A few months ago, I was asked if I had any video of LMS 4-6-2 Princess Royal Class No. 6201 'Princess Elizabeth'. I thought I had, but once I started looking through my 8mm camcorder tapes, I realised that the footage I thought was of Lizzie was in fact of sister locomotive No. 46203 'Princess Margaret Rose' hauling three mainline rail tours in 1995 and 1996. It was an era of my wobbly camerawork and rail sectorisation as the UK railways headed towards complete privatisation, and I have included shots of freight locomotives and passenger workings filmed while waiting for the steam action! This video also features snippets of No. 46229 'Duchess of Hamilton' and 60009 'Union of South Africa' (the A4 in the dark at Crewe - but, oh, that chime whistle!)
No. 6203 was built at Crewe Works in July 1935 at a total cost of £9,692 for the engine and tender being first of the production batch of locomotives. She entered revenue earning service in July 1935 hauling a train from Crewe to London Euston. She was initially allocated to Polmadie depot in Glasgow but was subsequently allocated to Camden.
The locomotive was named 'Princess Margaret Rose' after the then five-year-old daughter of Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), Princess Margaret Rose, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II.
The locomotive was used to haul the heaviest and fastest London Midland Scottish (LMS) passenger trains from London to north and northwest England and to Scotland.
After withdrawal, No. 46203 was purchased by Billy Butlin of Butlins holiday camps and after cosmetic restoration at Crewe, was moved to Pwllheli in Gwynedd, arriving there in May 1963.
Still under the ownership of the Butlins group, she was moved to The Midland Railway Centre in November 1975 where she remained as a static exhibit at Butterley until purchased from Butlins in October 1988 for £60,000. No. 46203 underwent restoration to full mainline operating standards and returned to service on BR metals in June 1990.
During late 1994, The Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust was formed, and in early 1995 No. 46203 was transferred into the ownership of this charitable trust to secure her long term future.
No. 46203 operated on the UK network for several years, hauling special charter trains, three of which feature in this video. She last ran in 1996 and is currently on static display awaiting funds for another major overhaul, which would cost a minimum of £750,000.
15 окт 2024
