Wigan Album
Wigan North West Station
7 Comments
Photo: Ray
Item #: 32807
northbound journey at North Western Station in Wigan about 10
years ago. This express steam locomotive was new in the 1930s to
the London Midland & Scottish railway company, later to become
part of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948,
The 'Lizzies' were withdrawn about 1962 as part of the 1955 Modernisation Plan and were beset with technical problems, hot axles boxes being one.
I never saw one in service, but they were regulars on the West Cost main line. They were very handsome locos, but always in the shadow of the Coronation class that survived two years longer albeit all gone by late 1964.
My first train set was a Tri-ang passenger loco number 46205 Princess Victoria, complete with two BR maroon coaches.
Happy times.
Jarvo, my first train set was a Triang Princess Elizabeth,wish I still had it.Got It one Christmas and it was the best present I ever had.Christmas was very special in those days.
Pw I think you and me are on the same wavelength<g> I remember my first train set too that I got for Christmas. What a magical moment it was, to find it at the foot of your bed on Christmas morning. I had it and played with it for years. Not like today's kids who open the box on Christmas morning look at it put it back in the box never to see the light of day again. Then move on to the next present..
I had a Thomas the Tank Engine.
6201 was for a time a speed record holder.
When Stanier became Chief Mech. Engineer to LMS, they were very short of traction power, particularly for long distance express passenger service. Partially a result of the 'light engine policy' inherited from Derby (Midland Rly) . They preferred to double head rather than have a more powerful locomotive, but this was less suited to the former North-Western Railway lines when these two companies became constituent parts of LMS.
Stanier was formerly with Swindon, GWR, and had been head-hunted by LMS. His first response had been to get GWR to build a fleet of 'Castle' Class locomotives for LMS, but after a promising start, the deal got pulled.
You can see the lines of the Castle in the Princess classes which he then went on to build, particularly the curved blast-pipes enabling the cylinders to be placed further back than was commonplace. Also, the four cylinder arrangement is similar to GWR 'King' class, which is where Swindon were going with design at the time.
Princess Elizabeth broke the record for steam, running non stop London to Glasgow and did the same on the return in 1936 in under 6 hours. She was back on the main line this year. A beautiful looking engine.