The Steam Locomotive Paintings of WG Eaton

The order in which the paintings appear along with the accompanying narratives have been reproduced using Wilf’s own hand written notes. The collection represented below serves as a testament to Wilf’s knowledge and enthusiasm for Steam Locomotives and stands on it’s own as a thoroughly readable document. Click on the thumbnail images to view a larger version of each picture. The enlarged pictures have been digitally compressed specifically for use on the internet. Small file sizes make them accessable quickly. They therefore only provide an indication of the quality and attention to detail contained within the original pictures.

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WGE001

A Midland & South Western Junction Railway 4-4-0 locomotive No.2 working a Cheltenham-Southampton in the period following World War 1. The company became a component of the Great Western Railway in 1922 at the time of the amalgamation of the old companies.

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WGE002

The Cambrian Railway was the largest railway in Wales to be absorbed by the Great Western. The other railways taken over were chiefly dock and coal lines in South Wales. The Cambrian Railway locomotive works were situated at Oswestry, which was outside Wales, in the county of Shropshire. This picture shows Cambrian 4-4-0 locomotive No.68 hauling a passenger train approaching Barmouth station. The period was during the 1920's.

WGE003

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was to build a railway on which trains could attain high speeds. The 7ft ¼ inch broad-gauge was introduced in on the Great Western Railway in 1835. It was accepted on the grounds of safety and speed. However, in the 1870's, the Great Western set about converting their whole broad-gauge system to that of 4ft 8 ½ inch gauge which was finally completed in 1892. This picture shows an express train at speed in the 1870's.

WGE004

In 1847 Locomotive Superintendent, Daniel Gooch, built the first of his Iron Duke 8ft Singles of the 4-2-2 wheel arrangement at Swindon for the Great Western Railway. These were remarkable locomotives and were capable of fast speeds. By 1855 thirty one of the class had then been built and lasted for the remaining period of the broad-gauge until 1892. This picture shows Iron Duke Locomotive 4-2-2 'Bulkeley' at speed on the Cornishman Express. Note the third rail on each track which marked the end of the broad-gauge on the Great Western Railway.

WGE005

In 1892 Wm. Dean built the 3232 class 2-4-0 locomotives at Swindon for the Great Western. They had single frames and driving wheels 6ft 8 ½ inches in diameter. They were designed for secondary main line trains and also operated on the Weymouth and South Wales services. This picture shows a Dean 3232 class 2-4-0 Locomotive No.3239 on a Weymouth Express passing Taplow at speed in the late 1890's. These locomotives had outside frames painted Indian red up to 1896 and the coach liveries upper panels were cream and chocolate brown during the period 1864-1909.

WGE006

In 1903 G.J. Church ward introduced the 4-4-0 City class locomotive on the Great Western. They were fast runners and gained many records. The 'Cities' were put on the most important express services such as the Cornish Riviera Express. Ten locomotives of this class were originally built and later ten locomotives of the 'Athara' class were rebuilt to conform to them. The 'City' class had 6ft 8 ½ inch coupled wheels and all the class were withdrawn from service by 1931. 4-4-0 locomotive No.3440 'City of Truro' is seen working the Cornish Riviera Express from Paddington to Plymouth around 1905.

WGE007

Great Western Railway Superintendent William Dean built locomotives of the 4-2-2 Achilles class between 1894 and 1899. They looked resplendent with their brass fittings, orange and black lining on dark green boilers, cabs and tenders together with Indian red frames. The Great Western Railway locomotives were built to carry on the tradition of the fastest broad-gauge engines before them. 4-2-2 locomotive No.3028 'Wellington' is seen at the head of an express train in the early 1900's.

WGE008

In February 1908 the first Pacific 4-6-2 4-cylinder locomotive was built by the great Western Railway at Swindon. The driving wheels were 6ft 8 ½ inches in diameter. The Great Western Railways' 4-6-0's were already outstanding in size and power but this locomotive dwarfed them. It was designed by C.J. Church ward as an enlarged version of his excellent Star class 4-6-0 4-cylinder locomotives but, because of her size and weight, she was restricted to the London-Bristol main line. 4-6-2 4-cylinder locomotive No.111 'The Great Bear' emerges from Twerton Tunnel at the head of a London (Paddington) - Bristol Express.

