Hornby R3243B BR 2-6-0, 62064, K1 Class – Late BR – OO

Inspired by Thompson’s rebuilt Gresley K4 in which it was reclassified as a K1/1, the only locomotive in that particular Class, A. H. Peppercorn took advantage of Thompson’s retirement in 1946 to develop the design into the K1 Class. The K1 Class, which was made up of 70 locomotives, were all built in Glasgow at the North British Locomotive Company’s Park Works over a 10 month period between May 1949 and March 1950. As was the North British Locomotive Company’s all of the Class were sent to Eastfield shed, Glasgow for running in before being sent to England where they were used for both freight and express passenger workings. Thirty of the Class were sent to the Eastern Region while the remaining forty were dispatched to the North Eastern Region. Many of the North Eastern K1s were often seen as far North as Edinburgh and early on in their working life were regularly used on the West Highland line. A significant number of those allocated to the Eastern Region were based at March. All of the Class were fitted with electric lighting and self-cleaning smoke boxes identified with an SC plate situated just beneath the shed plate while some were fitted with AWS (Automatic Warning System). The first 50 K1 locomotives were outshopped in black with “British Railways” emblazoned on the tender while the remaining twenty were released with the early BR crest. From 1957 all of the Class received the BR emblem. As described the Class were used throughout the former LNER network as they were proven to be an incredible mixed traffic locomotive with each of the Class being paired with a 4200 gallon tender as used with the LNER/BR Class B1 locomotive. By 1958 the K1s were starting to be transferred from the Great Eastern Region with the result that by 1961 only eight remained at March, however by the middle of 1962 these had been moved to Retford and Doncaster. Withdrawal of the K1s began in December 1962 but it was a very slow demise as it took a full five years before the last locomotive, which was 62005 was withdrawn from service on the Eastern Region in 1967. Luckily 62005 survived into preservation and can be seen operating at the time of writing on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. K1 Class locomotive number 62024 was outshopped from the North British Company Works in August 1949. By 1951 the locomotive was on shed at 52C Blaydon where it remained but by 1963 was rostered to 52A Gateshead, eventually ending its working days at 52F North Blyth, being withdrawn from service in February 1967. Locomotive 62024 was removed to Hughes Bolckows, North Blyth where in May 1967 the locomotive was finally scrapped. ‘62024’|Suitable rolling stock: R4651, R4652, R4653, R4575A, R4576A, R4648, R4649, R4675, R4650, R4521B, R4522B, Freight rolling stock of the period.