Rapido OO BR 15XX Pannier Tank 1509 NCB Maroon

Although designed during the days of the Great Western Railway, the ten ’15XXs’ were actually built by the newly formed British Railways in 1949. The design was a major departure from the GWR’s tried and tested pannier tank formula.

Designed by Frederick Hawksworth and his team, the ’15XX’ featured a very short wheelbase for negotiating tight curves as well as outside cylinders and Walschaerts valve gear. It is said that the bottom end design resembled the USATC ‘S100’ 0-6-0T (better known as the Southern’s ‘USA’), which had been used on the GWR during the Second World War. Above the (non-existent) running board, the locomotives resembled Hawksworth’s ’94XX’ 0-6-0PT, which shared the same design of boiler.

The ’15XX’s’ short wheelbase precluded fast running and their weight severely restricted their sphere of operation. They were predominantly based at Old Oak Common shed for empty coaching stock workings in and out of London Paddington. However, a few of the class escaped to other locations including Southall, Didcot, Severn Tunnel Junction, Cardiff Canton and Newport. It was not unknown for the ’15XXs’ to be used on short passenger services or local freight workings.

Sadly, as with most post-war steam designs, their working lives were cut short thanks to rapid dieselisation. The first ’15XX’ was withdrawn after only ten years of service and the last were condemned at the end of 1963. Three were bought by the National Coal Board for further use at Coventry Colliery where they continued to work until 1969.

Happily, No. 1501 was bought from NCB by the embryonic Severn Valley Railway. It returned to steam in 1997 and has proven to be a popular and powerful member of the fleet, so much so that it’s earned the nickname ‘Raging Bull’.