LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 5231
London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 No. 5231 (British Railways no. 45231) is a preserved British steam locomotive. In preservation, it has carried both the names 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment and The Sherwood Forester, though it never carried either of these in service.
Service
5231 was built by Armstrong-Whitworth in 1936. It spent most of its early career at Patricroft shed, working mainly to North Wales and Leeds. After nationalisation in 1948, it was renumbered 45231 by British Railways.
45231 was transferred to Northampton in October 1954, but was only officially there for a month — such allocation changes were often only carried out on paper — and then transferred to Aston, where it remained for nine years. 45231 was officially transferred to Rugby in February 1963, but was moved a short time later (July) to Chester. It stayed at Chester until closure of Chester shed in April 1967 when 45231 was then transferred to Speke Junction and finally Carnforth, where 45231 lasted until the last day of steam on BR in August 1968.
It was sold by BR directly into preservation and was restored at Carnforth to LMS livery.
This locomotive was one of a total of 842 with five of its class having names: 45154 Lanarkshire Yeomanry, 45156 Ayrshire Yeomanry, 45157 The Glasgow Highlander, and 45158 The Glasgow Yeomanry.[1]
Preservation
After being initially preserved at Carnforth, 5231 became associated with the preserved Great Central Railway in Leicestershire. In 1973 it hauled the official opening train between Loughborough and Quorn. Never having carried a name in BR service, on 9 May 1976 the locomotive was nonetheless named 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment at Quorn. It was taken out of service the following year for an overhaul.
5231 was overhauled in Cornwall, and was complete in 1988, when it returned to the GCR. It was then moved to the Nene Valley Railway from 1989 until 1993, when it returned to the GCR for the filming of Shadowlands. 5231 was sold to the GCR in late 1996, who repainted it in BR lined black in 1997. It also acquired a new set of nameplates, this time more simply The Sherwood Forester. A very similar name was carried by LMS Royal Scot Class (4)6112 Sherwood Forester.
The loco is now owned by Bert Hitchen and it has recently returned to traffic after a major overhaul was carried out at Carnforth MPD.
45231 has also been used in both of the Fifteen Guinea Special re-runs in recent years; in 2008 it worked alongside fellow class engine 45407 when they double headed the train from Carlisle back as far as Blackburn. 45231 then worked the train alone back to Liverpool Lime Street.
For the 2013 re-run it worked alongside another of the class, 44932; this time 45231 was pilot engine and the duo worked the train back from Carlisle to Longsight in Manchester (the original route from Manchester Victoria being closed due to ongoing electrification).
References
- ↑ The ABC of British Railway Locomotives. Ian Allan. Winter 1956–1957.
External links
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