46202 Turbomotive
was rebuilt from an experimental geared steam
turbine to a conventional locomotive in 1952 and
named Princess Anne. On 8 October 1952, after
only two months in service, it was involved in
the Harrow and Wealdstone disaster when it was
the train engine of the double headed Liverpool
and Manchester express which ran into the
wreckage of the first collision which had
happened moments before. The locomotive was
taken to Crewe where it was decided it was
beyond economical repair and scrapped. The
destruction of No. 46202 led to the construction
of another unique locomotive - BR
71000 "Duke of Gloucester"
| Home | RAILSPOT RELOADED |
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| If you lived in Gloucestershire
between 1990 and 1992 you might remember a weekly
newspaper called The Gloucester Journal. In The
Gloucester Journal was a feature called Railspot, which I
wrote. Each week, Railspot would include a picture, 500
words describing it, and often some pub quiz type
questions about railways.
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LMS "PRINCESS ROYAL" CLASS 4-6-2 6201 "PRINCESS ELIZABETH" |
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| August 1987 saw locomotive 6201 "Princess
Elizabeth" make a welcome return to Gloucestershire. Now based at
Hereford along with "King George V" and "Clan Line", "Princess
Elizabeth" spent its first years of preservation at Ashchurch, then home
of the Dowty Railway Preservation Society. 6201 was built at Crewe
in 1933 as the second member of Sir William Stanier's "Princess Royal"
class.
This was the first of his 4-6-2 ( or Pacific ) designs and the first such express passenger type to be built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway. Stanier had come from the Great Western to become Chief Mechanical Engineer of the LMS and there are many similarities between the "Princess Royals" and the GWR "Kings". Named after our present Queen, 6201 set a number of distance and endurance records and influenced construction of both the rest of the class ( 6202 - 6212 were built in 1935 ) and the streamlined "Princess Coronation" engines introduced in 1938. "Princess Elizabeth" left BR service in 1962 numbered 46201, about the same time that sister locomotive 46203 "Princess Margaret Rose". 46203 started preservation as an exhibit at Butlins holiday camp at Pwllheli, but full restoration is now almost complete and it is due to run on BR tracks again this summer. |
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| 46201 "Princess Elizabeth at the Dowty Railway Preservation Society site at Ashchurch in 1966 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Since 1990 Bulmer's Railway Centre at Hereford has closed with 6000 "King George V" now being preserved at Steam at Swindon and 6201 "Princess Elizabeth" finding a new home at Crewe. However,the iconic steam engine still draws interest from far and wide, as this article from the Barrow in Furness based North West Evening Mail of 14 April 2009 relates: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Back in the days when visitors were allowed to wander round the Severn Valley Railway's Bridgnorth engine shed, 6201 "Princess Elizabeth" came face to face with C-C diesel hydraulic D1013 "Western Ranger" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Clive's mission to keep the big wheels turning |
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| It takes a dedicated team of enthusiasts to
keep one of the giants of the steam age carrying passengers after more
than 70 years.
Millom's Clive Mojonnier has been involved as a volunteer with the LMS express engine "Princess Elizabeth" since 1976 and is chairman of the society which keeps it on the rails. He was at Kendal Auction Rooms last week to sell a model live steam locomotive during filming for the Flog It! TV antiques show. The burgundy 1920s model made double its estimate at £ 1 300 and Mr Mojonnier pledged the cash toward the running costs of "Princess Elizabeth". He also took the opportunity to present Flog It! presenter Paul Martin with a copy of his book called 6201 Princess Elizabeth. Mr Mojonnier faced the cameras with nine-year-old grandson Joshua and they made a big impression on Mr Martin and Flog It! expert David Barby. Mr Martin told Joshua " Clever Grandad, raising all that money for the charity." "Princess Elizabeth" is based at Crewe and all its repair bills tend to be huge. New tubes to give the boiler an extra three years of life costs £ 22 500 and the insurance is £10 000 a year, said Mr Mojonnier. The locomotive's first outing this season is due on May 9 and its usual route is Doncaster, Leeds and Carlisle. |
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| Two more views of 6201 "Princess Elizabeth" at Ashchurch in the 1960s before Health and Safety was invented! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| In his book, Mr Mojonnier traces the history of
Pacific-type 6201 "Princess Elizabeth" from November 1933 when
building was completed at Crewe Works. It cost £ 11 675 - £ 2 500
over the estimate. It did not have the best of starts, gaining a
reputation as a poor steamer and being the subject of an unsightly
experiment to fit a stovepipe double chimney. All this was forgotten by November 1936 when "Princess Elizabeth" broke a world record - steaming more than 800 miles over two consecutive days at an average speed of 69 mph with an average load of 240 tons. A young eyewitness, Terence Hartwell of Kenton, Middlesex, made sure of a good vantage point to see history being made by 6201 on the Glasgow to London Euston run. He said "What a great end to a most memorable day which will stay in my memory for always. I was a very happy seven-year-old boy that went to bed that night, and there was only one number on my mind." Record breaking driver Tom Clark OBE eventually had two locomotives named in his honour - 47 832 and 90 014. He died in 1954. [ Charles Fleet was his fireman for the record breaking run ] Mr Mojonnier's book is packed with pictures of "Princess Elizabeth", both in regular service and in preservation. Those who love their facts and figures will not be disappointed. In its record breaking year, the locomotive travelled a total of 83 320 miles and from new was painted in LMS crimson lake. Before being withdrawn from service, aged just 29, in October 1962, the total mileage had reached 1 500 000. The locomotive was saved from the cutter's torch by a band of enthusiasts who agreed to pay £ 2 160 - around £ 70 000 by today's standards. From the mid 1970s it was back on the main line pulling steam specials - including the Cumbrian Mountain Express and Cumbrian Coast Express. In 1987 the Queen visited Crewe for the 150th anniversary of the Grand Junction Railway and inspected the train named after her. She was presented with a Hornby model of "Princess Elizabeth" by Mr Mojonnier - then secretary of the Princess Elizabeth Locomotive Society. Copies of the book 6201 Princess Elizabeth are available from Clive Mojonnier at PO Box 6201, Millom, Cumbria LA18 4GE. Cheques should be made payable to Princess Elizabeth Locomotive Society Limited. |
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