WGE009

The GWR built 30 locomotives of the 2-cylinder 4-6-0 'Saint' class between 1906-7. Named after 'Ladies' and 'Saints', they were forerunners of 25 more locomotives named after 'Courts' and these were built between 1911 and 1913. The Saints were extensively used over the GWR system and proved to be very fast and reliable locomotives. In working order they weighed 112 tons and had a boiler pressure of 225 pounds per square inch. A North to West express is seen in the vicinity of Patchway, near Bristol, hauled by Saint class locomotive No.2903 'Lady of Lyons'.

WGE010

In 1924 C.B. Collett rebuilt No.2925 'Saint Martin', a 1907 designed 4-6-0 2-cylinder 'Saint' class locomotive, replacing the original 6ft 8 ½ inch with 6ft 0 inch diameter driving wheels. This locomotive became the prototype of the 'Hall' class introduced in 1928. The class was named after Country Halls in the Great Western territory and up to 1947 a total of 281 engines of this class were built at Swindon. The Halls were used on express passenger and fast freight services over the GWR system and were a powerful design. They were painted Swindon green, lined in orange and black with the armorial transfer between the GWR lettering on the tender. A Birkenhead-Paddington Express is depicted leaving Wellington (Shropshire) hauled by a 4-6-0 2-cylinder Hall class locomotive No.4957 'Postlip Hall'.

WGE011

With the introduction of the County class locomotives, turned out of Swindon in 1945, the Great Western Railway presented the final development of the mixed traffic locomotive. They had a high steam pressure of 280 pounds per square inch and were 2-cylinder locomotives with 6ft 3inch diameter driving wheels. At the beginning of their career they were mostly used on express train working. Altogether thirty engines were built by F.W. Hawksworth and their names were taken from English and Welsh counties. 4-6-0 County class locomotive No. 1024 'County of Pembroke' is seen at the head of an express train approaching Shrewsbury from Chester.

WGE012

The graceful lines of 4-6-0, 4-cylinder King class locomotive No. 6002 'King William IV' is depicted at the head of the Cornish Riviera Express in the summer of 1934 passing through the Berkshire countryside. They were the super Great Western engines in all respects and were the culminating stage in the 4-cylinder six-coupled locomotive design. They were the heaviest 4-6-0 locomotive in Great Britain with a working order tonnage of 135 tons 14cwts and a steam pressure of 250 pounds per square inch.

WGE013

GJ Church ward, of the Great Western Railway, proceeded to build a 4-4-2 4-cylinder simple locomotive. This was numbered 40 and was named 'North Star' which, in 1909, was converted to a 4-6-0 locomotive bearing the same name. She was finally fitted with a super heater and re-numbered 4000 in 1913. Seventy three 'Stars' were built at Swindon between 1907 and 1923 and were excellent locomotives. This class of locomotive formed the design basis of the Castles and Kings that followed at Swindon from 1923 onwards. Star class locomotive No. 4035 'Queen Charlotte' is seen here at the head of a West of England Express in 1932.

WGE014

The Great Western Railway was noted for its speed, comfort and punctuality on its famous trains. One such train was the Cheltenham Flyer. Very efficient locomotive work was required to achieve and maintain high speeds on a track that offered little gravitational assistance and no engines in Britain ran with more freedom at high speeds than the Great Western Castles. Locomotive No. 5000 4-6-0 'Launceston Castle' is depicted here on the Cheltenham Flyer at speed near Didcot en route to Paddington, London.

WGE015

In 1927 the Great Western Railway built the 4-6-0 4-cylinder locomotives of the King class. They represented the ultimate development of the Church ward 4-cylinder 4-6-0 design. They had 6ft 6inch driving wheels and the four cylinders carried high pressure steam. The first engine of the class, No. 6000 'King George V', had the honour of representing Great Britain at the Centenary celebrations of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the USA in 1927. The Centenary Medals of this American railway company were awarded to King George V together with a large brass bell which was mounted on the buffer beam. At home the introduction of the Kings made possible some accelerations of the West of England services and the thirty engines of this class were employed on the heaviest express passenger traffic to and from London. 4-6-0 4-cylinder locomotive No. 6023 'King Edward II' is seen at the head of the Torbay Limited Express.

