British Rail Class 98 Explained

British Rail Class 98
Gauge:	, VoR only

The British Rail Class 98 is a Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) classification that has been used to cover all steam locomotives used on the mainline in Britain, but also has a particular usage for the three Vale of Rheidol Railway-design locomotives that remained in the ownership of British Rail (BR) after the end of mainline steam traction in August 1968. The locomotives on the Vale of Rheidol Railway were the only steam locomotives ever officially to carry the British Rail corporate blue and the double arrow logo.

The number 98010 was assigned to an locomotive acquired by BR in 1987. This locomotive also worked the Vale of Rheidol and was sold along with the steam locomotives. 98010 was built by the Brecon Mountain Railway, using parts supplied by Baguley-Drewry.

Vale of Rheidol locomotives

These three steam locomotives, numbered 7-9 by the Great Western Railway and British Railways, were the only ones to survive in BR's ownership after the end of mainline steam traction in August 1968. Under TOPS they were allocated Class 98 and were nominally numbered 98007-98009, but these numbers were never actually carried on the locomotives.

Registered steam locomotives

The Class 98 series has also been used for privately owned steam locomotives registered to run on the mainline since 1971. The first two digits are the class designation, in this case 98, the remaining three digits are allocated as follows:

The third digit represents the power classification, which was assigned (with a few exceptions) to all British Railways locomotives. The narrow gauge VoRR locomotives were not assigned a power class, but for TOPS purposes were allocated to power class 0. Three standard gauge locomotives have run on the mainline that were not previously in BR stock; Lady Armaghdale (Hunslet works No. 686 of 1898) was assigned power class 1F on the basis of its tractive effort, Barbara, a Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST (works No. 2890 of 1943/rebuilt 1962 as 3882), assigned power class 4F on the basis of the classification given to LNER Class J94 of the same design, and the new-build A1 Pacific locomotive Tornado assigned power class 8P on the basis of the power class assigned to the LNER Peppercorn Class A1 on which it was based. Additionally, two engines in LMS stock but not BR stock were given their LMS power classification 1P.

The fourth and fifth digits usually represent the locomotive's BR number, with a few exceptions. Some ex-LNER locomotives have numbers based on their LNER pre-1946 numbers, these being Class A3 Flying Scotsman (4472), Class A4s Mallard (4468) and Sir Nigel Gresley (4498), LNER Class J36 Maude (NBR 673, LNER pre-1946 9673) and Class V2 Green Arrow (4771). Furthermore, the aforementioned locomotives not of BR origin obviously cannot have numbers based on non-existent BR numbers, so Lady Armaghdale number is based on the works number 686, Barbara on the works number of its 1962 rebuild, and Tornado is assigned the number it carries, 60163, being one greater than the last of the previous Peppercorn A1s.

In a few cases, this process results in the duplication of an existing number, so another is assigned. SR Class U 31625 is TOPS 98426 as it would otherwise duplicate GWR 7325 (TOPS 98425), BR Standard Class 8 71000 Duke of Gloucester (TOPS No. 98802) as it would otherwise duplicate GWR King Class 6000 King George V (TOPS No. 98800).

List of locomotives assigned TOPS numbers

The following is a list of locomotives assigned TOPS numbers. In the power class column, * denotes that this locomotive was not ex-BR and therefore was not assigned a power class by BR. In some cases the names indicated have only been applied during the preservation period.

The given power classes are based on the ones used in the locomotive's TOPS number. BR changed the rating of a few classes e.g. LNER V2 were classified as 6MT, but this was later changed to 7P6F.

An up-to-date list of active mainline locomotives is maintained here.http://www.uksteam.info/tours/lem17.htm#loc

