history

The forlorn hulk, minus many of its parts that was 71000 in 1975, presented a daunting task to the small group of volunteers who took on the restoration. Having outside cylinders removed, sectioned and displayed at the Science Museum London must have done little for morale in those early days. Against the odds, and in the sparse conditions typical of the pioneering days of preservation, the Duke was brought back to life at the Great Central Railway's Loughborough base.

After retyring and fitting of AWS at Crewe Works and a further period of restoration at Didcot Railway Centre, the Duke was ready for the mainline. Performances in the early 1990s won applause and admiration from many quarters, confirming the faith invested in such an ambitious project. A 3,000hp Phoenix had arisen from the ashes with a boiler producing 30% more steam than it ever did in BR days.

In addition to being a very reliable mainline performer, the Duke set new records both on some of its old stamping grounds and on new territory. 1991 saw 71000 take the so-called Blue-Riband for the fastest ascent to Ais Gill on the Settle and Carlisle Railway; the 15 miles of 1 in 100 gradient were taken with steam to spare, the engine blowing off at the safety valves as it breasted the summit.

In 1995, 71000 competed against 46229 Duchess of Hamilton and 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley to become overall winner of the Shap Trials. Later in that year, the Duke set the fastest recorded climb of Camden Bank by steam, attaining 41 mph with the equivalent of 13 coaches being pulled. Interestingly, the Duke might have recorded, in its BR days, one of the slowest times for climbing Camden. On that occasion, it was pulling 17 coaches with the banker coming off at the end of the platform upon departure from Euston!

After lengthy and meticulous overhaul, made possible through substantial funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Duke steamed again in March 2004 at its home base, the East Lancashire Railway.

Photo: 71000 at Barry scrapyard

Photo copyright © K Langston

The fifty years between the date newly built 71000 Duke of Gloucester first emerged from Crewe works to August 2004 when it left the same works fully restored, marks a unique chapter in the history of British steam locomotive development. A story surrounded by myth and speculation throughout its brief period of mainline service until withdrawal from British Railways in 1962. In preservation, the story of 71000 Duke of Gloucester is one of truly heroic achievement against the odds to produce a machine answering many of the questions posed regarding its original design and, above all, performance.

71000's claim to uniqueness comes from not only being the sole Class 8 Pacific locomotive designed and built by British Railways, but also, from designer R.A. Riddles choosing to equip the locomotive with Caprotti valve gear. This feature alone sets the Duke on a different platform to that of other preserved Pacific locomotives found in the UK. Also, whilst the Duke shares many features common to the Class 7 Britannias and other BR Standard designs, 71000 is considerably more than just an enlarged Britannia.

The request from Riddles to design and build a Class 8 locomotive came after the tragic Harrow train crash in 1952 where LMR Pacific Princess Anne was destroyed. Replacement, 71000, emerged from Crewe works in 1954 to take its place alongside Stanier Pacifics working heavy express trains between Euston and Scotland. Allocated to Crewe North (5A) motive power depot, and frequently rostered for the Mid-Day Scot, 71000 was expected to accelerate 500 ton trains over the demanding gradients of Shap and Grayrigg. Day to day performances and those produced during locomotive trials were mixed. It is claimed that, stories abound of engine crews preferring their established Duchess Pacifics to the new and comparatively novel Caprotti Duke. However it should also be noted that, to this day, enginemen can be found who encountered little by way of the struggles that went into forming the Duke's reputation in BR days. A more balanced insight comes from E.S. Cox's 1966 work - British Railways Standard Steam Locomotives, which highlighted 71000's problem with steam production. With this one feature rectified, this engine could have been a world beater.

It is around this claim that much of the locomotive's development in preservation has been, and should be, considered. Assessing whether the original design for the Duke could have delivered the promise its designer intended is a difficult task. Comparisons between 71000, sole member of a class, and the more numerous Stanier, Gresley, Bullied and Thompson Pacifics, leaves the former at a disadvantage. As the prototype for a whole class of locomotives, 71000 suffered from limited desire to develop the machine into the intended ultimate design for British steam locomotives. Also, dieselisation and BR modernisation plans in the 1950s consigned steam locomotive development to the pages of history long before the Duke's withdrawal from service in 1962.

When in the 1960s, national treasures such as Flying Scostman faced the prospect of the cutters torch, 71000's despatch to Barry scrapyard was probably not out of the ordinary; what followed definitely was.

A bizarre mix up resulting in 71000 being sent initially to the wrong scrapyard (Cashmore's in Newport where it may well have ended its life instead of Woodham Bros. Barry) together with the tenacity of a small group of volunteers saw the start of what must be regarded as one of the most remarkable, and even impossible, of restoration projects ever witnessed by the preservation movement.

Photo copyright © A Meakin: Boiler test at Buckley Wells shed, 24/05/02

Photo copyright © A Meakin: First steam test following restoration

71000 Duke of Gloucester arrives at East Lancashire Railway's Bolton Street station Bury on.13th March 2004. The locomotive ran in green primer throughout the test period prior to final painting at Bombardier's Crewe Works.

Following repainting at Bombardier's Crewe Works, 71000 entered mainline service again in August 2004, some fifty years after leaving for service with British Railways. During the period of extensive restoration, modifications were made to the locomotive (e.g. cams - see Caprotti Section) and tender. A major investment decision for mainline running was the development and installation of a coal pusher. Whilst a recent new addition to equipment, the coal pusher brings 71000 closer to the original features sported by the locomotive in BR days.

Photo courtesy of Bombardier Transportation: Duke of Gloucester inside the erecting shop Bombardier Works Crewe after final painting in August 2004. The new coal pusher is clearly visible in this rare view of the locomotive.

Operating on a modern network, where many routes are electrified through overhead wires, makes equipment such as a coal pusher an essential fitting. Also, rigorous safety standards demand higher equipment specifications to those applicable in the days of steam. In particular, extensive refurbishment of the locomotive's electrical system featured as a major part of the recent overhaul to comply with TPWS (Train Protection Warning System) requirements. It is likely that further upgrades will take place to meet imminent requirements that mainline steam locomotives are fitted with black box safety recording equipment.

Prior to entering mainline service again, the Duke successfully completed light and loaded test runs during August 2004. The locomotive is pictured below with the loaded test train at Preston on August 23rd 2004.

Photo copyright © A Meakin: Loaded test run. 71000 Duke of Gloucester ready to depart Preston on 23/08/04

Following successful proving on these runs, the Duke returned to mainline revenue earning service on August 30th 2004 hauling a North Wales Coast Express from Crewe to Holyhead. In the following months of running in, the Duke returned with impressive performances to its old stamping grounds of Shap, Settle and Carlisle.

Towards the end of 2004, the Duke became an established and reliable performer on Southern routes covered by Steam Dreams Cathedrals Express.

Photo copyright © A Meakin: 71000 Duke of Gloucester waits at Battersea with a Cathedrals Express in December 2004.

The 71000 Steam Locomotive Trust Limited is dedicated to the task of bringing this unique locomotive to the widest possible audience throughout the UK. Without wide support from so many in the British steam locomotive preservation movement the Phoenix might never have risen again from the ashes. The next few years will surely see this ultimate development of the British steam locomotive reveal its world beating potential: a fitting tribute to all who contributed and never lost faith in the 'Impossible Dream'.