6762

[The Johnster]

6762 is, or rather was, a GWR pannier tank, and I am aware that many of you will stop reading and go and do something useful instead at this  point...  For those of you of the True Brethren remaining, a little brain picking if I may, somebody may have the answer to this one.

 

I have a model of 6762, a 6750 class variant of the 8750 class built for dock shunting work.  They had lateral joints in the coupling rods for sharp curvature and no vacuum brakes, the 'Collett Cab' version of a similar 67xx variant of the 57xx class.  My model is nothing special, a more or less bogstandard Bachmann with the vacuum pipes removed, new number plates, and tank side transfers.  According to BR Database, it was built at Swindon in September 1949 and allocated new to Tondu shed, where it apparenty remained until xfer to Swansea East Dock in 1954, a much more likely place to find this sort of engine.

 

But, while I liked the idea of a 67xx at Tondu as a means of extending the variety of my locos, I was never quite sure of what BR Database were telling me.  I had already discovered an error of theirs, in the matter of three 350hp diesel shunting engines (08s to you younger folk) sent there new in 1954, which were in fact sent new to Severn Tunnel Junction, the first depot in South Wales to recieve these engines, which were obviously very suitable for hump shunting work.  And I couldn't imagine why a 6750 would be sent to Tondu; there is no duty there that I am aware of that would require this specific class and the shed's other 57xx and 8750s were all the 'normal' vacuum fitted types, which were more suited to Tondu's work, being used on passenger, goods (including the fully fitted trips to Llangwynyd Paper Mill), mineral, and shunting duties. 

 

I considered that the laterally jointed coupling rods might have been suitable for colliery shunting or even the ROF factory at Tremains, Bridgend, but the previous locomotives that were being replaced at Tondu by new 8750s in the late 1940s were 1854s and 2721s, which were no more capable of dealing with tight curvature than 8750s; there seemed no reason to send a 6750 to Tondu.  Of course, having worked on the real railway, I am aware that things happen for no obvious reason all the time, but even so...

 

So the seeds of doubt are already sown.  There is no reference to or photo of the loco in the John Hodge/Stuart Davies 'Tondu Valleys' books (which also contain a few apparent errors and anomalies), but Tondu had about 50 engines on the books at any given time so quite a few are not referenced here, it's not a deal breaker,  By now, though, I was seeking confirmation, verification, and assurance about 6762, and not finding it anywhere.  Anyway, few days ago coming home from town on the bus, I was scanning through Pinterest on the phone to kill the time, and wouldn't you know it, there was a photo of 6762, the first photo I've ever seen of this loco.  And the cat is now right among the pigeons, because the photo claims to show the engine in 1951, on yard pilot duty at Briton Ferry! 

 

Now, TTBOMK and I've picked up a bit of background about Tondu over the last few years, there were no shunting turns from there to Briton Ferry, which was of course Neath Court Sart territory.  It is possible that the loco worked in from Tondu, the shed had turns to main line yards as far away as Severn Tunnel and Llandeilo Junction, but I am doubtful that a pannier with no vacuum brakes would have been sent out on such a job.  It looks to be in 1951 condition, with unicycling lion emblem, and you can't make out the shedcode plate unfortunately, but there is nothing in this photo that suggests  that it is not a shot of 6762 on yard pilot duty at Briton Ferry; the background looks like houses at the eastern end of the yard on the west side of the SWML just after the Dock branch, nowadays serving BP Chemicals, trails in.  My opinion FWIW is that the photo is perfectly plausible and the caption is correct.

 

I am forming the opinion that the evidence, circumstantial though it is, is stacking up against 6762 ever having been allocated to Tondu, or working there.  I think it was probably sent new to another shed, the most likely candidate being Court Sart, and worked there until the 1954 transfer to Swansea East Dock.  Court Sart had Briton Ferry Dock and River Neath wharves on it's patch, very much 67xx/6750 country!  If it turns out that this engine was never allocated to Tondu, I will restore it's vacuum hoses and renumber it as a suitable Tondu 8750, using photographic evidence from Hodge/Davies, and it can perform the occasional passenger duty along with 9649, 5756, and 5797.

 

Anyone who can shed any light on this matter will be put on my list of people I must buy a drink if I ever meet them.

[WillCav]

According to greatwestern.org, it was also at Tondu when built. I agree this is odd as no other 67xx seems to be allocated there.

 

Will

[Wickham Green too]

The Ian Allan Summer 1950 LocoShed Book reprint happens to be within reach - and shows 6762 ( and a few others of that batch ) shedded at 87C Danygraig. 

 

Looks like you owe me a pint of Brains Dark if we ever meet !

