Identical to 41298, this locomotive was one of a further batch of twenty built at Crewe in 1952 to lot No. 225. It was first sent to Brighton in 29th May 1952 and after checking and running-in, it was sent on to its first proper home shed of Exmouth Junction on 29th June. Here, with class sisters 41314 / 41315, it displaced aged Drummond M7 0-4-4T's on local passenger work in the Exeter area, especially on the Sidmouth and Exmouth branches. They were also tried on banking duties between St Davids and Central Stations.

In 5th July 1952 it piloted West Country 34036 on the 11:49 Exeter Central to Okehampton, becoming the first 2-6-2T to be used on the Bude branch from Halwill Junction. Soon after this it shared with 41315 the privilege being the first 2-6-2T's on the Bere Alston to Callington branch near Plymouth. For nearly 3 years 41313 continued to work from Exmouth Junction.

April 1955 saw 41313 moved to Three Bridges MPD, Sussex, on the Brighton main line, but it was there for only a matter of weeks before transfer in May to Faversham (73E) in East Kent. It stayed here for four years until the depot closed to steam on the 14th June 1959. With other engines of its class it had established an excellent reputation for reliability and lively performance on the local trains to the Medway towns, to Dover and the Sheerness branch. While at Faversham 41313 was again selected for a special operation. This was in January 1957 when it was the test engine for empty stock train working between Clapham Junction and Waterloo. Again the 2-6-2T was successful and it heralded the end of the Drummond 0-4-4T's on these duties.

In November 1959 the engine was taken to Eastleigh Works for a general repair and when repainted went West again, this time to Barnstaple (72E), where it joined 41298. Duties were light passenger and goods trains. The duties it had first sampled in 1955, to Torrington and Halwill, became its regular activity. As it was still at Barnstaple at the end of 1962 it was transferred to Western Region stock when all the lines west of Salisbury fell under Swindon and Paddington.

Three months later at the beginning of 1963, 41313 returned to the Southern Region at Brighton (75A) where work included passenger turns to Horsham and Guildford, shunting, parcels trains, and the Lancing Belle workman's train to Lancing Carriage Works. Two visits to Eastleigh works for intermediate repairs were made, one in July 1962 when it came up from Barnstaple, and the other in November 1963, after it had transferred to Brighton. In May 1964 it was sent to its final BR home, Eastleigh (70D), with 41319/25, and then spent more than a year on local passenger and van trains in the district, and some freight duties including the petrol tank car trains on the Fawley Branch. By June 1965 diesel power was ousting steam in the area and 41313 was laid aside, officially withdrawn in November 1965

Out of use until its sale to Woodham Brothers in February 1966, 41313 was towed to their scrap-yard in Barry Docks, where it was to stay until purchase by the Ivatt Trust, who brought the locomotive to Quainton in 1975. Initially brought as a source of spares for their other two locomotives, it was later decided that the engine will eventually be restored to full working order.

41313 was initially purchased to provide a change of boiler for Class 2 2-6-0 46447, and to provide valuable other spares. 41313 had a good set of tyres and its pony truck needed less attention than the one on 46447. For 14 years of its working life 41313 was a Southern Region engine, and the relatively good condition of its boiler and firebox reflects the care and attention paid by the Southern Region to water treatment and to the regularity of boiler wash-outs.

After 31 years undercover at Quainton the Ivatt Trust came to an agreement with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, that saw 41313 and her sister locomotive 41298 restored for use on the Isle of Wight, with ownership transered to the IoWSR. Some forty years after an initial plan to introduce BR Standard Class 2MT locomotives to the island, a similar class of locomotive are now making their mark on the island.

With the successful launch into service of 46447 at the East Somerset Railway; an agreement was drawn up between the ESR and the IOSWSR for No. 41313 to be restored at Cranmore; this was achieved in June 2017 with the loco run in at Cranmore before her return to the Isle of Wight. This was helped by a number of spares, including motion parts, recovered from sister loco 41319 in a Norwich scrapyard in 1968.

On the 24th October the 41313 was moved back to the Isle of Wight. Here 41313 worked her first public passenger trains on Wednesday 4th April, these being her first revenue earning trains since being withdrawn in 1965.

Current Location - Isle of Wight Steam Railway

References:
41313, A Stablemate for 41298 - Quainton News No. 25 Autumn 1975