Keith Langston - British Steam Patriots

A detailed engineering drawing of proposed new build locomotive No 5551 THE UNKNOWN WARRIOR, in LMS style livery. Pete J Rich/LMS-Patriot Project

Patriot 5XP No 45519 LADY GODIVA roars through Longsight station, Manchester in June 1957 with an express, note the superb ex LNWR signal gantry. W Oliver/Colour Rail

The new build Patriot No 45551 THE UNKNOWN WARRIOR is set to steam in time to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice in 2018. The new locomotive will serve as a permanent memorial to all those who fought and died in the First World War and all subsequent wars. This was the original intention of the L. & N. W. R. Claughton memorial engine subsequently named Patriot after which the class took its name. The LMS-Patriot Project aims to continue that tradition in memory of all those brave men and women who courageously served their country. The project has received the endorsement of The Royal British Legion, and No 45551 will carry a Legion crest above The Unknown Warrior nameplate, in recognition of this. LMS-Patriot Project

First the let us examine the origin of the ex LMS Patriot class. Almost all British built steam locomotive classes are directly linked to the name of a designer and in the case of the Patriots that name is Sir Henry Fowler (18701938). The Henry Fowler name could well have been linked with fine furniture and not railway locomotives, had the Evesham born young Fowler chosen to follow in his fathers footsteps and become a cabinet maker. He instead chose locomotive engineering and became an apprentice under John Aspinall (later Sir John) at the Horwich Works of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway.

In 1900 Fowler joined the Midland Railway eventually becoming assistant works manager at Derby in 1905 and works manager two years later. Fowler served as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway (MR) from 1909 to 1922, and then the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMSR) from 1925 to 1930. He previously served the LMSR as deputy CME under George Hughes and to his credit designed the highly successful Royal Scot class.

LNWR Bowen Cooke designed, rebuilt with (G9 S type boiler) Claughton class 5XP 4-6-0 LMS No 6004 (BR 46004) is pictured with a freight train at Crewe in August 1946. This loco carried the name PRINCESS LOUISE between 1922 and July 1935 after which time that name was transferred to Stanier Princess Royal class No 6204 (46204). The Claughton locomotive was withdrawn by British Railways (BR) in April 1949 and cut for scrap later that year. Colour Rail

He was bestowed with a knighthood for wartime service to the railways (19141918). Interestingly after completing his term as CME Fowler became adviser to the LMS research departments vice-president (1931 to 1933) and in that capacity he oversaw the purchase of various prototype diesel shunting locomotives, a great many of which were later introduced into traffic by the company.

Birth of the Baby Scots

During the late 1920s Fowler was occupied with trying to improve the performance of an earlier London North Western Railway design of 4-6-0 passenger locomotives known as the Claughton class. The 4-cylinder Crewe built front line express locomotives never consistently delivered good performances in traffic. By 1928 Fowler had tried several modifications including the fitting of larger boilers designated type G9 S, but despite the modifications the Claughtons remained erratic performers. In service the new boiler had proved to be an excellent steam raiser and clearly capable of powering other locomotives.

LMS No 5902 SIR FRANK REE is pictured at the north end of Camden shed in 1932. This loco became No 5501 in 1934 and also had a change of name in 1937 becoming ST. DUNSTANS. Note that the leading set of driving wheels (and axle) has been removed, presumably to facilitate repairs. The large ex Claughton wheels with enlarged centre bosses can clearly be seen. Edward Talbot Collection

In 1930 the LMS took a decision to rebuild two of the Claughton class locos as 3-cylinder engines with 3 sets of Walschaerts valve gear. Fowler decided to use the cylinders from the already in service Royal Scot class engines which incorporated long travel valves and the improved 1928 parallel boiler design, originally fitted to 20 of the Claughtons, in addition the driving wheels of the Claughtons were reused but in truth little else.

The first two locomotives did however incorporate more of the original. All the Claughton driving wheels were pressed off their axles and re-used with a new crank axle being manufactured and located between what was originally the middle set of driving wheels. The original LNWR Crewe 63 bogie was re-used. One other difference which acted against standardisation was the different wheel spacing of the first pair of axles 511, 75 & 710. The remainder adopted the Scot spacing of 510, 74 & 80, a practice which was carried through to the Jubilee 4-6-0 class. The other difference lay in the springing in that the leading coupled wheels had coil rather than leaf springs.