LMS PRINCESS CORONATION CLASS

The 'Princess Coronation Class' is a class of express passenger steam locomotives built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and designed by William Stanier. They were an enlarged version of the LMS Princess Royal Class. Several examples were originally built as streamlined, though this was later removed. The non-streamlined locomotives were often referred to as the "Duchess Class". To enginemen they were all known as ''Big Lizzies''. It is widely held that they were the most powerful passenger locomotives ever to serve on the British railway network.

Contents

Overview

De-Streamlined Locomotives

Liveries

Technical

Details

Preservation

Sound

References

External links

Overview

The first five, 6220-4, were built in 1937. They were streamlined and painted Caledonian Railway blue with silver horizontal lines to match the ''Coronation Scot'' train they were built to haul. The streamlining is probably best described as like an upside down bathtub and was largely for publicity reasons- Stanier, the designer of the Locomotives felt that the added weight and difficulty in maintenance due to the streamlining was too high a price to pay for the actual benefits at high speed. The second five, 6225-9, were also streamlined, but painted in the more traditional crimson lake, with gilt horizontal lining. This was to match standard LMS stock and a planned brand new Coronation train made up of articulated coaches. Although a prototype for this was built and exhibited in America it was never put into service due to WW2.
The next batch was built un-streamlined. They were considered to be very handsome locomotives. Smoke deflectors were added from 1945 due to drifting smoke obscuring the crew’s forward vision.
War interrupted the building of the locomotives, but given the dire shortage of express motive power several more were then finished during the war and turned out in unlined black. 6253-57 were turned out in the 1946 LMS lined black and 46257 was turned out in BR black. Two locomotives to a modified design by George Ivatt were built in 1947 (6256) and 1948 (46257).
Single chimneys were fitted to 6220-6234 when built but they were replaced with double chimneys between 1939 and 1944. 6235 onwards were built with double chimneys.
Smoke deflectors were fitted from 1945 with the last 5 carrying them from new.
An unusual feature of the tenders was that they were fitted with a steam-operated coal pusher to bring the coal down to the firing plate. When this was in operation a plume of steam could be seen rising from the rear face of the coal bunker backwall.

De-Streamlined Locomotives

The streamlining was removed from the fitted locomotives from 1946 onwards. It had been found to be a little value at speeds below 90mph, and was unpopular with running shed staff. Only 3 were still fitted at the end of the LMS period and they had been stripped by the end of 1949. Only 46243 ''City of Lancaster'' carried its British Railways number whilst streamlined.
Initially de-streamlined locomotives could readily be recognised by the sloping top to the smokebox. All were eventually replaced with fully round smokeboxes. The sloping top led to the train-spotters nickname of ''Semis'' (i.e. ''semi''-streamlined).

Liveries

The livery history for these locomotives involves no fewer than 11 variations.
:LMS Streamliner – Blue, Red, Wartime Black
:LMS Non-streamliner – Red, Wartime Black, 1946 Black
:BR Experimental – Blue, Black
:BR Standard – Blue, Green, Red
BR Blue was carried by 25 of the 38 locomotives; the first 2 being so painted in May 1949, one locomotive is known to have carried the blue livery until June 1954. All locomotives carried Green. Only 16 locomotives were painted BR Red and these were allocated to the London Midland Region, Scottish allocated locomotives remained Green.

Technical

Power Classification: 7P, reclassified 8P in 1951.
Introduced: 1937-1948
Designer: Sir William Stanier
Weights:

:Loco: - 105t 5cwt (Conventional), 108t 2cwt (Streamlined), 106t 8cwt (Ivatt) .
:Tender: 56t 7cwt
Driving Wheel: 6' 9"
Boiler pressure: 250psi superheated
Cylinders (4): 16 ½ " x 28"
Tractive Effort: 40,000lbf
Valve Gear: Outside Walschaert with rocking shafts (piston valves)