WGE016

The most famous express service on the Great Western Railway was that covered by the down and up Cornish Riviera Express which came into service in July 1904. The non-stop run to Plymouth covered a distance of 245 miles and the run was made in 265 minutes. When this express first ran in 1904 it was made up of five corridor coaches and a dining car. In later years the formation was altered to fourteen coaches of the latest stock. The express carried eight independent sections, seven of which were slipped at appropriate points, and six coaches remained when Penzance was finally reached. King class locomotive 4-6-0 No.6026 'King John' is seen passing through Berkshire at the head of the Cornish Riviera Express made up of 1935 Centenary coach stock.

WGE017

The Great Western Railway 4-4-0 County class was one of the 2-cylinder designs turned out at Swindon. They were part of GJ Church wards plan for complete standardisation of GWR locomotive stock and, in fact, they were the only outside cylinder 4-4-0's built by the GWR. They had the same taper boilers as the 4-4-0 Cities before them together with 6ft 8 ½ inch driving wheels and they were a very fast and powerful design. These locomotives were intended for work on secondary routes which were unsuitable for heavier 4-6-0's. However they were frequently seen on expresses between Paddington and Birmingham and on occasions worked even further north to Chester and Birkenhead. The class was built at Swindon between 1904 and 1912 and were named after counties served by the GWR in England, Wales and South West Ireland. A Kent Coast Express is shown travelling north from Reading to Birkenhead behind GWR 4-4-0 County class locomotive No.3837 'County of Stafford'.

WGE018

The Great Western Railway had important connections with three other main line companies operating cross-country services between important centres. One of these services was operating in conjunction with the London, Midland and Scottish Railway using the North to West route which came down from Manchester to Shrewsbury and thence to Plymouth and Penzance. The GWR operated the trains from Shrewsbury to the south. A Great Western Railway 4-6-0 4-cylinder locomotive No.4046 'Princess Mary' of the Star class is seen hauling a North to West express near Church Stretton in the 1930's.

WGE019

The Southern Railway, for many years, operated the Continental Boat Train traffic. Before the amalgamation of the original railways in 1923 this service was performed by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. The Golden Arrow Pullman express operated in later years from London (Victoria) to Dover. This train was hauled by the Merchant Navy and West Country 4-6-2 3-cylinder Pacifics, and the illustration reveals Pacific No.21C4 'Cunard White Star' hauling the train to Dover. The Southern Merchant class locomotives had a steam pressure of 280 psi and coupled wheels 6ft 2 inches in diameter. Their total weight in working order was 142 tons 10cwt.

WGE020

The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway became a component of the Southern Railway in 1923. The railway works were situated at Brighton and some remarkable designs of locomotives were produced there. D. Earle-Marsh built a superheated version of the Brighton Atlantic in 1911. These operated the Southern Belle, the all Pullman 60 minute express between London and Brighton. These 2-cylinder locomotives had a steam pressure of 170 psi with driving wheels 6ft 7 inches in diameter and weighed, in working order, 107 tons 7 cwts. Atlantic 4-4-2 2-cylinder locomotive No.422 is shown hauling the Brighton Belle in the London, Brighton and South Coast period.

WGE021

After the end of World War 1 decisions were made by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway to make Victoria Station, London the terminus for dealing with Kent Coast and Continental traffic. The L. class 4-4-0's of the old South Eastern and Chatham were built to cope with the heavy summer traffic which continually built up in the South Eastern section, and these locomotives came into the Southern Railway group in 1923. The engines had 6ft. 8in. diameter driving wheels, and a boiler pressure of 160 pounds per square inch. The illustration shows 4-4-0 locomotive No. 772 hauling a Kent coast express in 1920.

WGE022

Southern Railway King Arthurs' were used extensively in the early 1930's on the Continental Boat Trains from London Victoria to Dover. The locomotive illustrated here is 4-6-0 No. 768 'Sir Balin' and was originally a boat train engine and was later transferred to duties in the West Country. The locomotives had 6ft. 7in. driving wheels and their steam pressure was 200 pounds per square inch. The weight in working order was 138 tons and 10cwts.

