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The ''Coronation Scot'' was a named express passenger train of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway inaugurated in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth which ran until the start of the war in 1939. It ran on the West Coast Main Line between
The streamlined Coronation Class locomotives were specially developed for the service, and were amongst the most powerful steam locomotives to operate on British railways. On a press run preparatory to the introduction of the service in June 1937, LMS Coronation Class 6220 ''Coronation'', newly built, achieved a speed of 114 miles per hour (183 km/h) near
"Duchess of Hamilton" 6229
- re-streamlined Coronation-Class locomotive and carriage at the
The ''Coronation Scot'' was a named express passenger train of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway inaugurated in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth which ran until the start of the war in 1939. It ran on the West Coast Main Line between London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
(Euston station
Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city ra ...
) and Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
( Central station), stopping at Carlisle for crew change and to pick up and set down passengers to and from London only. The service was designed to compete with the rival services on the East Coast Main Line, for prestigious London to Scotland traffic. It was scheduled to complete the journey from London to Glasgow in 6 hours 30 minutes.
Locomotives and trains
The streamlined Coronation Class locomotives were specially developed for the service, and were amongst the most powerful steam locomotives to operate on British railways. On a press run preparatory to the introduction of the service in June 1937, LMS Coronation Class 6220 ''Coronation'', newly built, achieved a speed of 114 miles per hour (183 km/h) near Crewe
Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...
.
Three trainsets were formed from existing carriages and given a blue livery similar in colour to that previously used by the Caledonian Railway (the LMS' normal livery was the crimson lake of the former Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
). The first five of the Coronation Class pacifics were also turned out in blue with silver "cheat lines".
The ''Coronation Scot'' ran only on weekdays and during summer weekends. Two of the carriage sets were used on other trains; the spare set was kept at LMS's Wolverton Works.
Formation
The train formation was (first class towards London end): * Brake Corridor First (BFK) to 1910 * Corridor First (FK) to D1930 * Restaurant Open First (RFO) to D1902 * Kitchen Car (RK) to D1912 * Open Third (TO) to D1904 * Open Third (TO) to D1904 * Kitchen Car (RK) to D1912 * Open Third (TO) to D1904 * Brake Corridor Third (BTK) to D1905 LMS coaching staff notice ERO 4522590-02 stipulated the formation. Photographic evidence suggests that the sets were turned so that first class always ran at the rear of the train. Sometimes a different formation ran on a Monday after carriages had been used on other services at weekends. All passenger cars were equipped with air-conditioning ventilation, adjustable by individual passengers to give any desired temperature within the provided range.Music
A popular piece of light orchestral music celebrating this train was composed by Vivian Ellis. This was used as the theme tune for the BBC Radio programme ''Paul Temple
Paul Temple is a fictional character created by English writer Francis Durbridge. Temple is a professional author of crime fiction and an amateur private detective. With his wife Louise, affectionately known as 'Steve' in reference to her ...
''.
See also
* Race to the north * ''Royal Scot'' (train) * ''The Coronation'' (train)References
The following two references cover the carriages; for the engines see the " LMS Princess Coronation Class" article. * David Jenkinson and Bob Essery ''An Illustrated History of LMS Coaching Stock Vol 2'' * Edward Talbot ''The Coronation Scot''External links
"Duchess of Hamilton" 6229
- re-streamlined Coronation-Class locomotive and carriage at the
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant ...
* , illustrated contemporary description of the "Coronation" and "Coronation Scot"
*{{YouTube, LiIhAGDe6Gs , "Steam Train - The Coronation Scot - 1937 London Midland & Scottish Railway"
Named passenger trains of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Railway services introduced in 1937
Light music compositions