Details

Number		Name	Built	Style	Dble. Chim.	Casing removed	Smoke Defl.	S’box circular	Withdrawn	Notes
LMS	BR
6220	46220	''Coronation''	Jun. 1937	Str.	Dec. 1944	Sep.1946	Sep.1946	Dec. 1955	Apr. 1963	Set speed record of 114mph on 29th June 1937.
6221	46221	''Queen Elizabeth''	Jun. 1937	Str.	Nov. 1940	May 1946	May 1946	Sep. 1952	May 1963
6222	46222	''Queen Mary''	Jun. 1937	Str.	Aug. 1943	May 1946	May 1946	Aug. 1953	Oct. 1963
6223	46223	''Princess Alice''	Jul. 1937	Str.	Nov. 1941	Aug. 1946	Aug. 1946	Aug. 1955	Oct. 1963
6224	46224	''Princess Alexandra''	Jul. 1937	Str.	May 1940	May 1946	May 1946	Oct. 1954	Oct. 1963
6225	46225	''Duchess of Gloucester''	May 1938	Str.	Jun. 1943	Feb. 1947	Feb. 1947	Jan. 1955	Oct. 1964
6226	46226	''Duchess of Norfolk''	May 1938	Str.	Jul. 1942	Jun. 1947	Jun. 1947	Nov. 1955	Oct. 1964
6227	46227	''Duchess of Devonshire''	Jun. 1938	Str.	Dec. 1940	Aug. 1946	Feb. 1947	May 1953	Dec. 1962
6228	46228	''Duchess of Rutland''	Jun. 1938	Str.	Sep. 1940	Jul. 1947	Jul. 1947	Jan 1957	Oct. 1964
6229	46229	''Duchess of Hamilton''	Sep. 1938	Str.	Apr. 1943	Nov. 1947	Nov. 1947	Feb. 1957	Feb. 1964	Preserved
6230	46230	''Duchess of Buccleuch''	Jul. 1938	Conv.	Oct. 1940		Sep. 1946		Nov. 1963
6231	46231	''Duchess of Atholl''	Jul. 1938	Conv.	Jun. 1940		Sep. 1946		Dec.1962
6232	46232	''Duchess of Montrose''	Jul. 1938	Conv.	Jan 1943		Feb. 1945		Dec. 1962
6233	46233	''Duchess of Sutherland''	Jul.1938	Conv.	Mar. 1941		Sep. 1946		Feb. 1964	Preserved
6234	46234	''Duchess of Abercorn''	Aug. 1938	Conv.	Feb. 1939		Mar. 1946		Jan. 1963
6235	46235	''City of Birmingham''	Jul. 1939	Str.	New	Apr. 1946	Apr. 1946	Jul. 1952	Oct. 1964	Preserved as a static exhibit, Birmingham Museum of Science and Industry
6236	46236	''City of Bradford''	Jul. 1939	Str	New	Dec. 1947	Dec. 1947	Nov. 1953	Mar. 1964	1948 Locomotive Exchange locomotive
6237	46237	''City of Bristol''	Aug. 1939	Str.	New	Jan. 1947	Jan. 1947	May 1956	Oct. 1964
6238	46238	''City of Carlisle''	Sep. 1939	Str.	New	Nov. 1946	Nov. 1946	Oct. 1953	Oct. 1964
6239	46239	''City of Chester''	Sep.1939	Str.	New	Jun. 1947	Jun. 1947	Feb. 1957	Oct. 1964
6240	46240	''City of Coventry''	Mar.1940	Str.	New	Jun. 1947	Jun. 1947	May 1957	Oct. 1964	The nameplate and numberplate of this locomotive have survived. They are at Coventry Station and can be seen from the staircase above platform 2 and 3, together with photographs.
6241	46241	''City of Edinburgh''	Apr. 1940	Str.	New	Jan. 1947	Jan. 1947	Feb. 1958	Sep. 1964
6242	46242	''City of Glasgow''	May 1940	Str.	New	Mar. 1947	Mar. 1947	Nov. 1953	Oct. 1963	Badly damaged in the Harrow and Wealdstone accident, 1952. Rebuilt with non-streamlined style front footplate.
6243	46243	''City of Lancaster''	Jun. 1940	Str.	New	May 1949	May 1949	Nov. 1958	Oct. 1964	Last streamlined locomotive to have its casings removed.
6244	46244	''City of Leeds'' ''King George VI'' ( Apr. 1941)	Jul. 1940	Str.	New	Aug. 1947	Aug. 1947	Jul. 1953	Oct. 1964
6245	46245	''City of London''	Jun. 1943	Str.	New	Aug. 1947	Aug. 1947	Dec. 1957	Oct. 1964
6246	46246	''City of Manchester''	Aug. 1943	Str.	New	Sep. 1946	Sep. 1946	May 1960	Jan. 1963
6247	46247	''City of Liverpool''	Sep. 1943	Str.	New	May 1947	May 1947	May 1958	Jun. 1963
6248	46248	''City of Leeds''	Oct. 1943	Str.	New	Dec. 1946	Dec. 1946	Jun. 1958	Sep. 1964
6249	46249	''City of Sheffield''	Apr. 1944	Conv.	New		Nov. 1946		Nov. 1963	Built with streamlined tender.
6250	46250	''City of Lichfield''	May 1944	Conv.	New		Mar. 1946		Oct. 1964	Built with streamlined tender.
6251	46251	''City of Nottingham''	Jun. 1944	Conv.	New		Aug. 1948		Oct. 1964	Built with streamlined tender.
6252	46252	''City of Leicester''	Jun. 1944	Conv.	New		Mar. 1945		Jun. 1963	Built with streamlined tender.
62253	46253	''City of St. Albans''	Sep. 1946	Conv.	New		New		Jan. 1963
6254	46254	''City of Stoke-on-Trent''	Sep. 1946	Conv.	New		New		Oct. 1964
6255	46255	''City of Hereford''	Oct. 1946	Conv.	New		New		Oct. 1964
6256	46256	''Sir William A. Stanier F.R.S.''	Dec. 1947	Conv.	New		New		Oct. 1964	Design modified by Ivatt.
	46257	''City of Salford''	May 1948	Conv.	New		New		Oct. 1964	Design modified by Ivatt.

Preservation

Three Duchesses have survived. (4)6229 ''Duchess of Hamilton'', (4)6233 ''Duchess of Sutherland'' have both seen action on main line railtours. ''Duchess of Hamilton'', now out of working order, is in the process of a ''Steam Railway'' appeal to have her restreamlined. The third, (4)6235 ''City of Birmingham'' was the centrepiece in the, now defunct, Birmingham science museum. 46235 was put in place and the museum built around her.
Following a successful appeal run by Steam Railway Magazine, 46229 is to be re-streamlined. The locomotive has been moved to the Birmingham Railway Museum at Tyseley, where the work is being carried out. The project will be completed by July 2007, when the locomotive will return to York for the 70th anniversary of the Coronation Scot service - taking her place at the heart of a new National Railway Museum temporary exhibition.

Sound

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References

★ David Jenkinson (1980) ''The Power of the Duchesses'' Oxford Publishing Company ISBN 0-86093-063-7

★ Ian Sixsmith '' The Book of the Coronation Pacifics'' ISBN 1-871608-94-5

★ Hugh Longworth ''British Railway Steam Locomotives 1948-1968'' ISBN 0-86093-593-0

External links

★ Princess Royal Locomotive Trust (owners of 6233)

★ Thinktank, Birmingham science museum (6235 on display)

★ Princess Coronations