List of Preserved BR Standard Class 9F Locomotives - 92207

92207

Built by BR (W) in Swindon "A" Shop during May 1959, 92207 was the 13th-from-last steam locomotive to be built for British Railways. It was part of lot number 429 (the final order for main line steam locomotives by British Rail).

Costing £38,000 to build, including a 5,000-gallon tender, 92207 was completed in May 1959, and despatched to Bristol St Phillips Marsh Depot. Its main duties were heavy iron ore trains from South Wales, but during its stay at Bristol it did make a rare venture to Blackpool on an excursion. In February 1960 it was transferred to Southall for use on fast 'fitted' freight trains, and occasional use on Paddington to Plymouth passenger duties. After a short stay 92207 then moved to Oxford and Banbury sheds where it returned to providing the motive power for heavy iron ore trains from South Wales again. After a brief return to Bristol St Phillips Marsh, 92207 was transferred in November 1964 to its final depot, Newport Ebbw Junction, where it acquired its 86b shed plate (the one it will carry in preservation). 92207 always stayed on the Western Region carrying out a variety of freight and passenger duties. While stabled at Newport it worked Cardiff to Portsmouth duties so would have been seen passing through Salisbury regularly.

While shedded at Southall in 1961, 92207 was involved in a light collision which bent the front end. The main frame just ahead of the cylinders had to be cut and re-welded to straighten the damage and also relieve stress. As the damage was not thought to be too serious the repair work was carried out away from Swindon Works. (During 92207s restoration, when inspected for the first time by the Railway Inspectorate, as part of the requirement of MT276 for main line running, the inspector said he did not like the look of the repair made to the main frame at the front end. He changed his tune slightly when he found out that British Railways had made the repair in March 1961.)

After only a month stabled at Newport, and due for its five-year major overhaul, with the Western Region well advanced with its dieselisation programme, the decision was made to scrap 92207 after only five years and seven months in service. Withdrawn from Newport it was sold to Woodham Brothers scrap yard in Barry, South Wales. It arrived there as part of a convoy during March 1965. There it rested for 21 years and 7 months – four times longer than it was in service with BR – until it became the 180th locomotive to leave the now famous scrap yard, on 21 October 1986. On the day before the move, 92207 was christened Morning Star.

Initially, 92207 was moved to Bury Bolton Street railway station (East Lancashire Railway). During its 19-year stay there around £90,000 was spent on new parts acquisition, forgings and castings and the complete restoration of the main frames, axleboxes and 5 wheelsets to MT276 Mainline standard. On 21 December 2005, the locomotive was relocated to the Shillingstone Railway Project on the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, in Dorset, with a view to complete restoration.

As of 2009, 92207 is parked on a short length of isolated track, (soon to be moved onto the north end of the former up main in the station) with the new cab and bogie frame adjacent belonging to the new BR Clan Pacific Hengist. 75% of parts have been made or sourced, while the boiler will be the last piece repaired, requiring pitted welding, major stay and tubing work. To enable reconstruction, a temporary single road shed will be built.