R.o.B Motive Power
LMS Duchess Class 4-6-2
Specifications: LMS 4-6-2 LMS built at Crewe and introduced from 1938
BR numbers: 46220-46257
Tractive effort: 40,285 lbs
Driving wheels: 6 ft 9 in
Bogie wheels: 3 ft
Trailing wheels: 3 ft 9 in
Length: 73 ft 9 3/4 in
Total weight: 105 tons 5 cwt
Fuel capacity: 10 tons
Water capacity: 4000 gals
Cylinders: (4) 16 1/2 in x 28 in
Boiler pressure: 250 lbs sq in
BR power classification: 8-P
Purpose: Express passenger
Designed by: Sir William Stanier
With the development of streamline services on the LNER the LMS felt it had to respond to the perceived challenge laid down for Anglo-Scottish traffic by creating a new train to run from London Euston to Glasgow with only one stop at Carlisle. To commemorate the 1937 Coronation of King Edward VI when the service was introduced the train was to be known as the 'Coronation Scot'. The only problem was that the 'Princess Royal' class were not considered up to the job of the 6 1/2 hour, 401 1/2 mile run on a regular basis. Especially for the train, Stanier designed the 'Princess Coronation' class which was essentially based on the 'Princess Royals' though with some improvements such as larger diameter boiler with 40 element superheater slightly larger diameter driving wheels and simplified valve gear with the inner valves having rocking shafts operating off the outside valve spindle crossheads, and were to be his last design for the LMS. In the June of 1937 the first of 5 new streamlined engines looking more like upside down baths were turned out of Crewe works, the first of which was LMS No.6220 'Coronation' with the other four numbered 6221-6224 and following soon behind, all were coloured in Prussian Blue and white lining, the coaches also liveried in the same colours. On a trial run a speed of 114mph was achieved with the Crewe to London Euston leg of 158miles covered with an average speed of 79.7mph a record for the west coast route. Another 5 of the streamlined class, Nos.6225-6229, followed in 1938 though these were maroon liveried with white banding so that they would blend nicely with the LMS maroon coaching stock when the engines were not operating the 'Coronation Scot' services.
Between 1938 and 1948 28 more of the class were turned out though not all were streamlined but they all shared the same dimensions. The first 5 of the new batch, Nos.6230-6234, were non-streamlined, with the next 14, Nos.6235-6248, streamlined and the final 9, Nos.6249-6257, once again in conventional style. The first 15 of the class had single chimneys but the rest were fitted with the double blastpipe and chimney with the earlier engines also modified in 1943. With maintenanace of the streamlined locomotives difficult during the war it was decided to remove the casing from the streamliners though this was not to be completed until after the war, most of the engines having been fitted with smoke deflectors. In the February of 1939 LMS No.6234 'Duchess of Abercorn' carried out a test run from Glasgow to Crewe with a train consisting of 20 coaches a load of about 605tons. The cylinder horse power of the engine was recorded at a wopping 3,330 becoming the highest ever recorded for a British locomotive and one that has still not been beaten. The engine even climbed Beattock with a speed of 63mph where most express trains really did slow to a virtual crawl. The problem with the engine was that it had a modified firebox of 50sq ft requiring two firemen to keep it fed. With the beginning of the war any further experiments and record breaking attempts with the class came to a close though the engines were seen as a benefit to the railways and numbers 6235-6248 were built up to 1943 the last 4 were painted in black rather than the maroon that the other engines including the original 5 were now painted in.
The final two of the 'Duchesses' as the engines had become known came with George Ivatt improvements to Stanier's design which included roller bearings and Delta type trailing truck and were identifiable by the high running plate which extended to the cab. By 1949 all of the streamlined casings had been removed from the 38 engines of the class that had been built in that form retaining a sloping top to the smokebox that was known as a 'semi' short for semi-streamlined the last of which was seen in 1960 until LMS No.6229 'Duchess of Hamilton' was turned out on the 6th May 2006 with the look as part the National Railway Museum re-streamlining project. The other way to identify the former streamliners was that there was a gap in the running plate in front of the cylinders. Even in 1962 some of the class still carried LMS Maroon livery including BR Nos.46225/6/8/9, 46236/8, 46240/3-8 and 46251/4/6 the remainder painted in standard BR green. Between 1962 and 1964 withdrawal of the class took place due to their being very restricted in the types of work they could carry out as they normally operated the services from London Euston to Crewe and Glasgow though sometimes they could be seen as far north as Aberdeen, towards the end of their lives they were used as stanby locomotives in case one of the diesels failed, the last of the remaining 19 engines in the September of 1964 to be withdrawn was BR No.46256 'Sir William A Stanier FRS', the majority of them still in excellent operational condition, having been replaced by diesels.
Stanier did not like Streamliners?: In the February 2006 edition of the Railway magazine there was an interesting article about William Stanier and his streamlined locomotives. The article had been written after an interview with the great man's niece. In the interview the writer if the article asked what was Stanier's favourite locomotive, to which she replied that they were the black 5's as he was 'more concerned with achieving optimum performance and design rather than advertising imagery,' which is exactly what the locomotives were built for as were most for the express locomotives of the time, the only reason why the trains stopped to pick up passengers was because the companies had to make a good impression on the fare paying public as well as running express trains from London to Scotland in the shortest time. If someone was to measure then and now how many passenger journeys are in fact made from London to Scotland in any one day I am very sure that they would be minimal compared with the intermediate stops where people board and alight and without them there would really be no need for a main line network. Anyway, according to the article, what Stanier's niece said seems to confirm other reports that Stanier had not been happy with the streamlining and even recommended that it did not take place as it was a waste of money. However whether he was right or not is down to the historian and engineer but he really did produce some brilliant locomotives that were also aesthetically pleasing in my view.
'The Duchess of Hamilton' No 46229: The fame of the 'Coronation Scot
train' and its 'Duchess' locomotives became world famous before the war and as a result No.6229 was sent to America on a whistle stop tour along with a whole train of carriages in 1939 maskerading as No.6220 'Coronation'. Whilst there the locomotive and train covered 3,210 miles visiting 38 cities as well as the New York World's fair. Due to the outbreak of war in Europe the engine had to remain in America until it became relatively safe to have it shipped back over in 1943 when it returned to regular passenger traffic along with its original number and identity. Before withdrawl in the February of 1964 the engine had covered 1 1/2 million miles. Fortunately the engine was purchased for preservation though this was in the form of a static exhibit at a Butlin's holiday camp where it remained for many years before it was loaned to the National Railway museum in 1987, which later went on to purchase it, where it was restored to running order. A little aside it was at York station that I first set foot on a steam locomotive and this was it, only 7 and in the cab of the Duchess, WOW!
In the November issue of the Railway Magazine an article appeared stating that the National Railway Museum was to go ahead with streamlining the locomotive which would cost about 90,000 pounds. The Project is a partnership between the NRM229 club and Tyesley locomotive works where the engine will be taken for the work to be carried out, over the next year. Though the project is starting with 60,000 pounds it still needs a substantial amount more to return the engine to her original form and will be the only locomotive of her type. As was mentioned above Duchess of Hamilton was turned out of Tyseley works for a one day special photographic opportunity on the 6th May 2006 with one side in LMS black and the other in maroon though the special picture is of the engine with her semi streamlined smokebox!