9F construction query

OK, I know that following a survey of the staff at Swindon Works, the name Evening Star was chosen for the final steam locomotive built.
However, other members of the class up to 92250 were already in service when 92220 emerged.
How did this come about please? Did Swindon take longer than other Works to construct the same class of loco?

 

I have read more than one account that claims Swindon slowed down constructing its batch to ensure it would build the last BR steam locomotive.

 

It is also said that the 9Fs were delayed for a batch of Warships to be build.

 

Is it not also true that the Swindon 9F's were considerably more expensive than their Crewe counterparts...adds weight to the extended construction duration

 

It wasn't that unusual for locos to built, even at the same works, out of numerical sequence, and adding the ingredient of different works simply magnifies the scope. The batches would be ordered possibly months in advance, with each batch being allocated its running number on ordering. The actual sequence in which the locos would appear then depended on the work load on the individual works; the number order as completed made no difference to the operators.

Probably the most famous anomoly was the first - and as such preserved - Black Five, 5000. Only problem is that this was the first Crewe-built example; Vulcan Foundry delivered 5020 a couple of months earlier, so the real first Black Five is no longer with us.

I don't say that the conspiracy theories are wrong, but there isn't a solid case for them, either.Unless you have more substantial evidence, of course...

 

Some of the 75XXX Standard 4s were built out of sequence too.

 

Another case that GWR 94XX class 8450 was built in 1949 and 84o8 was built in 1950 with 8449 built in 1954 and 8499 in 1952.

 

quite a few GW classes had odd building sequences. Look at (say) 5101 2-6-2T and 5700 class 0-6-0t and 2251 0-6-0s. Great Western.org.uk is pretty reasonable for this. eg http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/m_in_060_2251.htm. Avoid wikipedia as an online GW reference, it contains some *very* odd stuff.

 

You need to explain what you mean by these sequences being odd. Then no doubt someone will be able to explain why it was so.

The 2251 sequence was entirely as you'd expect. numbering started at 2251 as earlier locos then existed below that number...the lower sequence was vacanted later and the sequence jumped to 3200 as per normal.

 

I can't believe the conspiracy theory, the last of the Crewe batch entered traffic at the end of 1958. Back then the Regions were fairly autonomous and Swindon would have scheduled the Warships as the priority build and the management there possibly didn't even know what was happening at Crewe.

It's interesting to see that at the naming ceremony the Western Region Chairman, R F Hanks said "this is a proud day for Great Western men everywhere." The old company loyalty lived on 12 years after nationalisation.

 

Just been a piece on Portillo talking to the station master on the Henley branch.
He made a comment about it being Great Western when he started in 1962 even though as he said it was British Railways.

 

Worth remembering that many senior (in age, not necessarily grade) railwaymen in, say, 1960, would have started out in pre-groupng days and may well still hold their allegiance to those companies. A 65-year old driver in 1960 might well have started as a cleaner before the First World War, and quite possibly would consider that things had not necessarily improved since then!

Tom