MIDLAND RAILWAY ‘4P’ COMPOUND No. 1000 (1975-1983)

Looking back now, it is easy to forget that Midland Railway ‘4P’ No. 1000 – one of only two surviving compound locomotives in mainland Britain – had a very active preservation career.

Withdrawn at Derby in 1951, it was stored at Crewe from 1953 before returning to Derby in 1959. There, it was restored to 1914 condition and returned to traffic for a series of enthusiast railtours under BR auspices. It bowed out once again in 1962, after which it was displayed at the Museum of Transport at Clapham until its closure in 1974, when ownership was transferred from British Rail to the newly formed National Railway Museum.

With preparations for the Stockton & Darlington Railway 150th anniversary celebrations well under way, the Midland Compound was one of several locomotives selected for recommissioning to working order for the cavalcade at Shildon. This decision was no doubt aided by the fact that, during its first restoration at Derby under BR in 1959, it had been fitted with a 1946-built boiler, so needed relatively little work to return it to steam.

NRM Senior Curator of Rail Transport and Technology Anthony Coulls says: “There was a list of locomotives they were interested in steaming, so it was a case of John Bellwood and [BR boiler inspector] George Knight going around them all to see what mechanical condition they were in.

“Like the other locomotives restored for Shildon, No. 1000 underwent very minimal repairs. It had a basic re-tube, a small amount of work on the boiler itself, a piston and valve exam and that was about it.”

Following its appearance at Shildon, No. 1000 embarked upon an active main line career from April 1976, often double-heading with the likes of ‘V2’ No. 4771 Green Arrow and ‘Jubilee’ No. 5690 Leander. It was based at Dinting Railway Centre from October 1978 to May 1979, and took an active part in the ‘Rocket 150’ celebrations at Rainhill in May the following year.

Its swan song and finale to its sole operational stint under NRM auspices came on February 12 1983 when it memorably hauled the ‘Cumbrian Mountain Pullman’ over the Settle-Carlisle railway in blizzard conditions, double-headed once again with Leander.

Unusually among its NRM ‘one hit wonder’ brethren, the Midland Compound never ventured – Dinting excepted – to a preserved railway during its time in steam.