GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill - British Railways Period Locomotives: gwrbsh1236

Ex-GWR 4-6-0 King class No 6014 'King Henry VII' is seen standing at the end of Platform 7 whilst at the head of the 8 55am Birkenhead to Paddington express service in 1961. Built at Swindon works to Lot 243 in May 1928 No 6014 was one of the locomotives that received for a brief period some bizarre streamlining with bulbous smokebox and a tapered cowling behind the chimney. Whilst both the LNER and later the LMS streamlined their main express locomotive class Collett was obviously not enamored by the publicity department's request for the GWR to adopt a similar practice.

Peter Jordan writes, 'Although most of the 'streamlining' was removed, the V-shaped front to the cab was retained. Also, because of the engine's inability to carry reporting numbers on the smokebox front in its 'streamlined' condition, a special frame for these numbers had to be made to be carried above the buffer plank. As can be seen in the picture, this was still in use latterly'. In this form No 6014 was to remain as such until September 1962 when it was withdrawn from Stafford Road shed in Wolverhampton being scrapped during March 1963 by Cox & Danks of Langley Green in Oldbury.

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