Caption:

Possibly dating some time in late-1972/early-1973, after its repaint into

BR Blue with yellow ends and the new BR logo, 5020 (later 24020) ticks over in the track allocated to the Manchester Victoria banker (Circuit T42/T43 duty). The loco was allocated to Longsight at this time. In the big purge of the Class 24s during the summer of 1975, 24020 was placed into store at Reddish depot during the first week of July and then withdrawn on August 10th. By the time this photograph was taken at Manchester in the mid-1970s, examples of the first 20-built BR Sulzer Type 2 Class 24s were quite rare, especially in such good external condition as this – almost ex-shops. The jobs for such engines were dwindling and the later Class 25s were often being used instead. Although built at Derby for LMR allocation, due to the rather bizarre idea that BR had of building new Class 33 locomotives with electric carriage-heating equipment for the SR which had no compatible rolling-stock, the Class 24s were loaned to the South Eastern Division for use double-heading with 33s in Kent and Sussex to provide warm coaches on their trains in winter.