Todays post is a short piece about one of the lost classes of steam engine – the Standard 3MT tank.  The class were designed to last for forty years, but thanks to Beeching’s axe; the longest survivor was 82019 that didn’t even reach it’s 15th Birthday.  A model of this locomotive is part of my collection and I shall be reviewing this tomorrow.

As with many “standard” designs, the 3MT owed much to LMS practice, with the exception of having the GWR number 2 boiler.  45 examples were built at Swindon and used in the Southern, Western, North Eastern and London Midland regions.  They were particularly useful in the Southern region, replacing life-expired pre-grouping engine types.  They did their job well and could have continued to do so, however this was never to be.

None of these machines survived into the preservation era and this is such a shame.  The locomotive would be ideal for a preserved line; being powerful enough to haul heavy tourist-full trains at 25mph whilst being very economical.  In fact it is for these reasons that a project has been set-up to create a new member of the class on the Severn Valley Railway.  The 82045 steam locomotive trust is progressing with the project, which is a very exciting prospect!