WGE023

The locomotive illustrated did some very fast running on the London (Waterloo) - Bournemouth route. In London and South Western days they were called 'Paddleboats' and the splashers were referred to as Paddleboxes. The L.S.W.R. became a component of the Southern Railway in 1923 and Urie fitted the class with super heaters, and later R.E.L. Maunsell removed the Paddlebox splashers. The total weight of the engine and tender after being modified was 136 tons and 18cwts. The driving wheels were 6ft. 7in. in diameter and the steam pressure was 175 pounds per square inch. Locomotive 4-6-0 No. 447 is seen here at the head of a Bournemouth express in the London and South Western period.

WGE024

Larger and more powerful locomotives were required by the Southern Railway to deal with the ever-increasing loads in Continental traffic and to the West Country, and eventually the 4-6-0 4-cylinder 'Lord Nelson' class was built at Eastleigh between 1926-9. The locomotive weighed in working order 140 tons 4 cwts. Named after Naval commanders the 'Lord Nelson' class proved to be very fast and powerful locomotives with a steam pressure of 220 pounds per square inch, and had driving wheels 6ft. 7in. in diameter. The illustration shows 4-6-0 4-cylinder locomotive No. 860 'Lord Hawke' working the Atlantic Coast express.

WGE025

Ex-G.W.R. 2-6-0 No. 4373, one of the G.W.R. fleet of accelerated vacuum-fitted 'E' freights 'The Grocer' passing Hack Green on the final stage of its' journey to Crewe from Southall with vans of margarine hauled by 'Mogul'.

WGE026

A Crewe-Wellington-Shrewsbury passenger train approaching Coole Pilate hauled by 'Bulldog' 4-4-0 locomotive No. 3305 'Empire of India'. The Bickerton Hills are in the picture silhouetted against the evening sky.

WGE027

Ex-G.W.R. 2-4-0 No. 3223 Barnum locomotive is seen approaching Hack Green from Nantwich in the late 1920's. These coaches ran each weekday between Manchester (London Road) and Wellington via Crewe and were attached to the Birkenhead - Bournemouth express at Wellington.

WGE028

Ex-G.W.R. 2-6-0 No. 2679 'Aberdare' locomotive hauling goods from Crewe to Oxley, at Coole Pilate near Nantwich, Cheshire.

WGE029

Ex-G.W.R. 2-8-0 No. 3040 Ex-War Department locomotive hauling a Crewe-Oxley goods train at Hack Green near Nantwich.

WGE030

Ex-G.W.R. hauled by 'Duke' 4-4-0 locomotive No. 3266 'Amyas' in the early 1930's. In the background is the Crewe to Shrewsbury line near Nantwich Junction.

WGE031

Ex-G.W.R. passenger train hauled by 2-4-0 'Stella' locomotive No. 3201 approaching Hack Green from Nantwich Junction on the Crewe to Wellington Service in the late 1920's.

WGE032

Ex-G.W.R. Wellington to Crewe passenger train approaching Nantwich Junction from Hack Green. The locomotive is 0-6-0 T. No. 1782.

WGE033

A passenger train hauled by 2-4-0 'Stella' class locomotive No. 3204 leaving Coole Pilate Halt for Nantwich and Crewe in the late 1920's.

WGE034

A view of Wellington Station (Salop) looking north from the road bridge, showing the approach of an express from Paddington hauled by 'Castle' class locomotive No. 5032 'Usk Castle'.

WGE035

The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway was a joint concern of the London and South Western and Midland Railways. The L.S.W.R. maintained the track and signalling system, and the Midland provided the locomotives. It was an extremely busy holiday line for the North and Midlands, and over its' track ran trains such as the famous 'Pines Express' from Manchester to Bournemouth. There were also northbound expresses routed to Nottingham, Lincoln, Sheffield, Bradford and Liverpool. The illustration shows a local train of S. & D.J.R. vintage on the main line from Bournemouth to Bath hauled by 4-4-0 locomotive No. 45.

