LMS Patriot Project Update

Presented by Colin Hall, Project Chairman.

The locomotive 45551 “The Unknown Warrior”, named in 2021 by Falklands hero Simon Weston, is being built from scratch to the original drawings, but not without their problems. These locos of which there were none saved at the end of the steam era, used to work in 1930/40’s main line express trains from London to the West Midlands, prior to being despatched around the country for mixed traffic use until their final days in 1961.
This project began in 2008 and many problems since have delayed its completion including having to have the main 6ft driving wheels all recast. Plus some re-design of the tender primarily due to the fact that many running lines these days are electrified, so filling with water from a conventional water crane inlet has had to be upgraded to allow a pressure fill from a tanker just above the wheels on the side of the tender, also to make space to allow the fitting of ETCS equipment etc. required for modern mainline running. The latest forecast for completion of the project is 2029.
A fascinating afternoon with all the detail very well explained by Colin.

Dave Elsdon
Branch Secretary