Class B7 'Pug' 0-4-0 Saddletank No.68 (No.51218)

No. 68 was acquired direct from British Railways in late 1964 and delivered to the Worth Valley Railway to become the first locomotive there in January 1965.  

Pugs were given running numbers in the L&YR build sequence, so preserved Pug No. 68 later became LMS number 11218 and BR number 51218.  No. 68 had a varied working life ending up shedded at Preston by 1950, followed by spells at Monument Lane, Crewe South, Bank Hall, Widnes, Bristol Barrow Road, Swansea East Dock and Neath, from where she was withdrawn in 1964.

Re-tubed in 1974 for the Stockton and Darlington parade, No. 68 celebrated her 75th anniversary in steam in1976 and saw occasional use for some years, subsequently spending a number of years painted bright green as ‘Percy’ on static display in Oxenhope shed.  The mid-1990s saw the first major overhaul since 1963, taking place at Haworth and the East Lancashire Railway, with a return to steam in late 1997 as 51218 complete with replacement saddletank. For the next few years 51218 was well travelled around railways in the UK, with Centenary celebrations in 2001 a various locations, regularly working at enthusiast events on the Worth Valley as well as further temporary repainting into green to be ‘Percy’ in steam.

Repainted into L&Y livery with replica ‘68’ plates in 2004, the boiler tubes lasted well beyond the expected 5 years and were eventually condemned in early 2006, and the Pug will not run again until the boiler has had a 10 year overhaul.  This will entail removing the saddletank and cladding, lifting the boiler, removing the blastpipe, ashpan, grate and boiler tubes.  No. 68 will remain substantially intact in store until 752 is finished, although in late 2009 the Trust was able to provide useful training to young volunteers at Haworth through removal of the ashpan, which will enable an inspection of the firebox by the resident boilermaker. The inspection has since taken place and found that the boiler continues to be in excellent condition.   The travels and events in steam raised sufficient funds for the next overhaul, although it is expected the cost will be higher than expected as is almost always the case with steam locomotives.

Gallery - click the image to view ..