WGE036

The Caledonian Railway was absorbed by the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. The C.R. had pursued a policy of building inside cylinder locomotives since 1883, and in 1903 the famous 4-6-0 No. 903 'Cardean' and her four sister locomotives were produced. At the time of their construction at St. Rollox Works these locomotives were the most powerful in Great Britain, and they were allocated to work the heavy Anglo-Scottish expresses between Dundee, Glasgow (Central) and Carlisle (Citadel) and back. They had 6ft. 6 in. diameter driving wheels. The illustration depicts the 10am Glasgow - Euston express, showing No. 903 'Cardean' hauling the train down from Beattock summit towards Carlisle from whence the train was taken over by London and North Western Railway locomotives and hauled to London (Euston).

WGE037

The North Stafford Railway was chiefly a local line serving the area around the Potteries. It also had a route via Macclesfield to Stockport and Manchester and it ran its' own holiday expresses to Llandudno in North Wales over the London and North Western Railway via Crewe. Also certain Manchester - London expresses were routed via Stoke-on-Trent. The illustration depicts 4-4-0 locomotive No. 86 hauling a Manchester - Stoke express.

WGE038

The Furness Railway locomotives were painted a rich iron-ore red and in later pre-grouping days the coaches were royal blue with upper panelling in white. It was an important little railway and its' locomotives were handsome and powerful. In 1923 this line became a component of the London Midland and Scottish Railway. The illustration depicts a 4-6-4 T locomotive No. 117 to a design by E. Sharples on the Barrow to Carnforth mail train for connection with the London and North Western Railways' West Coast Postal Express.

WGE039

The Midland Railway ran through coaches from London to Glasgow in conjunction with the Glasgow and South Western Railway. The latter company took over the operation at Carlisle. The Anglo-Scottish expresses following the Midland route from St. Pancras (London) to Carlisle were sharply timed and the Midland 4-4-0 Compounds did excellent work in meeting this demand but the gradients in Scotland were heavy and Manson built a new class of 4-6-0 locomotives to counteract this and these engines ran with the utmost freedom. The illustration shows 4-6-0 2-cylinder Manson locomotive No. 386 leaving St. Enoch Station, Glasgow with Midland Railway Joint Stock.

WGE040

The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway ran from Fenchurch Street, London along the north bank of the Thames. The locomotives were of the 4-4-2 T design, by William Adams, and were fast running locomotives. They had two outside cylinders and 6ft. 1in. driving wheels and had a steam pressure of 160 pounds per square inch. This illustration shows one of these locomotives hauling a passenger train over this route. This engine, 4-4-2-T 2 - cylinder No. 47 'Stratford' also carries the place name over the buffer beam.

WGE041

The Maryport and Carlisle Railway served the northern part of the West Cumberland coalfield and was a very consistent local line. The smart green locomotives and coaching stock added to the attractiveness of this small railway. The illustration depicts Maryport and Carlisle 2-4-0 locomotive No. 8 hauling a passenger train near Dalton.

WGE042

Highland Railway 'Clan' A 4-6-0 No. 57. Designed by Christopher Cumming in 1919. The 'Clans' proved so useful that the last of them, the 'Clan Mackinnon' was not withdrawn from service until 1949. These locomotives included modern features new to the Highland Railway such as Walchearts' valve gear, Super heaters and Belpaire fireboxes.

WGE043

The Castle class engines of the Highland Railway ran for some twenty years over the line between Inverness and Perth. They were named after Scottish Castles in the Highland area and were powerful locomotives. The 'Castles' were a Jones product and were built at Inverness. The driving wheels were 6ft. 0in. in diameter. The illustration depicts locomotive 4-6-0 No. 50 'Brodie Castle' on an express in the Scottish Highlands.

WGE044

In 1927 Sir Henry Fowler designed the 4-6-0 3-cylinder Royal Scot class locomotives for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. The Royal Scots were an immediate success, being designed to eliminate the then frequent double heading up Shap. In 1933 4-6-0 3-cylinder locomotive No. 6100 'Royal Scot' and train were sent to Canada and the United States for exhibition at the Century of Progress Exposition at Chicago. It was an epic journey and the Royal Scot became an ambassador of Trans-Atlantic friendship. London, Midland and Scottish Railway 4-6-0 3-cylinder locomotive No. 6168 'The Girl Guide' is shown hauling the Royal Scot express up Shap.

