In the 1950s British Railways built 252 'Standard' 4-6-0 locomotives, 172 of class 'Standard 5' and 80 of the lighter 'Standard 4'. They were intended to update and replace earlier designs from the 1930s and 1940s. Whilst they were all perfectly good machines, in reality they offered little if any advantage over their predecessors. Caprotti valve gear and double chimneys were tried on some models to try and improve their performance but to little advantage. In fact, many ex-LMS Black 5' class 4-6-0s built from 1935 onwards also lasted until the final days of steam and were generally held in higher regard than the 'Standards'. Here, we see a preserved 'Standard 4' No.75029 heading a short demonstration freight leaving Pickering for Levisham and looking very smart in lined green livery.
