1948 Locomotive Exchange Trials
Encyclopedia
The 1948 Locomotive Exchange Trials were organised by the newly nationalised British Railways (BR). Locomotives from the former "Big Four" constituent companies (GWR
, LMS
, LNER, SR
) were transferred to and worked on other regions. Officially, these comparisons were to identify the best qualities of the four different schools of thought of locomotive design so that they could be used in the new BR standard designs. However, the testing had little scientific rigour, and political influence meant that LMS practice was largely followed by the new standard designs regardless. However the trials were useful publicity
for BR to show the unity of the new British Railways.
LMS engines operated over the Southern Region where there were no water troughs were paired with four-axled ex-WD tenders with larger water tanks. These were specially given LMS lettering for the occasion. Similarly, ex-Southern types used elsewhere were paired with ex-LMS tenders with water scoops.
Locomotives used were as follows (NB numbers given should be the ones carried at the time, so this is a somewhat curious mixture of old pre-nationalisation numbers, prefixed numbers, and new BR numbers):
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, LMS
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
, LNER, SR
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
) were transferred to and worked on other regions. Officially, these comparisons were to identify the best qualities of the four different schools of thought of locomotive design so that they could be used in the new BR standard designs. However, the testing had little scientific rigour, and political influence meant that LMS practice was largely followed by the new standard designs regardless. However the trials were useful publicity
Publicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
for BR to show the unity of the new British Railways.
LMS engines operated over the Southern Region where there were no water troughs were paired with four-axled ex-WD tenders with larger water tanks. These were specially given LMS lettering for the occasion. Similarly, ex-Southern types used elsewhere were paired with ex-LMS tenders with water scoops.
Locomotives used were as follows (NB numbers given should be the ones carried at the time, so this is a somewhat curious mixture of old pre-nationalisation numbers, prefixed numbers, and new BR numbers):
Express passenger locomotives
- ex-GWR King Class 6018 King Henry VI on the Leeds - Grantham East Coast mainline.
- ex-GWR Hall Class 6990 Witherslack Hall on the Great Central Main LineGreat Central Main LineThe Great Central Main Line , also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester.The GCML was the last main line railway built in...
. - ex-SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes 34004 Yeovil on the Highland Main LineHighland Main LineThe Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the Scottish Highlands linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line...
- ex-SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes 34005 Barnstaple on the St. Pancras - Manchester route.
- ex-SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes 34006 Bude on the Bristol - Taunton - Plymouth run and GCR.
- ex-SR Merchant Navy ClassSR Merchant Navy classThe SR Merchant Navy class , was a class of air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway of the United Kingdom by Oliver Bulleid...
35017 Belgian Marine on the Leeds - Grantham LNER. - ex-SR Merchant Navy ClassSR Merchant Navy classThe SR Merchant Navy class , was a class of air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway of the United Kingdom by Oliver Bulleid...
35018 British India Line on Waterloo route. - ex-SR Merchant Navy ClassSR Merchant Navy classThe SR Merchant Navy class , was a class of air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway of the United Kingdom by Oliver Bulleid...
35019 French Line C.G.T on the Paddington - Taunton line. - ex-LMS Rebuilt Royal Scot Class 46154 The Hussar Waterloo - Exeter route.
- ex-LMS Rebuilt Royal Scot Class 46162 Queens Westminster Rifleman
- ex-LMS Princess Coronation ClassLMS Princess Coronation ClassThe London Midland and Scottish Railway Coronation Class is a class of express passenger steam locomotives designed by William Stanier. They were an enlarged version of the LMS Princess Royal Class. Several examples were originally built as streamlined, though this was later removed...
46236 City of Bradford. - ex-LMS Black Five 44799 on the Highland Main LineHighland Main LineThe Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the Scottish Highlands linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line...
- ex-LMS Black Five 45253 on the St. Pancras - Manchester run and GCR.
- ex-LNER Class A4LNER Class A4The Class A4 is a class of streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotive, designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognizable, and one of the class, 4468 Mallard, still claims the...
E22 Mallard on the Waterloo - Exeter run. - ex-LNER Class A4LNER Class A4The Class A4 is a class of streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotive, designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognizable, and one of the class, 4468 Mallard, still claims the...
60033 SeagullLNER Class A4 4902 SeagullLNER 4902 Seagull was one of 35 Doncaster built Class A4 Gresley Pacific steam locomotives.It entered service on the 28th June 1938 and was withdrawn on the 29th December 1962....
Waterloo - Exeter and GW mainline. - ex-LNER Class A4LNER Class A4The Class A4 is a class of streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotive, designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognizable, and one of the class, 4468 Mallard, still claims the...
60034 Lord FarringdonLNER Class A4 60034 Lord FaringdonEx-LNER 60034 Lord Faringdon was one of 35 Doncaster built Class A4 Gresley Pacific steam locomotives....
Preston - Carlisle route. - ex-LNER Class B1LNER Thompson Class B1The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class B1 is a class of steam locomotive designed for medium mixed traffic work. It was designed by Edward Thompson.- Overview :...
61251 Oliver BuryOliver Robert Hawke BuryOliver Robert Hawke Bury , was an English railway engineer, chief mechanical engineer on the Great Western Railway of Brazil, General Manager of the Great Northern Railway in England and Director of the London and North Eastern Railway.Bury, the son of a barrister, was educated at Westminster School...
on the Bristol - Taunton - Plymouth run. - ex-LNER Class B1LNER Thompson Class B1The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class B1 is a class of steam locomotive designed for medium mixed traffic work. It was designed by Edward Thompson.- Overview :...
61292 on the Highland Main LineHighland Main LineThe Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the Scottish Highlands linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line...
Freight locomotives
- GWR 3803
- ex-LMS 8F class 48189 on the Eastern Region.
- ex-LNER Class O1LNER Thompson Class O1The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class O1 was a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotive designed by Edward Thompson for freight work...
63773 on the Western Region. - ex-LNER Class O7 63169
- WD class 73774 on South Wales route.
Preserved 1948 Exchange Trial participants
- GWR 6990 Witherslack Hall - Great Central Railway (preserved)Great Central Railway (preserved)The Great Central Railway is a heritage railway split into two adjacent sections, one in Leicestershire and the other Nottinghamshire.The Leicestershire section is currently Britain's only double track mainline heritage railway, with of working double track, period signalling, locomotives and...
. - SR Merchant Navy class 35018 British India Line - South Coast Steam Ltd, on the Isle of Portland.
- LNER A4 class 4468 Mallard - National Railway Museum Locomotion OutpostShildon Locomotion MuseumShildon Locomotion Museum is a railway museum in Shildon, County Durham, England. The museum is a branch of the National Railway Museum , which is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry...
, ShildonShildonShildon is a town in County Durham, in England. It is situated 2 miles to the south east of Bishop Auckland and 11 miles north of Darlington. It is 13 miles away from Durham, 23 miles from Sunderland and 23 miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
. - GWR 2884 Class 3803 - South Devon RailwaySouth Devon Railway TrustThe South Devon Railway Trust is a charitable organisation that operates a heritage railway from Totnes to Buckfastleigh in Devon, alongside the River Dart...
.
External links
- 35018 British Indian Line at SCS Ltd, Isle of Portland, December 2007.
- More photographs of 35018 on the Isle of Portland
- Nine Elms shed and the 1948 Locomotive Exchange trials.
- 46236 City of Bradford on Shap image.
- 46236 City of Bradford image.
- Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust page on the LMS dynamometer car used in the trials.
- Details on the auction of the nameplate crest for 34006 Bude.
