GER "Class 5" 2-4-0

The Great Eastern Railway's Class 5 was a pair of 2-4-0 tender locomotives purchased from Fox, Walker & Company in Bristol, England in 1876. They had previously seen service on the Somerset & Dorset Railway.
  Originally built by George England & Company of New Cross in London, the two 2-4-0s that would eventually become the GER Class 5 were built for the Somerset Central Railway in 1861 and from 1862 were used by the Somerset & Dorset Railway. They were two of 4 locomotives sold to Fox, Walker & Co. in 1874 as part payment for nine new 0-6-0STs. The two others were sold to the Bishop's Castle Railway. The two that would be sent to Etorea were previously S&DR №s 1 & 5, these were rebuilt by Fox, Walker & Co. with new cabs, boilers, fireboxes and tenders with the only original parts being the frames and most of the moving parts (wheels, pistons, connecting rods, etc). They were also fitted with wooden tender cabs due to the coldness of the eastern coast of Etorea during winter and westinghouse air brakes for use on passenger trains.   The pair were used initially on local trains, though would often venture onto branchlines when the need arose. Their use on passenger services faded les than four years after their arrival as they were superceded by 2-4-0T tank engines that were being specially built for local trains. Until 1882, the pair never had a set duty so they were rostered on whatever jobs were availible. These would often be banking, station pilot, shunting or branch line trains. It was only in late 1882 when the Heatherton Loop Line was opened, that the two Class 5s had their own dedicated services again. This time they were to run goods services along the line while two 0-6-0STs were brought down from Knightsbury to run the passenger trains. Their use on this service declined from 1904 as they were gradually replaced by the Class 28 0-6-0STs. №1 moved up to the GER's terminus at Chapelswood in Redwick and was one of two station pilots at the station whereas №5 was initially used as Hanley Railway Works' pilot before being transfered to ballast trains in 1913.   Only №59 (formerly №5) saw use on ENR metals before she was withdrawn in 1927 with a cracked firebox as №60 (formerly №89) was scrapped following a 1912 collision.  

S&DR Number:	Name:	GER Number:	Withdrawal Date:	Details:
1	"Mottershead"	89	1912	Used as station pilot at Chapelswood, 11/1912 reversed into path of an up express. Scrapped two weeks later.
5	"Ashburn-On-Sea"	5	1927	allocated ENR №40765, never applied, given Engineer Dept. № 24 instead. Scrapped 04/1929.

Today only the tender, numberplates and builders plates from GER №5 are extant. The tender was converted to a snowplough for use on the Middlewood -  Highbury Line, whereas the name and builders plates were taken by Graham Shepherd during the scrapping of ENR №24 (GER №5) and handed down as family heirlooms, they were donated to the "Ashburn5" fund who had purchased the tender from it's previous owner with intentions of building a replica of №5.