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The 1948 Locomotive Exchange Trials were organised by the newly nationalised
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
ways (BR). Locomotives from the former "Big Four" constituent companies ( GWR, LMS,
LNER LNER may refer to: * London and North Eastern Railway, a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1923 until 1947 * London North Eastern Railway, a train operating company in the United Kingdom since 2018 * Liquid neutral earthing resistor, a typ ...
, SR) were transferred to and worked on other regions. Officially, these comparisons were to identify the best qualities of the four different schools of thought of locomotive design so that they could be used in the planned BR standard designs. However, the testing had little scientific rigour, and
political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
influence meant that LMS practice was largely followed by the new standard designs regardless. However, the trials were useful
publicity In marketing, publicity is the public visibility or awareness for any product, service, person or organization (company, charity, etc.). It may also refer to the movement of information from its source to the general public, often (but not always) ...
for BR to show the unity of the new British Railways. To record the locomotive performances, one of three
dynamometer car A dynamometer car is a railroad maintenance of way car used for measuring various aspects of a locomotive's performance. Measurements include tractive effort (pulling force), power, top speed, etc. History The first dynamometer car was probably ...
s were included in the consist directly behind the locomotive (with a GWR, LMS and NER version being available). LMS engines which operated over the Southern Region, where there were no
water trough A water trough (British terminology), or track pan (American terminology) is a device to enable a steam locomotive to replenish its water supply while in motion. It consists of a long trough filled with water, lying between the rails. When a ste ...
s, were paired with four-axled ex-WD tenders with larger water tanks. These were specially given LMS lettering for the occasion. Similarly, ex-Southern types used elsewhere were paired with ex-LMS tenders with water scoops. Locomotives used were as follows (NB numbers given should be the ones carried at the time, so this is a somewhat curious mixture of old pre-nationalisation numbers, prefixed numbers, and new BR numbers):


