Coronation Scot

[blackprince]

Thinking about this some more I remembered my aunt was going out with a young man (who she later married) who was keen on trains. It is possible that he told the family about a special train visiting Leeds and they all decided to go and see it. (The last time I saw my uncle he still had a model of Mallard on his mantelpiece even after 40 years living in Canada.) Regarding the streamlined loco which I saw in 1953 I found the following reference which at first sight sounded a promising candidate for the special "coronation" train I saw “ from the pages of the Railway Gazette to mark the running of the new Coronation London-Edinburgh express, 'The Elizabethan'•    'The Elizabethan'From The Railway Gazette, 10 July 1953, p. 36 (New Coronation Express, London-Edinburgh, 1953)”But reading up a little further told me that the Elizabethan was a non-stop express, hauled by A4 pacifics. I think the non –stop express would have run from Doncaster to York not through Leeds So it was unlikely to have been the Elizabethan I saw in Leeds unless for some reason it was diverted .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabethan_Express

[majorhoundii]

blackprince wrote: Thinking about this some more I remembered my aunt was going out with a young man (who she later married) who was keen on trains. It is possible that he told the family about a special train visiting Leeds and they all decided to go and see it. (The last time I saw my uncle he still had a model of Mallard on his mantelpiece even after 40 years living in Canada.) Regarding the streamlined loco which I saw in 1953 I found the following reference which at first sight sounded a promising candidate for the special "coronation" train I saw “ from the pages of the Railway Gazette to mark the running of the new Coronation London-Edinburgh express, 'The Elizabethan'•    'The Elizabethan'From The Railway Gazette, 10 July 1953, p. 36 (New Coronation Express, London-Edinburgh, 1953)”But reading up a little further told me that the Elizabethan was a non-stop express, hauled by A4 pacifics. I think the non –stop express would have run from Doncaster to York not through Leeds So it was unlikely to have been the Elizabethan I saw in Leeds unless for some reason it was diverted .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabethan_Express I don't think it'slikely to have been the Elizabethan,given that Leeds Central didn't have a through line, any train would have to reverse there, plus of course the platforms were very short. The Queen of Scots Pulman used to reverse at Leeds Central and then travel north via Harrogate and Ripon

[blackprince]

As a post script to this old thread, I am now fairly certain that the loco I saw was a Gresley A4 Pacific ( Streak). I distinctly remember the streamlined locomotive casing in blue livery and the front of the loco was black. (like this)



Jim commented “According to "Locomotives of the LNER part 2A" (RCTS) which covers the Pacific classes the last blue A4 was no. 60026 "Miles Beevor" which was repainted to BR green in January 1953. To the best of my knowledge no A4 would again be seen painted blue until the preservation period, commencing in 1963 with "Mallard".

So my recollection of seeing a streamlined loco with blue and black livery several months before the June 1953 Coronation is credible. But I also thought the train was a “Coronation special” so this comment found on the internet ( which makes experts of us all) may also be relevant - “1953 Coronation Headboard :Used as a second headboard on certain trains of the B.R. Eastern Region during 1953 in celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.”
It is just possible that I saw ( aged 5) a train hauled by one of the last A4’s in BR express passenger blue livery carrying that special coronation headboard about 6 months before the coronation.