HISTORY

HOME- -HISTORY- -B1 NEWS--TOURS- -PHOTOGRAPHS- -AGM- -DATES- -MEMBERSHIP--ACCOUNTS

FROM BUILD TO SCRAPPING
1264 WAS BUILT AT THE GLASGOW WORKS OF THE NORTH BRITISH LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY (WORKS NO. 26165) AND ENTERED TRAFFIC ON 5TH DECEMBER, 1947.
THIRTEEN DAYS LATER IT WAS DELIVERED NEW TO LONDON AND NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY DEPOT AT PARKESTON QUAY, HARWICH, WHERE IT WAS TO STAY FOR NEARLY THIRTEEN YEARS.
IT WAS PUT INTO SERVICE HAULING EXPRESS PASSENGER TRAINS TO AND FROM LIVERPOOL STREET STATION, LONDON AND FREQUENTLY WORKED THE FAMOUS "SCANDINAVIAN" BOAT TRAIN.

IN NOVEMBER 1949 IT EXCHANGED ITS GREEN LNER LIVERY FOR BR BLACK AND WAS RENUMBERED 61264
THE INTRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC TRAINS AND MAINLINE DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES TO THE GREAT EASTERN SECTION IN THE LATE 1950'S MEANT THAT, IN NOVEMBER 1960, 61264, HAVING UNDERGONE A GENERAL OVERHAUL AT STRATFORD WORKS LEFT THE EAST OF ENGLAND FOR COLWICK DEPOT IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. IT WAS TO REMAIN THERE FOR THE REST OF ITS WORKING LIFE.
61264 WAS USED ON THE MANY EXPRESS PASSENGER SERVICES BETWEEN NOTTINGHAM, LEICESTER AND LONDON (MARYLEBONE) ALONG THE OLD GREAT CENTRAL ROUTE.
ONCE AGAIN THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW DIESEL SERVICES MEANT THAT STEAM WAS REDUCED TO THE MUNDANE PARCELS AND EXCURSION SERVICES.

BY 1965 THE COMPLETE END OF STEAM WAS IN SIGHT AND 61264 WAS CONDEMNED IN NOVEMBER OF THAT YEAR.
RATHER THAN BEING SCRAPPED THEN, THE LOCO BECAME DEPARTMENTAL LOCOMOTIVE NO. 29 AND WAS ALLOCATED TO STATIONARY BOILER DUTIES, IN WHICH ROLE IT CONTINUED UNTIL JULY 1967.
IT WAS FINALLY SOLD FOR SCRAP TO WOODHAM BROS. OF BARRY, SOUTH WALES IN MARCH 1968, LONG AFTER ALL BUT ONE OTHER OF THE 410 BUILT HAD BEEN CUT UP FOR SCRAP.
IT WAS TO REMAIN AT BARRY FOR EIGHT YEARS.
THE FINAL 100A BOILER FITTED TO 61264 HAD HAD A PRESTIGIOUS PAST.
BUILT IN 1943, IT WAS STORED UNTIL 1945 WHEN IT WAS FITTED TO THE LNER'S ROYAL TRAIN ENGINE, 1671 'ROYAL SOVEREIGN', IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO BEING INSTALLED ON 61264 IT HAD POWERED 61000 'SPRINGBOK' THE PROTOTYPE B1.

RESTORATION
IN 1974 BECAUSE IT WAS THE LAST EX-LNER LOCOMOTIVE AVAILABLE ANYWHERE IN THE UK FOR PURCHASE FOR PRESERVATION, A GROUP OF ENTHUSIASTS FROM NORTH LONDON, WHO LATER FORMED THE THOMPSON B1 TRUST, BOUGHT 1264 FOR Ł6325.
THE OFFER FROM GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY, FOR 1264 TO BE RESTORED THERE, WAS ACCEPTED AND THE ENGINE AND TENDER WERE MOVED TO LOUGHBOROUGH IN JULY 1976.
SO STARTED A TWENTY-ONE YEAR RESTORATION PROJECT THAT WAS TO COST OVER Ł230,000 BEFORE 1264 STEAMED AGAIN.
OVER HALF OF THIS COST RESULTED FROM THE MAJOR REPAIRS REQUIRED TO THE BOILER AND FIREBOX.
FOLLOWING THE LIFTING OF THE BOILER IN THE FRAMES AND THE REMOVAL OF ITS BLUE ASBESTOS INSULATION IN 1978, THE FIREBOX WAS FOUND TO BE BADLY WASTED AND THE BOILER AND FIREBOX WERE DECLARED TO BE IRREPARABLE.
SIX YEARS WERE SPENT TRYING TO FIND SOMEONE TO BUILD A NEW BOILER OR WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO REPAIR THE EXISTING ONE.
FINALLY THE PROPOSAL FROM PRIDHAM ENGINEERING WAS ACCEPTED AND THE BOILER MOVED TO TAVISTOCK FOR REPAIR.
WORK CONTINUED FOR 10 YEARS, AS FUNDS BECAME AVAILABLE, UNTIL THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED AND THE BOILER RETURNED TO LOUGHBOROUGH IN AUGUST 1995.
1996 SAW THE RETURN OF THE BOILER AND FRAMES, SUBSEQUENT RECONNECTION AND THE PASSING OF THE STATUARY BOILER TESTS.
ON 6 Mar 97, 1264, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 30 YEARS, MOVED UNDER ITS OWN STEAM.
TWENTY-TWO DAYS LATER, ON 28 Mar 97 WITH ITS PAINT STILL WET, THE FIRST PASSENGER TRAIN, MADE UP OF SHAREHOLDERS AND MEMBERS, WAS HAULED FROM LOUGHBOROUGH TO LEICESTER NORTH AND BACK.

