Evening Express

[John 2]

You've got me at it now. According to Wikki:


"After initially using letter prefixes (E for ex-LNER, M for ex-LMS, S for ex-SR, and W for ex-GWR locomotives, as used for other inherited rolling stock), a numbering scheme was decided on in March 1948. Generally ex-GWR locomotives retained their numbers (and hence were able to retain their cast brass number plates) and it was decided to add 30000 to the Southern numbers, 40000 to the LMS numbers and 60000 to the LNER numbers. There were some exceptions though."

However, Donald's engine is an LMS Ivatt 2 design. Wikki describes these (see Below) as being initially built for British Rail's London Midland Scottish operations in the North East of England but this particular engine is part of a batch that was allocated to BR's Western Region - and therefore presumably, one of the exceptions referred to. It looks like it may have finally found its way home.

"The 38 members of the Darlington-built batch (46465 to 46502) were allocated to the Eastern and North Eastern Regions of British Railways. The final 25 (46503 to 46527) were built at Swindon Works and, being allocated to the Western Region, consequently carried the GWR-type vacuum ejector and firehole doors."

[Dave Humphries]

I am interested in the fact that Donald's loco has a 46xxx number as does Scot Guardsman? Yet quite different loco types?

Yes, I believe Scots Guardsman was built in 1927 as 6115 and, as 'John 2' explains; had the prefix 4 added circa 1948, making it 46115 (in BR days).

New build BR locos then filled in any gaps in the numbering left by 'missing' locos that did not make it to 1948, hence the false impression given they might be similar.

Preserved locos are indeed re-liviered every few years and when this changes eras between BR and their pre-BR and even pre-grouping colour schemes, obviously the number is changed to match. All the little railway's old locos that were 'grouped' in 1923 into the 'big four' (GWR, LMS, LNER and Southern) often had a prefix number added too - some 'old but good' examples may have had a 2 or 3 digit number when built (well before 1923), then 4 digit (1923 - 1948), then a 5 digit number in BR days!

To further compound the issue of identifying modern photos of preserved locos (steam or diesel) - is the fairly common practice of falsely numbering and naming one member of a class as another - for events such as anniversaries, perhaps of non-railway events, that led to a loco being named after it, but that original loco being scrapped many years ago. Particularly for say, anniversaries WWII battles or regiments, etc.