Class 7P "Princess Coronation"

No. 6233 "Duchess of Sutherland", one of five 7P "Princess Coronation" class locomotives originally built without a streamlined casing Technical Data No. Built : 38 Introduced : 1937 Wheel arrangement : 4-6-2 "Pacific" Length : 73 ft 10 inches EngineWeight : 108.1 tons streamlined, 106.4 tons unstreamlined Total Weight (Engine+Tender) : 161 tons 12cwt (unstreamlined) Heating surface, tubes   Large & Small : 2,577.0 sq ft   Firebox : 230.5 sq ft Total (Evaporative) : 2,807.5 sq ft Superheater : 856.0 sq ft   Elements: 40 (triple) Combined heating surfaces : 3,663.5 sq ft Grate Area : 50.0 sq ft Tractive effort (at 85% BP) : 40,000lb Coal/Water Capacity : 10 tons/4000 gals Although the "Princess Royal" class was a vast leap forward in LMS motive power, improved services by the LNER to Scotland and the fashion for streamlined locomotive design in the mid-1930's meant that the LMS needed something to top the "Princess Royal" class. Stanier threw away a lot of his earlier design policies inherited from the GWR and came up with what is considered to be his finest creation, the "Princess Coronation" class (sometimes referred as the "Duchess" class); this despite the fact that he personally felt (and probably with some justification considering later events) that streamlining was a waste of time, at least with the facilities that the LMS had at the time. The LMS wanted a engine capable of hauling long-range expresses in excess of 100mph; on the 29th June 1937, the first engine of the class 6220 "Coronation" exceeded these expectations, reaching a speed of at least 113mph on the inaugural run of the "Coronation Scot", the LMS's new London-Glasgow express (although the run nearly ended in disaster when the express hit the Crewe approaches at excessive speed; fortunately the train stayed on the track). Unfortunately, the "Coronation Scot" was a short-lived serviced. It never really lived up to the LMS's expectations, and the onset of World War Two finished the service off. By 1944, 29 locomotives were in service, with 5 being built without streamlined casings. Another 9 would eventually be built, and of the class, 3 would eventually be preserved. The effects of the streamline casing are debatable, but it is generally accepted that the increased performance generated by the casing was usually offset by its weight, and only became an advantage on high-speed, non-stop runs. The casings also made maintenance more difficult, and it is not surprising, that with the demise of the "Coronation Scot", the casings were eventually removed post-war, and by the early fifties, all "Princess Coronations" were unstreamlined. As a further improvement, smoke deflectors were added post-war. The class was withdrawn between 1962 and 1964. Number Name Livery (as originally delivered) Built 6220 Coronation Streamlined -Blue & Silver 1937 6221 Queen Elizabeth Streamlined -Blue & Silver 1937 6222 Queen Mary Streamlined -Blue & Silver 1937 6223 Princess Alice Streamlined -Blue & Silver 1937 6224 Princess Alexandra Streamlined -Blue & Silver 1937 6225 Duchess of Gloucester Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1938 6226 Duchess of Norfolk Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1938 6227 Duchess of Devonshire Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1938 6228 Duchess of Rutland Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1938 6229 Duchess of Hamilton Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1938 6230 Duchess of Buccleuch Unstreamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1938 6231 Duchess of Atholl Unstreamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1938 6232 Duchess of Montrose Unstreamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1938 6233 Duchess of Sutherland Unstreamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1938 6234 Duchess of Abercorn Unstreamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1938 6235 City of Birmingham Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1939 6236 City of Bradford Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1939 6237 City of Bristol Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1939 6238 City of Carlisle Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1939 6239 City of Chester Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1939 6240 City of Coventry Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1940 6241 City of Edinburgh Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1940 6242 City of Glasgow Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1940 6243 City of Lancaster Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1940 6244 King George VI Streamlined - Maroon & Gilt 1940 6245 City of London Streamlined - Wartime Black 1943 6246 City of Manchester Streamlined - Wartime Black 1943 6247 City of Liverpool Streamlined - Wartime Black 1943 6248 City of Leeds Streamlined - Wartime Black 1943 6249 City of Sheffield Non-Streamlined - Wartime Black 1944 6250 City of Lichfield Non-Streamlined - Wartime Black 1944 6251 City of Nottingham Non-Streamlined - Wartime Black 1944 6252 City of Leicester Non-Streamlined - Wartime Black 1944 6253 City of St Albans Non-Streamlined - LMS Postwar Black 1946 6254 City of Stoke-on-Trent Non-Streamlined - LMS Postwar Black 1946 6255 City of Hereford Non-Streamlined - LMS Postwar Black 1947 6256 Sir William A. Stanier FRS Non-Streamlined - BR Black 1947 6257 City of Salford Non-Streamlined - BR Black 1948 Nos. 6229, 6233 and 6235 are preserved; 6229 is undergoing refit, 6233 is mainlined certified as of 2001, and 6235 is a static exhibit owned by the City of Birmingham who have stated that in order to maintain the authenticity of the engine, it will not be returned to operational status. Plans to return 6229 to streamlined status appear to been shelved. Back to top Backup Links Entry Page 'Gateway' Home Locomotive Introduction Locomotive Roster 1944