The locomotives
The "Queens" started life as a single prototype, No. 55 ''Queen'' herself, built at Swindon in 1873. A further 20 locomotives were constructed in 1875, numbered 999, 1000 and 1116–1133. No. 999 was named ''Sir Alexander'' and sometimes the later series is referred to as the Sir Alexander Class, though in fact the locomotives were essentially the same as No. 55. They all had diameter driving wheels and cylinders. The class's duties were the expresses on the London-Swindon-Gloucester and London-Wolverhampton routes. Accordingly, No. 55 became the principal GWR royal locomotive, carrying the royal coat of arms for royal journeys, though sometimes this decoration was applied to other, substitute engines. As with many GWR locomotives of the time, the individual members of the class were much modified in detail, at Wolverhampton as well as Swindon, with the addition of cabs, different chimneys and various types of boiler; some in their later years hadNames
Ten of the class carried names, as follows: * 55 Queen * 999 Sir Alexander * 1118 Prince Christian * 1119 Princess of Wales * 1122 Beaconsfield * 1123 Salisbury * 1128 Duke of York * 1129 Princess May * 1130 Gooch (temporary name, c.1900) * 1132 Prince of WalesReferences
Sources
* * * {{GWR Locomotives