No. 73156

BR Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 73156

Designed by R. A. Riddles as part of the BR Standard fleet, the Class was built for mixed-traffic duties across all regions of British Railways. Locomotive 73156 is one of 172 BR Standard 5MT engines built and one of just five preserved.

73156 arrived at Neasden on 6th January 1957. It was then re-allocated to Sheffield in 1958, first to Millhouses, then to Grimesthorpe in 1959, on the other side of Sheffield. From January 1958, it worked from there for about twenty months, running a night diagram that included a fast freight trip from Rotherham to St Pancras, returning the following night as far as Leicester (Midland).

In September 1960, 73156 moved again. After a brief allocation at Derby, it returned to familiar Great Central territory at Neasden (until June 1962), then Leicester Central (June 1962 to March 1963), and finally Woodford Halse in May 1963. Due to declining traffic, it was further re-allocated south to Cricklewood at the southern end of the Midland Main Line.

Subsequent moves included Leamington Spa (October 1964 to June 1965) and Tyseley, Birmingham (to April 1966). Its final allocation was to Bolton in November 1967.

After just eleven years and approximately 325,000 miles of service, 73156 was withdrawn and sent to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales.

73156 remained at Barry from 1967 until 1980. Like many BR Standard locos, its tender was repurposed as a sludge carrier or snow plough, leaving 73156 tenderless for around 60 years.

In the mid-1980s, a small group in Lancashire formed the North West Locomotive Action Group to preserve a locomotive connected to the North West. 73156, though missing its tender and many parts, was a suitable candidate and available. To support the purchase and protect their interests, they formed a private limited company: the Bolton Steam Locomotive Company Ltd. The locomotive was purchased in 1985 and moved to Bury on the East Lancashire Railway. The group had also considered 8F 48305 (now GCR based) if 73156 was unavailable.

Initially kept under cover at Bury, increasing workshop demand in the early 1990s meant 73156 had to be moved outside. However, due to its strong connection with the Great Central route, particularly Leicester Central, informal discussions began with the GCR about its future.

In 2001, a meeting with the Loughborough Standard Locomotives Group Ltd (LSLG) agreed that 73156 would move to the Great Central Railway. LSLG would act as custodians and provide non-financial support for restoration, while the Bolton Steam Locomotive Company would provide financing and a new tender. In return, the locomotive would be based at the GCR for most of ten years after restoration under a Running Agreement.

73156 returned to service for the first time since withdrawal at the Autumn Steam Gala in October 2017, temporarily running as 73084 “Tintagel,” but failed on the Friday of the event. After further work, 73156 entered regular service on the GCR in 2018 as itself, becoming a popular and regular feature with both crews and visitors.