[Miss Prism]

I can't see evidence of any Collett panniers having admiralty-type joints on their rods.

[Ian Smeeton]

No sign of your elusive loco on Shedbash Blog, Here:

 

https://shedbashuk.blogspot.com/search?q=tondu

 

I haven't checked any of the other local sheds.

 

Regards

 

Ian

 

Regards

[The Stationmaster]

6 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

The Ian Allan Summer 1950 LocoShed Book reprint happens to be within reach - and shows 6762 ( and a few others of that batch ) shedded at 87C Danygraig. 

 

Looks like you owe me a pint of Brains Dark if we ever meet !

According to the Pannier Papers (s0orce of information not known it was onl;y at Tondu for a few months before moving to Swansea.  To traffic 05.11.48, allocated tp Tondu (4w/e?) 27/11/48. reallocated to Danygraig (4w/e?) 02-3.49, finally moving to Sse East Dock October 1959. Iit looks very much as if Tondu got rid of it as quickly as  they could.

[Wickham Green too]

So "allocated new to Tondu shed, where it apparenty remained until xfer to Swansea East Dock in 1954," is - shall we say - a little off the mark !

[The Stationmaster]

15 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

So "allocated new to Tondu shed, where it apparenty remained until xfer to Swansea East Dock in 1954," is - shall we say - a little off the mark !

And Longworth - who obviously wouldn't have a 1948 allocation for it as it hadn't been built at 01.1.48 - shows it as Swansea based from January 1951(his forst date after 1948) throughout until withdrawal;  first at Danygraig then at East Dock (probably moving to there as part of the rundown of steam stabling at Danygraig which ended in January 1960?).

[The Johnster]

Right, thanks lads, that’s pretty much chapter and verse.  I now have a proper timeline, new to traffic 5/11/48, allox TDU 27/11/48, but this is a 4-week period end date; I’ll come back to that in a minute.  Xfer  Danygraig 2/3/49, another 4w/e date, xfer East Dock 10/59.  This explains the presence of it at Briton Ferry as yard pilot in 1951,  though I would have thought Court Sart more likely. 

 

15 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

The Ian Allan Summer 1950 LocoShed Book reprint happens to be within reach - and shows 6762 ( and a few others of that batch ) shedded at 87C Danygraig. 

 

Looks like you owe me a pint of Brains Dark if we ever meet !

You can hold me to that; I need little persuading to go up thr pub…

 

 

7 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

So "allocated new to Tondu shed, where it apparenty remained until xfer to Swansea East Dock in 1954," is - shall we say - a little off the mark !

It’s bl**dy miles off the mark.  My faith in BR Database is - shall we say - a little dented and I will use Hodge/Davies pvotographs, also imperfect as to dates sometimes, to crosscheck in future. 

 

The 4-week ending periods sounds like a periodical summary of locomotives’ dispositions, and may not be entirely accurate guides to the actual date a loco appeared at or disappeared from a shed, just it’s paperwork.  All we can say is the 6762 was released to traffic from the Works at Swindon on 5/11/48 and had been allox TDU on paper by the 4 weeks ending 27/11/48.  It may have arrived at the shed before or after the latter date.  A small locomotive might take several days between Swindon and Tondu.  It was then similarly transferred to Danygraig by the 4 weeks ending 2/3/49, but it might have actually gone there during those 4 weeks, or later.  
 

In terms of hard indisputable evidence, and bearing in mind that it is possible that the loco’s movements were later than the 4w/e dates, or earlier, I cannot confirm that 6762 was ever actually at Tondu, or that it was there for a long enough period to do any work.  It is not impossible that Tondu got hold of it sometime late ‘48-early ‘49, realised they had no use for it and that a mistake had been made, and immediately put it aside and up for adoption, I mean transfer, and Danygraig took it on, having plenty of dock work and a batch of the sub-class already. 

 

In this scenario, it is unlikely that the engine performed any work in it’s short spell at Tondu, or if it did it was only on a very few occasions.  The most likely jobs would have been yard pilot work in the immediate vicinity, Ogmore Jc yard, Tondu Goods, shed ot carriage sidings pilot.  
 

So, I have made a decision.  The loco will have it’s vacuum pipes and hoses restored and be renumbered as one of Tondu’s 8750s.  3772 is a favourite at the moment, as Hodge/Davies has a 1951 photo of this loco at Brynmenyn, without a top feed. I’ve done a top feed removal on 5797, but don’t have an 8750 without one, and I like a bit of variety in my locos; no two of the same class should be the same even if it’s only a livery variation.  
 

Your assistance in this matter is appreciated and you are all on the beer list, cake if you don’t drink!  Anyone who wants 6762s number plates, PM me, free to a good home!
 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by The Johnster