British Railways 2-10-0 No. 92220 'Evening Star'
York, Yorkshire, UK 		Location: National Railway Museum
Status: Display
Posted: Mar 18, 2020 @ 06:03:58 by Russell Newman
Today on March the 18th 2020 marks the 60th birthday BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92220 "Evening Star" the very last steam locomotive built for British Railways in 1960. From the moment she was built at Swindon works "Evening Star" was earmarked for preservation into the National collection but this fine locomotive only had a very short and brief working life of just 5 years. She spent much of her working life on the Western Region being sheded at Cardiff Canton and Cardiff East Dock Sheds and also worked on the legendry Somerset and Dorset Joint line where she hauled the very last Pines Express along the line in September 1962. Withdrawn from service in 1965 she was moved to Crewe for overhaul and restoration to be part of the National Collection. From 1973 she was put back into steam again and ran on the mainline again as the NRMs flagship locomotive as well as visiting the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the West Somerset Railway. She ran till 1989 when she was withdrawn from service and returned to for display at the National Railway Museum where she is still on display but she also did visit her birth place of Swindon for a brief time on display at the Swindon Steam Museum in 2010. Sadly like all the BR 9Fs in preservation due to the middle pair of driving wheels not having any flanges on them its unlikely this locomotive will ever run on the mainlines of the UK again but during her time as a mainline runner in the 1980s she worked on the Scarborough Spa Express and over the Settle and Carlisle railway. Its unlikely No. 92220 will ever steam again but still has a pride of place in railway history as the very last steam locomotive built for use on the UK rail network 60 years on.
Posted: Apr 27, 2003 @ 06:04:30 by Steve Frost
Destined for the National Railway Museum even before it was built, 'Evening Star' is the last steam locomotive built for British Railways. Because of its special status, it was finished in BR Brunswick Green passenger livery by Swindon works and carries a copper capped chimney in Great Western Railway style. Other class members made do with freight loco unlined black.

It was named on March 18th 1960 by Keith Grand, a member of the British Transport Commission, the loco's name reflecting its appearance at the twilight of British steam and the GWR 'Star' class which were also Swindon products. After only 5 years work, 'Evening Star' was withdrawn, but it has allegedly run more miles in preservation than it did in normal service, having operated on the main line and on preserved railways. Today it stands, rightly, with other famous locos, facing the turntable at York's National Railway Museum.