TOPS number	Other number(s)	Name	Class(es)/Type	Power class	Wheel arrangement	TOPS loco diagram
98007	7	Owain Glyndŵr	VoR	0F		98-0??
98008	8	Llewelyn		0F		98-0??
98009	9, 1213	Prince of Wales		0F		98-0??
98010	10					98-0??
98017	34	Portbury	Avonside works No. 1764 of 1917
98150	1450			1P		98-1??
98166	1466			1P		98-1??
98173	673			1P
98186	686	Lady Armaghdale	Hunslet works No. 686 of 1898	1F*		98-1AV
98190	790	Hardwicke		1P
98212	41312		LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T	2MT		98-2JV
98219	55189			2P		98-2EV
98221	46521		LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0	2MT		98-2HV
98238	1638		GWR 1600 Class	2F		98-2DV
98240		City of Truro		2P		98-2BV
98241	46441		LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0	2MT		98-2CV
98243	46443		LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0	2MT		98-2CV
98253	30053		LSWR M7 class	2P		98-2GV
98254	58926, 1054		LNWR Webb Coal Tank	2F		98-2FV
98273	65243, 673	Maude		2F		98-2AV
98315	7715, L99			3F		98-3CV
98321	69621	A.J.Hill		3MT		98-3BV
98372	30072			3F		98-3AV
98400	41000		Midland Railway 1000 Class	4P		98-4BV
98406	43106			4MT		98-4AV
98407	31806	River Torridge		4MT		98-4LU
98414	75014	Braveheart		4MT		98-4EV
98417	76017			4MT		98-4??
98425	7325			4MT		98-4??
98426	31625			4MT		98-4LU
98427	44027			4F		98-4CV
98435	80135			4MT		98-4HV
98452	7752, L94			4F		98-4PV
98455	4555	Warrior		4MT		98-4DV
98457	9600			4F		98-4PV
98460	7760			4F		98-4PV
98466	9466			4F		98-4KV
98469	75069		BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0	4MT		98-4EV
98472	5572		GWR 4575 Class	4MT		98-4DV
98476	76079			4MT		98-4??
98478	68078			4F		98-4BV
98479	80079			4MT		98-4HV
98480	80080		BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T	4MT		98-4HV
98482	(3882)	Barbara		4F*		98-4IV
98484			BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0	4MT		98-4??
98488	4588		GWR 4575 Class	4MT		98-4DV
98494	65894			4F		98-4NV
98498	80098			4MT		98-4HV
98500			LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0	5MT		98-5BV
98502		Bradley Manor		5MT		98-5HV
98505		Alderman A. E. Draper	LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0	5MT		98-5BV
98506		Mayflower	LNER Thompson Class B1	5MT		98-5KV
98507	45407, 5407	Lancashire Fusilier	LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0	5MT		98-5BV
98510		RAF Biggin Hill	LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0	5MT		98-5BV
98512		Erlestoke Manor	GWR 7800 Class	5MT		98-5HV
98519		Hinton Manor	GWR 7800 Class	5MT		98-5HV
98525	45025			5MT		98-5BV
98526	30926, 926	Repton		5P		98-5EV
98528	45428	Eric Treacy	LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0	5MT		98-5BV
98529			BR Standard Class 5	5MT		98-5IV
98530		Hagley Hall		5MT		98-5GV
98531		Sherwood Forester		5MT		98-5BV
98532	44932		LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0	5MT		98-5BV
98536		Kinlet Hall		5MT		98-5GV
98549		Rood Ashton Hall		5MT		98-5GV
98553		Pitchford Hall		5MT		98-5GV
98560	6960	Raveningham Hall		5MT		98-5GV
98564				5MT		98-5KV
98565	42765, 2765			5MT		98-5CV
98567		George Stephenson	LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0	5MT		98-5AV
98568	42968, 2968		LMS Stanier Class 5 2-6-0	5MT		98-5JV
98571	44871, 4871		LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0	5MT		98-5BV
98572		Olton Hall/Hogwarts Castle	GWR 4900 Class	5MT		98-5GV
98577	30777, 777	Sir Lamiel		5P		98-5DV
98596			BR Standard Class 5	5MT		98-5IV
98598	6998	Burton Agnes Hall	GWR 6959 Class	5MT		98-5GV
98605	62005, 2005	Lord of the Isles		6MT		98-6BV
98625	30825, 825			6F		98-6GV
98628	30828, 828	Harry A. Frith		6F		98-6GV
98641	30841, 841			6F		98-6GV
98642		The Great Marquess	LNER Class K4	6MT		98-6CV
98690		Leander		6P5F		98-6AV
98693		Kolhapur		6P5F		98-6AV
98696		Bahamas		6P5F		98-6AV
98699		Galatea		6P5F		98-6AV
98700		Britannia		7P		98-7GV
98701	34101	Hartland		7P 5FA		98-7DV
98702	46100,6100	Royal Scot		7P		98-7BV
98709	53809, 89		S&DJR Class 7F	7F		98-7CV
98713		Oliver Cromwell		7P		98-7GV
98715		Scots Guardsman		7P		98-7BV
98716	34016	Bodmin	Southern Railway Rebuilt West Country Class	7P6F		98-7DV
98727	34027	Taw Valley	Southern Railway Rebuilt West Country Class	7P6F		98-7DV
98728		Nunney Castle	GWR 4073 Class	7P		98-7FV
98729		Clun Castle	GWR 4073 Class	7P		98-7FV
98743		Earl of Mount Edgcumbe	GWR 4073 Class	7P		98-7FV
98746	34046	Braunton	Southern Railway Rebuilt Battle of Britain Class	7P6F		98-7DV
98750	30850, 850	Lord Nelson	SR Lord Nelson class	7P		98-7EV
98751		Earl Bathurst	GWR 4073 Class	7P		98-7FV
98767	34067, 21C167	Tangmere		7P6F		98-7DV
98771		Green Arrow		7P6F		98-7HV
98772	34072	257 Squadron		7P6F		98-7DV
98780		Defiant		7P		98-7FV
98792	34092	City of Wells	Southern Railway Unrebuilt West Country Class	7P6F		98-7DV
98800		King George V		8P		98-8EV
98801		Princess Elizabeth	LMS Princess Royal Class	8P		98-8CV
98802		Duke of Gloucester	BR Standard Class 8	8P		98-8JV
98803		Princess Margaret Rose	LMS Princess Royal Class	8P		98-8CV
98805	35005	Canadian Pacific		8P		98-8DV
98809		Union of South Africa		8P6F		98-8AV
98818		British India Line		8P		98-8DV
98819		Bittern, Dominion of New Zealand		8P6F		98-8AV
98823		King Edward II		8P		98-8EV
98824		King Edward I		8P		98-8EV
98828		Clan Line		8P		98-8DV
98829		Duchess of Hamilton	LMS Coronation Class	8P		98-8BV
98832		Blue Peter		8P7F		98-8FV
98834		Duchess of Sutherland		8P		98-8IV
98851	48151			8F		98-8IV
98857	2857			8F		98-8HV
98863		Tornado		8P*
98868		Mallard		8P6F		98-8AV
98872		Flying Scotsman		7P6F		98-8GV
98873				8F		98-8IV
98898		Sir Nigel Gresley	LNER Class A4	8P6F		98-8AV
98920		Evening Star		9F		98-9AV

External links

• Web site: Mainline Steam Locomotives. 22 March 2010. 25 November 2010.