WGE045

The Midland Railway had its' locomotive works at Derby and from here the famous Midland Compound was produced. In 1923 the Midland Railway became part of the London, Midland and Scottish group, and from 1923 onwards the original 4-4-0 3 cylinder 7ft. 0in. Compounds were subject to modification and there emerged a magnificent design with 6ft. 9in. diameter coupled wheels suitable to the very hard work over the mountain gradients of Derbyshire and the picturesque main line via Settle to Carlisle and Scotland. The illustration shows 4-4-0 3 cylinder Compound locomotive No. 1013 on a Midland express in 1920.

WGE046

In 1933 Sir William Stanier built the 'Princess' Pacifics for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. They were designed to work the heavy Anglo-Scottish expresses through between London and Glasgow, a distance of 401 miles. One of the greatest runs in British Railway history was made in November 1936 when a train of 260 tons was worked non-stop from Glasgow to London (Euston) at an average speed of 70 miles per hour behind a 4-6-2 4 cylinder No. 6201 'Princess Elizabeth'. The same locomotive is illustrated here on another run from Liverpool to London. These locomotives were the forerunners of the 'Coronation' Pacifics turned out in 1937 and had 6ft 6in. diameter driving wheels. The steam pressure was 250lbs per square inch and the weight in working order was 159 tons 3cwts.

WGE047

In 1937 the streamlined 'Coronation' Pacifics were built at Crewe for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. An engine of this class, streamlined and finished in standard L.M.S. red livery named 'Coronation' was exhibited at the New York Worlds' Fair in 1939. However newer locomotives were built without streamlining. The last two locomotives of this class were built in 1947 and these represented the highest development of the British express passenger locomotive, and it is appropriate that one of these should be named after the locomotive engineer 'Sir William Stanier'. The picture shows this locomotive 4-6-2 4 cylinder No. 6256 Sir William A. Stanier F.R.S. on an express between Crewe and Shrewsbury in post-war livery of L.M.S.R., black with maroon edging.

WGE048

Locally known as 'Bristols' the north to west expresses operated between Manchester (London Rd.) - Plymouth and Penzance. London, Midland and Scottish locomotives hauled the trains via Crewe to Shrewsbury, and from there Great Western locomotives completed the run to Plymouth and Penzance via the Severn Tunnel and Bristol. The trains were made up of G.W.R. and L.M.S. coaching stock. The illustration depicts an L.M.S. 4-4-0 3 cylinder Compound No. 1111 hauling an express train between Crewe and Shrewsbury in the early 1930's.

WGE049

Ex-L.N.E.R. Pacific 4-6-2 No. 2743 'Felstead' hauling the Flying Scotsman express. This type of engine was classified A3 and had a steam pressure of 180 pounds per square inch. They had 6ft. 8in. diameter driving wheels and weighed 150 tons in working order.

WGE050

In Scotland, besides the through Anglo-Scottish trains there were the 'Grampian' and Granite City' expresses between Glasgow and Aberdeen, the 'John O'Groats' express between Inverness, Wick and Thurso, and the Lothian and Fife Coast expresses between Glasgow and Edinburgh and North Berwick resorts. The illustration shows a Great North of Scotland Railway 4-4-0 locomotive No. 49 'Gordon Highlander' on an express train. The eight engines of this class were superheated and all named, and No. 49 has been preserved The G.N.S.R. was absorbed by the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923.

WGE051

The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway at one time carried a considerable amount of traffic from the East Midlands to East Anglia. It was an amalgamation of a number of smaller lines the largest of which was the Eastern and Midland Railway which lay east of Kings' Lynn. As its name implies it was jointly owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway. The illustration shows a Spalding - Great Yarmouth express near Kings Lynn, hauled by 4-4-0 2 cylinder locomotive No. 38 of Midland design by Johnson. The locomotives were beautifully lined on golden ochre.

WGE052

The North Eastern Railway connected with the Great Northern at Doncaster and Leeds, and continued north to Berwick via Newcastle from York. In 1923 it became a component of the London and North Eastern Railway. The first two 4-6-2 Pacifics designed by Raven were completed at Darlington in 1922 and an illustration is shown here of 4-6-2 2 cylinder locomotive No. 2400 'City of Newcastle' heading an express to York. Three m ore of these large locomotives were completed in 1924 but were short lived as the A1 Gresley pacifics were chosen as the standard L.N.E.R. express engines.

