LMS Princess Coronation Class 46233 ''Duchess of Sutherland'' is a

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

built in 1938 for the

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...

(LMS) at Crewe Works to a design by

William Stanier Sir William Arthur Stanier, (27 May 1876 – 27 September 1965) was a British railway engineer, and was chief mechanical engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. Biography Sir William Stanier was born in Swindon, where h ...

. It is a 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive built as part of the

LMS Coronation Class The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Coronation Class is a class of express passenger steam locomotives designed by William Stanier. They were an enlarged and improved version of his previous design, the LMS Princess Royal Class, an ...

for its express passenger services, including the

Royal Scot Royal Scot may refer to: * Garde Écossaise, a regiment of the French army * Royal Scots, a regiment of the British Army * Royal Scots (Jacobite), a regiment of Scottish exiles in French service, in existence from 1744 to 1762 * ''Royal Scot'' (tr ...

service from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. Withdrawn by

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British ...

in 1964, the locomotive was originally sold to

Butlins Butlin's is a chain of large seaside resorts in the United Kingdom. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families. Between 1936 and 1966, ten camps were built, including one in Ireland and o ...

holiday camp in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. In 1996, the locomotive was acquired by The Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust with the intention of restoration to mainline condition. In 2001, 46233 was restored to operating condition and since then has been a regular performer on the national network.

Service

6233 was outshopped in July 1938 from Crewe Works and was part of the third batch of her class. These were unstreamlined, painted in LMS standard crimson lake livery and had a single chimney and no

smoke deflectors Smoke deflectors, sometimes called "blinkers" in the UK because of their strong resemblance to the blinkers used on horses, and "elephant ears" in US railway slang, are vertical plates attached to each side of the smokebox at the front of a ste ...

and an estimated cost of £13,800 each (). 6233 Duchess of Sutherland hauling the Yorkshire Coronation to Scarborough

6233 was initially allocated to Camden,

. It acquired a double chimney in March 1941 and because of drifting smoke acquired smoke deflectors in September 1945 before being painted in postwar LMS black livery in September 1946. With the creation of British Railways (BR) on 1 January 1948 it was allocated to Crewe North depot. BR renumbered the locomotive to 46233 in October 1948 and repainted it in BR Brunswick green livery in 1952 or early 1953. In June 1958 it was allocated to Carlisle Upperby before eventually being withdrawn from Edge Hill depot in February 1964. During its 25 years service ''Duchess of Sutherland'' ran - the second highest mileage by any member of the class.

Preservation

Following withdrawal from service, 46233 was acquired by

Heads-of-Ayr holiday camp,

, in October 1964. It was later purchased by Bressingham Steam Museum. In 1996, 6233 was acquired by the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust (PRCLT) arriving at the PRCLT's West Shed, at Swanwick Junction on the Midland Railway - Butterley, on 3 February 1996. In 2001, No. 6233 returned to the national network after an overhaul assisted by the heritage lottery fund and match funded by the PRCLT. To allow it to run on the main line in preservation, 6233 was fitted with Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) and on-train monitoring recorder (OTMR) equipment, alongside the BR fitted

Automatic Warning System The Automatic Warning System (AWS) was introduced in the 1950s in the United Kingdom to provide a train driver with an audible warning and visual reminder that they were approaching a distant signal at caution. Its operation was later extended t ...

(AWS). On 6 March 2010, 6233 was rolled out in LMS lined black livery, which was retained during 2010, before a major overhaul, taking 6233 out of service for the 2011 season. On 3 March 2012, now renumbered 46233 was rolled out in "authentic (Brunswick) green" livery, as used by British Railways during the early 1950s, at the Midland Railway - Butterley following a major overhaul. On 9 September 2018, the engine regained its original number "6233" and LMS "Crimson Lake" livery to mark its 80th birthday.

Picture Gallery

Image:Steam locomotive 6233 Duchess of Sutherland Carlisle Royal Scot 10 Oct 2009 pic 5.jpg, Steam locomotive 6233 Duchess of Sutherland Carlisle Royal Scot 10 Oct 2009 Image:6233 Duchess of Sutherland Coney Green Derbyshire.jpg, 6233 Duchess of Sutherland Coney Green Derbyshire Image:46233 Midland Railway Centre.jpg, 6233 Duchess of Sutherland at her home base, the Midland Railway - Butterley in LMS crimson lake livery. Image:LMS 8P 46233 Green Appleby 14.06.12R edited-2.jpg, ''Duchess of Sutherland'' repainted in early 1950s Brunswick Green at Appleby railway station on a southbound rail tour in June 2012.

Royal Train

On 11 June 2002, the restored ''Duchess'' was the first steam locomotive to haul the Royal Train for 35 years, transporting

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

on a tour to North Wales, from

Holyhead Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and i ...

Llandudno Junction Llandudno Junction ( cy, Cyffordd Llandudno), once known as Tremarl, is a village in the county borough of Conwy, Wales. It is part of the ancient parish of Llangystennin, and it is located south of Llandudno. It adjoins Deganwy and is to the ...

, as part of her

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু� ...

. The trip also marked the 160th anniversary of the first Royal train in 1842. On 22 March 2005 the ''Duchess'' again hauled the Royal Train, the second time for a steam locomotive in 40 years, transporting The Prince of Wales from

Settle Settle or SETTLE may refer to: Places * Settle, Kentucky, United States * Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England ** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district Music * Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania * ''S ...

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...

over the Settle-Carlisle Railway. The trip marked the 25th anniversary of the formation of the 'Friends of the Settle and Carlisle' pressure group. On the trip, the Prince spent a 15-minute spell at the controls of 6233.

References

External links

{{commons category, LMS Princess Coronation Class 6233 Duchess of Sutherland
Princess Royal Locomotive Trust
6233 Duchess of Sutherland Preserved London, Midland and Scottish Railway steam locomotives Individual locomotives of Great Britain Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain