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46237 Shap 1963
Stanier’s magnificent Princess Coronation pacifics were built in batches starting with nos 6220-6224 in 1937, all of which were streamlined in keeping with the public mood which had been set alight by Gresley’s sleek A4s of 1935. Stanier had little doubt that any improved efficiency due to streamlining was more than offset by the extra maintenance costs involved, and sought to construct some unstreamlined engines in the next batch. Thus in 1938, five engines Nos 6225 - 6229 appeared with a streamlined casing but a further five, nos 6230 -34 were of traditional appearance without any streamlining at all.Doubtless Stanier would have liked to continue building further batches in the unstreamlined form but the batch of 20 planned for the year 1939 were again earmarked for the streamlined look. In the event this batch was reduced to just five due to the increasing prospects of war which lurked on the horizon. It was argued that express passenger engines would find little use in their natural role during a war period so fewer would be needed. Despite this, the five were assembled with streamlined casing and given the numbers 6235 – 6239. All were named after cities which began a new trend that was continued with further batches built during and after the war.
No 6237 City of Bristol entered service as a red streamliner in August 1939 and began working from Camden shed in London. This was to be her principal home until 1958 when she went north to Carlisle for the rest of her existence. The streamlined casing remained through the war years becoming more shabby and pointless as the trains being dragged up and down the west coast by members of this class became longer, heavier and slower. From August 1943 the red livery had been lost to be replaced by unlined wartime black (no streamlined stripes coming to a point at the front end) under which the casing looked even more incongruous. In March 1947 the streamlining was finally discarded and City of Bristol emerged from Crewe still in black but this time a shiny lined LMS black which some observers thought suited the destreamlined locomotives very well. Visible features accompanied the destreamlining process, most notably the sloping front to the smokebox top and the abrupt end to the footplating above the cylinders. In time, City of Bristol and all the other de-frocked members of the class received new properly shaped circular smokeboxes with which to end their days but the footplating difference always remained as the hallmark of a once-streamlined pacific.In the autumn of 1949 as no 46237, City of Bristol acquired BR blue livery which was based on the old Caledonian blue of the pregrouping era and this was retained for the ensuing three years when at the next major overhaul, the final livery of BR brunswick green was applied. Sixteen of the Coronations were later (1958) painted in a version of the old Midland crimson lake but City of Bristol was not one of these, retaining BR green right to the end.
This particular engine had been a celebrity on the Western Region of British Railways during the spring of 1955. At this time Swindon was experiencing problems with its fleet of King Class 4-6-0s and no 46237 was placed on loan for a four week period from 19th April to undergo ‘trials’ which would enable the Kings to be compared with another ‘8P’ type. The Railway Observer recorded that the LMR Inspector who accompanied these trials was unimpressed to find that his engine had been placed at the head of the 9-coach Merchant Venturer at Paddington (heading appropriately enough for the city of Bristol.) He somewhat sniffily commented that no 46237 had brought 17 coaches up from Carlisle to Euston the week before …which probably did nothing to make him popular on the footplate that day. During the four weeks on GW metals the pacific also found use on heavier trains including the Cornish Riviera, though no record remains of the outcome of these trials which occurred over half a century ago.
The heady days of 1955 are but a memory at the date of this photograph taken on 17th July 1963.No 46237 is in her twilight years working from Carlisle Upperby and seen ascending Shap with the Keswick portion of the Lakes Express. She is passing milepost 36 (from Lancaster) which was just one mile to the north of Scout Green signalbox, and making fast progress up the 1 in 75 with a reduced weight load (the Windermere portion having been left at Oxenholme).
With little more than a year left in active service she still looks cared for and in good mechanical order but the end was soon to come in the mass cull of September 1964 when almost the entire remaining fleet of Coronations numbering 17 locomotives were withdrawn at a stroke (the one exception, No 46256 Sir William Stanier FRS succumbed days later on 3rd October.) City of Bristol travelled the short distance from Carlisle to Troon where she was rapidly reduced to scrap in December 1964.