Express passenger locomotives

The four routes used were: LMS Euston to Carlisle, LNER Kings Cross to Leeds, GWR Paddington to Plymouth, and SR Waterloo to Exeter. The only line with a loading gauge of sufficient size to take a GWR King was the LNER main line out of Kings Cross, meaning that the class was limited to that line only. Official test runs on the LNER East Coast Main Line were held on the following dates, using the
NER Dynamometer Car The North Eastern Railway Dynamometer Car is a preserved railway dynamometer car. Built in 1906 by the North Eastern Railway (NER) at Darlington Works, its role was to scientifically measure the performance of trains in order to effect improveme ...
: * 29 April, hauled by
LMS Rebuilt Royal Scot Class The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Rebuilt Royal Scot Class is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotives. 70 members of this class were rebuilt by the LMS and its successor British Railways (BR) from LMS Royal Scot Class engines by the rep ...
46162 ''Queens Westminster Rifleman'' in the down direction * 30 April, hauled by LMS Rebuilt Royal Scot Class 46162 ''Queens Westminster Rifleman'' in the up direction * 6 May, hauled by
LMS Coronation Class The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Coronation Class is a class of express passenger steam locomotives designed by William Stanier. They were an enlarged and improved version of his previous design, the LMS Princess Royal Class, an ...
46236 ''City of Bradford'' in the down direction * 7 May, hauled by LMS Coronation Class 46236 ''City of Bradford'' in the up direction * 20 May, hauled by
GWR King Class The Great Western Railway (GWR) 6000 Class or King Class is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotives designed for Inter-city rail, express passenger work and introduced in 1927. They were the largest locomotives built by the GWR, apart from the unique ...
6018 ''King Henry VI'' in the down direction * 21 May, hauled by GWR King Class 6018 ''King Henry VI'' in the up direction * 27 May, hauled by SR Merchant Navy Class 35017 ''Belgian Marine'' in the down direction * 28 May, hauled by SR Merchant Navy Class 35017 ''Belgian Marine'' in the up direction * 29 May, hauled by LMS Rebuilt Royal Scot Class 46162 ''Queens Westminster Rifleman'' in the down direction Official test runs on the LMS West Coast Main Line were held on the following dates, using the
L&YR Dynamometer Car The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern ...
whilst hauling the ''
Royal Scot Royal Scot may refer to: * Garde Écossaise, a regiment of the French army * Royal Scots, a regiment of the British Army * Royal Scots (Jacobite), a regiment of Scottish exiles in French service, in existence from 1744 to 1762 * ''Royal Scot'' (t ...
'': * 22 April, hauled by LMS Coronation Class 46236 ''City of Bradford'' in the down direction * 23 April, hauled by LMS Coronation Class 46236 ''City of Bradford'' in the up direction * 13 May, hauled by SR Merchant Navy Class 35017 ''Belgian Marine'' in the down direction * 14 May, hauled by SR Merchant Navy Class 35017 ''Belgian Marine'' in the up direction * 27 May, hauled by
LNER Class A4 The Class A4 is a class of streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotive designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognisable, ...
60034 ''Lord Faringdon'' in the down direction * 28 May, hauled by LNER Class A4 60034 ''Lord Faringdon'' in the up direction Official test runs on the SR West of England Main Line were held on the following dates, using the GWR Dynamometer Car whilst hauling the ''
Atlantic Coast Express The ''Atlantic Coast Express'' (''ACE'') is an express passenger train in England that has operated at various times between London and seaside resorts in the South West England. It is currently operated as a summer only service by Great Weste ...
'': * 3 June, hauled by SR Merchant Navy Class 35018 ''British India Line'' in the down direction * 4 June, hauled by SR Merchant Navy Class 35018 ''British India Line'' in the up direction * 8 June, hauled by LNER Class A4 E22 ''Mallard'' in the down direction (loco declared failure at Exeter) * 10 June, hauled by LNER Class A4 60033 ''Seagull'' in the down direction * 11 June, hauled by LNER Class A4 60033 ''Seagull'' in the up direction * 17 June, hauled by LMS Rebuilt Royal Scot Class 46154 ''The Hussar'' in the down direction * 18 June, hauled by LMS Rebuilt Royal Scot Class 46154 ''The Hussar'' in the up direction * 24 June, hauled by LMS Coronation Class 46236 ''City of Bradford'' in the down direction * 25 June, hauled by LMS Coronation Class 46236 ''City of Bradford'' in the up direction Official test runs on the GWR Main Line were held on the following dates, using the GWR Dynamometer Car: * 27 April, hauled by SR Merchant Navy Class 35019 ''French Line C.G.T'' in the down direction * 28 April, hauled by SR Merchant Navy Class 35019 ''French Line C.G.T'' in the up direction * 4 May, hauled by LNER Class A4 60033 ''Seagull'' in the down direction * 5 May, hauled by LNER Class A4 60033 ''Seagull'' in the up direction * 18 May, hauled by LMS Coronation Class 46236 ''City of Bradford'' in the down direction * 19 May, hauled by LMS Coronation Class 46236 ''City of Bradford'' in the up direction * 25 May, hauled by LMS Rebuilt Royal Scot Class 46162 ''Queens Westminster Rifleman'' in the down direction * 26 May, hauled by LMS Rebuilt Royal Scot Class 46162 ''Queens Westminster Rifleman'' in the up direction


