Heart Beat TV series
 

G'day,
Last nite I was watching the idiot box and surfing the channels for something worth viewing.
I came across an episode of Heart Beat, which I do occasionally watch.
Unfortunately, the episode was almost concluded when I chanced upon it.
Greengrass and some other joker had pinched a soot belcher to go stomping along the track.
Naughty Claud.
I don't recall having squizzed this particular episode before.
I only caught a partial glimpse of the soot belcher.
But, the first numerals were 907.
It also had a red semi-circle name plate above the central drivers which I could not discern.
OK, me Pommy BR soot belcher book tells me that the 907 numerals belonged to WD 2-10-0.
How so ever, the specific soot belcher in the episode did not look long enough to be a 2-10-0.
Was this supposed to be an Evening Star look-a-like ?
Them 9F beasties having 92000 onwards numerals according to me book.
The tender shape also didn't look like what I remember being on the Minitrix Evening Star N gauge model that I once owned moons ago.
OK, I did guzzle some grog with tucker, so me eyesight was a tad impaired.
Hopefully somebody out there will recognize this episode of Heart Beat and enlighten me.
I am reminded of one of me most fav flicks; The Titfield Thunderbolt.
And also the Royal Train episode of Dads Army.
Steve.

See here https://www.railwayforum.net/showthread.php?t=9064 and here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5GRDRe8UJQ

The railway sequences in Heartbeat were filmed at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. A look at the NYMR's Wikipedia page shows that a wartime Austerity 2-8-0 loco, no. 90775, was based there at one time. Could this have been the one you saw?

That's the one, based at the NYMR and named Dame Vera Lynn. Moved to the North Norfolk Railway in the early 2000's, currently in traffic and carrying the name The Royal Norfolk Regiment.
The number it carries is the next one in sequence, the British Railways ones went up to 90774.

Cheers John

From memory the locos used on Heartbeat at the NYMR were usually ex-NER J27 No.65894, ex-GWR 56XX No.6619 & Ex-SR S15 No.30841. It is quite possible that it was WD 2-10-0 No.90775, which was based at the NYMR for a time, but I don't remember it on the programme off the top of my head.

Tony

Hi John,

3672 'Dame Vera Lynn' is still at the NYMR; 90775 is a different member of the class & is now at the North Norfolk Railway. 90775 was first preserved at the Mid Hants Railway, running in Longmoor Military Railway livery as 601 'Sturdee' before moving to the NYMR for a time and then to the NNR.
Incidentally, both of these locos were repatriated from Greece for preservation in the early 1980s.

Tony

Thanks Tony.
Trouble is with these WD locos they are far too common, and get everywhere, just like the Black Fives!!!

Cheers John

Recently these early episodes of Heartbeat have appeared on YouTube, I have just watched this one: Heartbeat “We’re all allies really.” The programme begins with LNER Class N2 0-6-2T 69523 pulling into Aidensfield. 90775 has THE Vera Lynn on its nameplate, I suspect it is to fit in with the theme of the show. She did not get a damehood till 1975, and that loco would have never run in service for BR, but then authenticity doesn’t normally bother them. There has been an A4 and some BR Standard Class locos, most are too obscure to determine what they are. SR School Class 30926 “Repton” appeared clearly although a SR loco would be unlikely to be on LNER territory in reality.

There are only 3 of the 2-10-0 version of the Austerity in the UK.

The ex military one from the Longmoor Military Railway, named Gordon, is in the Severn Valley Railway engine house.

2-8-0 8F WD, In my Ian Allan they are numbered 90000 to 90732 then under that Vulcan. Any idea what that refers to?