46237 Shap 1963
Stanier’s magnificent Princess Coronation pacifics were built in batches starting with nos 6220-6224 in 1937, all of which were streamlined in keeping with the public mood which had been set alight by Gresley’s sleek A4s of 1935. Stanier had little doubt that any improved efficiency due to streamlining was more than offset by the extra maintenance costs involved, and sought to construct some unstreamlined engines in the next batch. Thus in 1938, five engines Nos 6225 - 6229 appeared with a streamlined casing but a further five, nos 6230 -34 were of traditional appearance without any streamlining at all.Doubtless Stanier would have liked to continue building further batches in the unstreamlined form but the batch of 20 planned for the year 1939 were again earmarked for the streamlined look. In the event this batch was reduced to just five due to the increasing prospects of war which lurked on the horizon. It was argued that express passenger engines would find little use in their natural role during a war period so fewer would be needed. Despite this, the five were assembled with streamlined casing and given the numbers 6235 – 6239. All were named after cities which began a new trend that was continued with further batches built during and after the war.
No 6237 City of Bristol entered service as a red streamliner in August 1939 and began working from Camden shed in London. This was to be her principal home until 1958 when she went north to Carlisle for the rest of her existence. The streamlined casing remained through the war years becoming more shabby and pointless as the trains being dragged up and down the west coast by members of this class became longer, heavier and slower. From August 1943 the red livery had been lost to be replaced by unlined wartime black (no streamlined stripes coming to a point at the front end) under which the casing looked even more incongruous. In March 1947 the streamlining was finally discarded and City of Bristol emerged from Crewe still in black but this time a shiny lined LMS black which some observers thought suited the destreamlined locomotives very well. Visible features accompanied the destreamlining process, most notably the sloping front to the smokebox top and the abrupt end to the footplating above the cylinders. In time, City of Bristol and all the other de-frocked members of the class received new properly shaped circular smokeboxes with which to end their days but the footplating difference always remained as the hallmark of a once-streamlined pacific.In the autumn of 1949 as no 46237, City of Bristol acquired BR blue livery which was based on the old Caledonian blue of the pregrouping era and this was retained for the ensuing three years when at the next major overhaul, the final livery of BR brunswick green was applied. Sixteen of the Coronations were later (1958) painted in a version of the old Midland crimson lake but City of Bristol was not one of these, retaining BR green right to the end.
This particular engine had been a celebrity on the Western Region of British Railways during the spring of 1955. At this time Swindon was experiencing problems with its fleet of King Class 4-6-0s and no 46237 was placed on loan for a four week period from 19th April to undergo ‘trials’ which would enable the Kings to be compared with another ‘8P’ type. The Railway Observer recorded that the LMR Inspector who accompanied these trials was unimpressed to find that his engine had been placed at the head of the 9-coach Merchant Venturer at Paddington (heading appropriately enough for the city of Bristol.) He somewhat sniffily commented that no 46237 had brought 17 coaches up from Carlisle to Euston the week before …which probably did nothing to make him popular on the footplate that day. During the four weeks on GW metals the pacific also found use on heavier trains including the Cornish Riviera, though no record remains of the outcome of these trials which occurred over half a century ago.
The heady days of 1955 are but a memory at the date of this photograph taken on 17th July 1963.No 46237 is in her twilight years working from Carlisle Upperby and seen ascending Shap with the Keswick portion of the Lakes Express. She is passing milepost 36 (from Lancaster) which was just one mile to the north of Scout Green signalbox, and making fast progress up the 1 in 75 with a reduced weight load (the Windermere portion having been left at Oxenholme).
With little more than a year left in active service she still looks cared for and in good mechanical order but the end was soon to come in the mass cull of September 1964 when almost the entire remaining fleet of Coronations numbering 17 locomotives were withdrawn at a stroke (the one exception, No 46256 Sir William Stanier FRS succumbed days later on 3rd October.) City of Bristol travelled the short distance from Carlisle to Troon where she was rapidly reduced to scrap in December 1964.