BR ex-WD Austerity 2-10-0
The British Railways ex-WD Austerity 2-10-0 Class was a class of 25 2-10-0 steam locomotives of the WD Austerity 2-10-0 type purchased in 1948 from the War Department.
Operational history
BR officially listed them in their running stock in 1948, though most were kept in store until 1949–1950. BR allocated them the numbers 90750–74. They were used to haul heavy freight trains and were mostly allocated to Scottish Region ex-LMS motive power depots in the Central Belt, Motherwell and Grangemouth always being their principal bases, where they were mixed with the much more widespread WD 2-8-0s. They were withdrawn after about 12 years service, between 1961 and 1962. In addition to the above engines, another WD Austerity 2-10-0 Longmoor Military Railway 601 Kitchener was hired from the War Department between 1957 and 1959.Names
Both 90773 and 90774 were named North British after the North British Locomotive Company which built them. As one of 49 LNER Peppercorn Class A1s, No. 60161, was also named North British, BR had three locomotives with this name, though the A1 was named after the North British Railway rather than the engineering firm.Classification
They were given the power classification 8F. BR considered them as standard locomotives, numbering them in the numbering series reserved for BR standard engines and assigning them the boiler No. BR11. The tenders were given the classification BR5.Withdrawal
Withdrawals started in 1961 and continued at a reasonable pace before the remaining 17 were withdrawn en masse in December 1962.| Year | Quantity in service at start of year | Quantity withdrawn | Locomotive numbers | Notes |
| 1961 | 25 | 3 | 90752–54 | |
| 1962 | 22 | 22 | 90750–51/55–74 |