Mixed Traffic locomotives

The four routes used were:
Midland Main Line The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Nottingham and Sheffield in the Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands. ...
St. Pancras to Manchester,
Great Central Main Line The Great Central Main Line (GCML), also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR), is a former railway line in the United Kingdom. The line was opened in 1899 and built by the Great Central Railw ...
Marylebone to Manchester,
Highland Main Line The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the Scottish Highlands linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edi ...
Perth to Inverness, and
South Devon Main Line South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
Bristol to Plymouth. Official test runs on the South Devon Main Line were held on the following dates, using the GWR Dynamometer Car: * 7 July, hauled by LNER Class B1 61251 ''Oliver Bury'' in the up direction * 14 July, hauled by
LMS Black Five The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Stanier Class 5 4-6-0, commonly known as the Black Five, is a class of steam locomotives. It was introduced by William Stanier and built between 1934 and 1951, of which 842 were built and were numbe ...
45253 in the up direction * 21 July, hauled by
SR West Country class The SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes, collectively known as ''Light Pacifics'' or informally as ''Spam Cans'', are streamliner, air-smoothed 4-6-2, 4-6-2 ''Pacific'' steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway (UK), Souther ...
34006 ''Bude'' in the up direction Official test runs on the Midland Main Line were held on the following dates, using the L&YR Dynamometer Car: * 1 June, hauled by LMS Black Five 45253 in the down direction * 4 June, hauled by LMS Black Five 45253 in the up direction * 15 June, hauled by LNER Class B1 61251 ''Oliver Bury'' in the down direction * 18 June, hauled by LNER Class B1 61251 ''Oliver Bury'' in the up direction * 22 June, hauled by SR West Country class 34005 ''Barnstaple'' in the down direction * 23 June, hauled by SR West Country class 34005 ''Barnstaple'' in the up direction Official test runs on the Great Central Main Line were held on the following dates, using the NER Dynamometer Car: * 8 June, hauled by SR West Country class 34006 ''Bude'' in the down direction * 9 June, hauled by SR West Country class 34006 ''Bude'' in the up direction * 15 June, hauled by LMS Black Five 45253 in the down direction * 16 June, hauled by LMS Black Five 45253 in the up direction * 24 June, hauled by GWR Modified Hall Class 6990 ''Witherslack Hall'' in the down direction * 25 June, hauled by GWR Modified Hall Class 6990 ''Witherslack Hall'' in the up direction Official test runs on the Highland Main Line were held on the following dates, using the NER Dynamometer Car: * 13 July, hauled by SR West Country class 34004 ''Yeovil'' in the down direction * 14 July, hauled by SR West Country class 34004 ''Yeovil'' in the up direction * 14 July, hauled by LMS Black Five 44799 in the down direction (on scheduled service, 1155am ex-Perth) * 20 July, hauled by LNER Class B1 61292 in the down direction * 21 July, hauled by LNER Class B1 61292 in the up direction


Freight locomotives

The four routes used were: London Midland Region Brent to Toton, Eastern Region Ferme Park (London) to New England (Peterborough), Western Region Acton (London) to Severn Tunnel Junction (South Wales), and Southern Region Bristol to Eastleigh. Due to the tests being held on non-public services, details are only available from the Official Report. Eastern Region tests were carried out using the L&YR Dynamometer Car by: * LNER Class O1 63773 on 27 July *
WD Austerity 2-10-0 The War Department (WD) "Austerity" 2-10-0 is a type of heavy freight steam locomotive that was introduced during the Second World War in 1943. Background The Austerity 2-10-0 was based on the Austerity 2-8-0, and was designed to have intercha ...
73774 on 10 and 12 August *
LMS 8F class LMS may refer to: Science and technology * Labeled magnitude scale, a scaling technique * Learning management system, education software * Least mean squares filter, producing least mean square error * Leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer * Lenz ...
48189 on 17 and 19 August *
GWR 2884 Class The Great Western Railway (GWR) 2884 Class is a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotive. They were Collett's development of Churchward's earlier 2800 Class and are sometimes regarded as belonging to that class. History The 2884s were designed for ...
3803 on 26 and 27 August *
LNER Class O7 O7 may refer to: * O7 star, a subclass of O-type stars * LNER Class O7, a class of British steam locomotives * O7, the IATA airline designator for OzJet * o7, an emoticon for a person saluting * O-7, a pay grade in the US uniformed services: ** ...
63169 on 31 August and 2 September Western Region tests were carried out using the NER Dynamometer Car by: * LMS 8F class 48189 on 28 and 30 July * GWR 2884 Class 3803 on 10 and 12 August * WD Austerity 2-10-0 73774 on 20 August *
WD Austerity 2-8-0 The War Department (WD) "Austerity" 2-8-0 is a type of heavy freight steam locomotive that was introduced in 1943 for war service. A total of 935 were built, making this one of the most-produced classes of British steam locomotive. They were nic ...
77000 on 27 August * LNER Class O1 63773 on 31 August and 1 September * LNER Class O7 63169 Midland Region tests were carried out by: * LMS 8F class 48189 on 29 June and 2 July * WD Austerity 2-10-0 73774 on 14 and 16 July * LNER Class O1 63789 on 21 and 23 July * LNER Class O7 63169 on 8 and 10 September * GWR 2884 Class 3803 Southern Region tests were carried out by: * WD Austerity 2-8-0 77000 on 10 and 12 August * WD Austerity 2-10-0 73774 on 24 August * LMS 8F class 48189 on 31 August and 2 September * LNER Class O7 63169 * GWR 2884 Class 3803 * LNER Class O1 63773


References


Citations


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Further reading

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External links

{{Commons category, 1948 locomotive exchange trials
More photographs of 35018 on the Isle of Portland




Locomotive exchanges Locomotives of Great Britain History of British Rail