LOCAL photographer Paul Bellas was on hand to capture the final steam-hauled rail tour of 2023 which stopped to pick-up passengers at both Warrington and Newton-le-Willows this week.
Saphos Trains ‘The Christmas White Rose’ took passengers over to York for the day, hauled by 46100 Royal Scot.
The locomotive is pictured here roaring through Parkside Junction towards Highfield Moss crossing, having just left Newton in the damp, early morning gloom.
Upon her return to Warrington, a calm clear evening presented an atmospheric scene for several minutes at Bank Quay station, before a spectacular departure to climb up Walton Bank en-route back to Crewe.
The 46100 Royal Scott locomotive was built in 1930 at Derby as 6152 The Kings Dragoon Guardsman.
In 1933 the LMS was invited to send a locomotive and train to the Century of Progress International Exposition in Chicago, USA.It was decided to send an engine of the Royal Scot class, and one was selected that was due for general overhaul. The identity of this locomotive was 6152 The Kings Dragoon Guardsman. The coupled axleboxes were replaced with larger ones, based on a GWR design, and the bogie replaced by a De Glehn type, also derived from GWR practice. Springs and spring rigging were also updated, and the boiler replaced. The rebuilt locomotive assumed the identity of 6100 The Royal Scot with (on its return from the USA) an enlarged nameplate with details of its appearance at the exhibition. It retained this identity after its return from the USA. Whilst in America the engine went on an 11,194 mile tour of North America including crossing the Rockies.
The locomotive was rebuilt in 1950 with a taper boiler, double chimney and new cylinders following the success achieved with the two Jubilee class locomotives (45735/6) rebuilt in 1942.
46100 was withdrawn from service in October 1962 whilst based at Nottingham.
It was bought by Billy Butlin of Butlins Holiday Camps and after cosmetic restoration at Crewe Works, was set on a plinth at Skegness. It was painted in LMS crimson lake livery which, although the original livery received, the locomotive did not carry it after being rebuilt (only one rebuilt Royal Scot ever carried LMS crimson lake livery and that was 6170 Royal British Legion).
As 6100 it was towed from Crewe Works to Nottingham in June 1963 by Black 5 No. 45038 and then from Nottingham to Boston by B1 No. 61177. It spent a few days at Boston shed before being taken to Skegness by an Ivatt 4MT, where the locomotive languished for 3 weeks in Skegness goods yard before being transferred to a Pickford’s low loader for the short road trip to Ingoldmells. 6100 arrived in the Butlins complex on 18 July 1963 piped in by pipers from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Scots.
6100 left Skegness for the Bressingham Steam Museum on 16 March 1971 and was returned to steam in 1972. It ran until 1978 when it became a static exhibit again. It was sold by Butlins to Bressingham in May 1989.
https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/46100-royal-scot-lms-6100-br-46100/
