Alex Coomber
Here's a story about this Steam Locomotive. This Steam Loco is a Britannia Class 4-6-2 No. 70014 Iron Duke. The driver leans in a position that he will have leant in many times. This time in a powerful Britannia Class Locomotive and it's fitted freight as it passes through Preston Station in 1966. This locomotive class was designed by Robert Riddles. He was the Director of Transportation Equipment during the Second World War and had been responsible for the design of the successful WD Austerity and the WD 2-10-0. After the war. He applied to be the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the LMS. But the job went to George Ivatt. In 1947. The Railway Executive came into being and he was appointed as a member of the board with responsibility for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. Effectively with his 2 assistants. He performed the duties of the Old Chief Mechanical Engineer. In this capacity. He oversaw the design of the BR Standard Classes. One of these was the Britannia Class and from 1951 to 1954. 55 members of the class were built of which Iron Duke was one. He used his experience from the days before nationalisation to look back at the designs of Oliver Bulleid and his Light Pacific's. The result was a locomotive capable of heavy freight and fast passenger work. Designed at Derby Works and built at Crewe Works. The first engine was named Britannia after a suggestion by acclaimed railway photographer Bishop Eric Treacy. The locomotives were scattered around the country and the names reflected this. Great Britons we're mainly used. In Scotland. The names of Scottish Firths were used and the Western Region used the names of Star Class Locomotives. Iron Duke was built in June 1951 and allocated to Norwich Thorpe. It's last shed was Carlisle Kingmoor from where it was withdrawn in December 1967 and scrapped at TW Ward of Killamarsh on 12th March 1968.
