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Well one of the oldest UK built diesel loco's that was built for this country but got exported is still in use is LMS 7106. 1941-2015, 74 yrs service and still going strong

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/perseo_photo/14166177249

Of the locos in the previous batch you have Hunslet built 0-6-0DM 1697 of 1932 LMS 7401 also 7051 which was used in Hunslet yard in Leeds until later taken back by Hunslet as the works shunter.  Preserved when it was only 30 years old here in Leeds.  It runs occasional passenger trains on the Middleton.

 

Many preserved steam locos are less than this 80+ year old loco. 

 

The oldest BR built locos are about 60+ years old now

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Fat Controller

Fat Controller

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Well one of the oldest UK built diesel loco's that was built for this country but got exported is still in use is LMS 7106. 1941-2015, 74 yrs service and still going strong

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/perseo_photo/14166177249

There's an article on this line in this month's 'Today's Railways- Europe'; this isn't the oldest loco they've got, as there are a couple of 1920s electrics. In contrast, a lot of their infrastructure is very recent, as they've had several major floods over the last few years, and they've had to replace many earthworks and structures.

They're not a tourist railway; the LMS shunter, and a German one of similar vintage, work trains to and from two wagon works on the line to Stia, as well as trains of pre-cast concrete building components.

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PLD

PLD

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Windermere Lake crusies owen three boats (the forth was cut up a few years back), that date back to the Furness Railway. The MV Turn, built in 1891 was built as a steamer but converted to diesel inthe 50's. Built for the Furness Railway it passed all the way up to BR and beyond.

 

It must be a contender?

 

Ian

 

The present Teal and Swan were new builds in 1936 & 1938 respectively replacing the earlier vessels of the same names. However both were substantially rebuilt in the 1970s and little of the 1930s original remains above decks...

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EddieB

EddieB

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Not beating the 91 years, but I think one of the Midland 2F 0-6-0s lasted 88 years and is probably the longest-lived from the LMS/constituency. For the LNER companies, the ex-GER J92 crane tanks were the oldest locos at nationalisation, going for around 84 years in various guises.

All pales into insignificance against some RENFE (ex-Norte) 0-6-0s which I believe we're in service for over 100 years. I'm away from my books, but if I remember correctly they were built around 1860 and several notched up centuries.

 

[Edit] Reading and typing on the mobile, I managed to overlook Burgundy's similar response regarding old RENFE locos above.

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Andy Kirkham

Andy Kirkham

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I've just come across a couple of long-lived examples in that ever-fascinating book Mainline to Industry.

 

In 1875 the Alexandra Docks Railway bought seven 0-6-0 tanks from the LNWR. They are listed as "Built 1840's". In 1900 they sold two of them to C.D.Phillips of South Hetton where they remained (much rebuilt) until November 1953.

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Nearholmer

Nearholmer

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Roythebus

 

Electrics can probably beat stem and internal - combustion handsomely.

 

Volks Electric cars that date to c1885 (it isn't a preserved railway).

 

Hythe Pier Tramway locos date to c1916 (very much not preserved)

 

Not sure whether/how you would count cars on the Manx Electric.

 

And, there are some good examples overseas. One tram route in Barcelona took me by surprise - daily operation of cars that must be a century old. The Soller railway; the Soller Tramway. The list goes on.

 

Simple DC electrics are very easy to keep going "forever". The worst thing they might need is an occasional motor-rewind or new commutator, about every fifty years! Boilers are a nightmare by comparison.

 

Kevin

 

PS: is the Lister loco on the Hayle Bird Paradise railway still in service? I'm sure that was built pre-WW2.

 

PPS: do inclined cliff-lifts count? They are railways, after all ..........

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