WGE053

The Great Eastern Railway painted its passenger locomotives ultramarine blue with vermilion side rods and linings. There were a number of famous expresses, the 'Norfolk Coast Express', the 'Hook of Holland Express', the Clacton Pulman and other Continental expresses worked by smart 'Claud Hamiltons' and Holden 4-6-0's. One of the J. Holden 4-6-0 locomotives is shown here pulling hard on Brentwood bank at the head of the 'Clacton Pulman'. Locomotive No. 1531 is seen in its' original condition before the London and North Eastern Railway absorbed the Great Eastern Railway in 1923.

WGE054

The Great Central Railway previously formed an important connection with the Great Northern Railway at Retford. It was over its' permanent way that these companies ran their competing trains between London and Manchester. In 1899 the Great Centrals' new main line to London was opened and this afforded the G.C.R. a fast service to London from Manchester and vice versa. The G.C.R. became a component company of the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 and its' locomotives added to the stud of the new company. One of the locomotives is shown here on an express to London. The engine is 4-6-0 4 cylinder No. 1165 'Valour' designed by J.G. Robinson and built at Gorton Works.

WGE055

The North British Railway operated in conjunction with the Midland Railway on the Anglo-Scottish trains from St. Pancras to Carlisle and Edinburgh, the latter part of the journey being operated over the famous Waverley route. This was a heavy route and made demands upon locomotive power, and W.P. Reid designed his famous Atlantics to meet this need, and these were the most powerful 4-4-2's in Britain. The illustration depicts a heavy Edinburgh-Aberdeen express hauled by 4-4-0 locomotive No. 415 'Claverhouse' piloting 4-4-2 Reid Atlantic running along the shores of the North Sea.

WGE056

The first 3 cylinder 4-6-2 Pacifics were designed by Sir N. Gresley in 1922 for the Great Northern Railway. They were numbered 1470-1. Following their construction at Doncaster, the class was improved upon and became the standard design for working express trains between Kings' Cross (London) and Edinburgh on the London and North Eastern Railway after the amalgamation in 1923. The illustration depicts a Great Northern express running between Kings' Cross and Doncaster hauled by 4-6-2 3 cylinder locomotive No. 1470 ' Great Northern' in 1922.

WGE057

Because of its' connections with the other three companies, Great Western Railway coaches were found in many parts of Britain far off its' own territory. Also other company's' locomotives ran on through trains over Great Western metals to strategic points, like Oxford. As a result of the through locomotive workings, engines of all the four large companies would be seen at this station, for here the Great Western and London, Midland and Scottish stations adjoined, the Southern Railway operated daily through the year to Oxford, and of course the London and North Eastern Railway ran trains in from York. A York to Oxford train is seen near Nottingham hauling through Great Western coaches behind a London and North Eastern locomotive Atlantic 4-4-2 No. 5259 'King Edward VII'.

WGE058

G.W.R. 2-4-0 Dean 3206 Barnum Class Locomotives were built in 1889 and were so named because they were used to haul trains belonging to Barnum and Baileys' Circus. They were introduced in 1889 and the last of the class was withdrawn in 1937. The picture depicts passenger train 3210 approaching Market Drayton Junction on the Wellington to Nantwich branch line.

WGE059

Following locomotive interchange trials in 1948 the engineers of the Railway Executive under the direction of Mr R.A. Riddles designed a series of new standard locomotives embodying those features shown to be the most satisfactory from the trials. The first of these new designs to appear was the 'Britannia' class 4-6-2 7M.T. Pacific. The illustration depicts No. 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' hauling the Northman.

WGE060

The 'King Arthur' class 4-6-0 originated on the London and South Western Railway in 1917 under the direction of R.W. Urie. A further 15 locomotives were built to a modified design in 1927 under the direction of R.E.L. Maunsell. These locomotives were often used to operate boat trains between London Victoria and Dover.

WGE061

'Castle' class locomotive No. 5071 Spitfire. Alongside is L.M.S. 4-6-2 locomotive No. 6230 'Duchess of Buccleuch'

WGE062

'Castle' class locomotive No.5063 'Earl Baldwin'

WGE063

'Dominion of India' Locomotive No.11