SR V Class No. 926 "Repton" is a preserved member of the Southern Railway's V Class of 4-4-0 "Eight-Wheeler" type steam locomotives. It was one of a class of 40 built that were named after British public schools and were designed by Richard Maunsell.
Operational History[]
No. 926 was constructed in May 1934 at Eastleigh Works and was given the name "Repton" after Repton School, an English public school in Derbyshire, England. It entered service on the Bournemouth route, with some time operating between Waterloo and Portsmouth before that line was electrified. Upon nationalisation of the railways in 1948, it was renumbered and became British Railways (BR) No. 30926.
Repton had operated in revenue service for about 28 Years and 8 Months before it was withdrawn in December 1962 and was placed into storage. It was one of the last of the class to be overhauled by British Railways in October 1960, so it was considered to be an excellent choice for preservation.
Preservation[]
Repton was purchased for preservation in the United States and was cosmetically overhauled at Eastleigh in 1966 to retain its former Southern Railway number and livery. In 1967 it was shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, where it had touched American soil for the first time. The locomotive was later donated to Steamtown, U.S.A. in Bellows Falls, Vermont by the purchaser and was occasionally loaned to the Cape Breton Steam Railway in Canada, where it operated in passenger service. When Steamtown relocated to Scranton, Pennsylvania in the mid 1980's, Repton also operated there for a time.
In 1989 it was sold again, and returned back home to the UK where it had found its way to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR). It was overhauled again and found to be in remarkably good condition. Since then, Repton has recently returned to active service following its overhaul and has also operated on the mainline between Whitby and Grosmont with some occasional visits to Battersby.
As of today, Repton is in operational condition and is currently based at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Trivia[]
- No. 926 "Repton" is one of three surviving members of the SR V class in preservation. It's two other surviving sisters, No. 925 "Cheltenham" is awaiting an overhaul at the Mid Hants Railway and No. "928 "Stowe" is currently undergoing a complete overhaul at the Bluebell Railway.
- No. 926 "Repton" has appeared in multiple episodes of the 2018 documentary series "The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard"
Gallery[]
References[]
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR_V_class
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamtown,_U.S.A.
- https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/30926-repton-sr-e926-sr-926-br-30926/