30075 at Swanage for the "End of Southern Steam Gala" July 2007

Yankee Tank 30075 made a short visit to her original Swanage home for the Swanage Railway 40th Anniversary of the End of Southern Steam Gala over the long weekend 7th to 9th July 2007. Whilst many remember the "glamour" locomotives such as Merchant Navy, West Country and Battle of Britain Pacifics seeing out the final days of Southern steam some 40 years ago, it is actually the Yankee Tanks that hold the honour of being the last operational steam locomotives on the Southern Region. The supposed final day, 9th July 1967, saw the withdrawals from service of USA Class numbers 30064 (preserved on the Bluebell Line), 30072 (now at Keighley & Worth Valley), 30067, 30069 and 30071 (less lucky and were scrapped).

HOWEVER two more USA Class engines (30065/DS237 and 30070/DS238) soldiered on as Ashford pilots until September that year when the end of BR operated steam on the Southern Region came to a final, quiet and unheralded conclusion. These same two locomotives have the distinction of being taken into preservation because they failed with hot axle boxes whilst on tow to Cashmore's Scrap Yard in Wales. Dumped at Tonbridge, and too expensive to move by road for scrapping, the nearby Kent & East Sussex Railway stepped in to ensure their future in preservation.

Below are photos of the event as it unfolded from the departure of 6695 on Wednesday 4th July (to the North Norfolk Railway in a "swap" with 34081 "92 Squadron"), the arrival of 30075 on Thursday 5th, operations over the 7th and 8th, to Yankee Tank's loading for departure back to Cranmore on Sunday 8th July. 30075 was presented as a Southampton Dock Tank in unlined BR black. A 71I smokebox shed code plate was fitted as a further tribute to the work done by the USA Class in Southampton and this plate will be carried at the request of the owners for the foreseeable future.

Project 62 thanks go to all at the East Somerset and Swanage Railways for making this event happen and particularly to the crews at Swanage for making 30075 bark and whistle through the Purbecks so spectacularly!

30075 was resident and a regular performer over the Purbeck Line up to 1998 and a visitor in 2007 for the 40th Anniversary of the End of Southern Steam Gala. 30075 is seen here on the turn-table at the Swanage MPD in September 1996 (photo Andrew PM Wright)

All photos are courtesy of Peter Renaut and Richard White unless otherwise credited