LMS Route: Trent Valley Line

LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

Nuneaton Station: lnwrns1617

LMS 4-6-2 'Turbomotive' No 6202 is seen passing through Nuneaton station's platform three on a down express service circa 1948. The 'Turbomotive' was a modified Princess Royal Class steam locomotive designed by Stanier and built at Crewe in June 1935 and was experimental as it used turbines instead of cylinders. This was one of the few experimental steam turbine locomotives which really did beat conventional engines on thermal efficiency, despite having no condenser.

The main reason for its high thermal efficiency was that it had six separate steam nozzles and they were controlled individually as on or off and not throttled. It has to be called an engineering success; it covered over 300,000 miles (480,000 km) between 1936 and 1945, and was finally taken out of service due to a failed forward turbine in 1949 to be stored until a decision was taken on its future.

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