Stanier Class 5

One of the most successful British locomotives ever produced was the mixed-traffic 4-6-0 designed by Sir William Stanier.

When Stanier arrived from Swindon to take over as C.M.E. of the L.M.S. Railway, one of his first duties was to provide a reliable locomotive which had a high route availability and which could be used for a wide variety of work.

The first engine appeared in 1934, a 2-cylinder 4-6-0 with 6-ft diameter driving wheels and a taper boiler pressed to 225 Ib per square inch.

Many features of Swindon practice were evident in the design, and soon No. 5020 was followed by other examples built both in L.M.S. workshops and by private builders until a total of almost eight hundred and fifty were in service, by far the most prolific locomotive class in Britain.

Numbered between 44658 and 45499, the Class '5' engines could at one time be found in all parts of the country, from Bournemouth to Wick in northern Scotland, and on all types of train from slow freight to express passenger, on which speeds of 90 mph and above had been recorded.

Some engines of the class were constructed with modified boilers, roller beaffiigs and double chimneys; a number had Caprotti poppet valve gear, and one engine, No. 44767, was fitted with outside Stephenson link motion.

Only four engines carried names, these commemorating famous Scottish regiments; our picture shows one of the un-named locomotives representative of the majority of the class.