OPERATION
1264 WAS STEAMED AT LOUGHBOROUGH THROUGHOUT 1997 BUT MOVED TO CARNFORTH IN FEBRUARY 1998, TO GAIN, ITS MAIN LINE CERTIFICATE.
THIS WAS ACHIEVED ON 28TH MARCH WHEN, , IN APPALLING WEATHER, IT SUCCESSFULLY HAULED A 420-TON TRAIN FROM CARNFORTH TO CARLISE OVER SHAP.
A HERITAGE LOTTERY FIND GRANT HAD BEEN OBTAINED BY THE TRUST TO ASSIST WITH COSTS OF CERTIFICATION AND OF OUTSTANDING ITEMS SUCH AS NEW TYRES FOR THE DRIVING WHEELS.
IN MAY, 1264 TOOK PART IN "STEAM ON THE MET" BUT SUFFERED RECURRENT BOILER PROBLEMS.
AS A RESULT THE BOILER WAS RETURNED TO PRIDHAMS FOR FURTHER REMEDIAL WORK, WHICH WAS COMPLETED EARLY IN 1999.
IMMEDIATELY AFTER A RAPID REASSEMBLY AT CARNFORTH, 1264 COMPLETED ITS RECERTIFICATION AND BEGAN TO PROVE WHAT A RELIABLE PERFORMER IT COULD BE.
SINCE THEN, 1264 HAS BEEN REPAINTED IN BLACK AND HAS BEEN GIVEN BRITISH RAILWAY NUMBER 61264.
IT HAS COMPLETED TWO SUCCESSFUL SEASONS IN SCOTLAND, HAULING "THE JACOBITE" FROM FORT WILLIAM TO MALLAIG AND IT PLAYED A MAJOR PART IN THE YEAR2000 HIGHLAND RAIL FESTIVAL.
IT HAS MADE VISITS TO THE PRESERVED RAILWAYS OF THE KEIGHLEY AND WORTH VALLEY, THE NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS, THE WEST SOMERSET AND CHURNET VALLEY, AS WELL AS OVER-WINTERING AT LOUGHBOROUGH ON THE GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY.
DURING 2001, A NUMBER OF MAIN LINE TRIPS ARE PLANNED AND FOR THE THIRD YEAR RUNNING 61264 HAS BEEN INVITED TO SPEND THE SUMMER IN THE WEST HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND.

THE B1 CLASS
410 CLASS B1 LOCOMOTIVES WERE BUILT BETWEEN 1942 AND 1952 INITALLY FOR THE LONDON AND NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY AND FOR BRITISH RAILWAYS.
THEY WERE BUILT BY A NUMBER OF MANUFACTUERS, THE LNER WORKS AT DARLINGTON, GORTON WORKS AT MANCHESTER, VULCAN FOUNDRY AT NETWONS-LE-WILLOWS AND NORTH BRITISH LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY AT GLASSGOW.
THE B1'S WERE DESIGNED BY EDWARD THOMPSON AS A MIXED TRAFFIC LOCOMOTIVE FOR GENERAL PASSENGER AND FAST FREIGHT DUTIES.
THE OPERATIONAL WEIGHT OF THE LOCOMOTIVE AND TENDER IS 123 TONS AND THE TENDER HAS A CAPICITY OF 4,200 GALLONS OF WATER AND 7.5 TONNES OF COAL.
THE DRIVING WHEELS ARE 6'2" IN DIAMETER AND THE BOILER HAS A MAXIMUM PRESSURE OF 225 LBS./SQ. IN.
1264 IS ONE OF ONLY TWO B1'S THAT ARE PRESERVED, THE OTHER BEING 61306 - 'MAYFLOWER'.

HOME- -HISTORY- -B1 NEWS--TOURS- -PHOTOGRAPHS- -AGM- -DATES- -MEMBERSHIP-