LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton
LMS Route: Rugby to Leamington
LMS Route: Rugby to Tamworth
LMS Route: Rugby to Leicester
LMS Route: Rugby to Market Harborough

Rugby Station - BR Period Locomotives: lnwrrm4357

British Railways 4-6-2 Britannia Class No 70043 'Lord Kitchener' stands on an up express service to Euston station. Built by Crewe works in June 1953, No 70043 was to remain in service until August 1965 when it was officially withdrawn from 5B Crewe South to be scrapped by TW Ward of Beighton. Construction programme was authorised on 4th January 1951, but due to a severe lack of steel available following World War 2, 70043 was not completed until 4th June 1953, under Order No E483/228, at a total cost of £22,395.

ALLOCATIONS

It has been stated that No 70043 and No 70044 were predestined for the Great Eastern section, but No 70043 was allocated new to Longsight MPD (9A) and Nos 70030 and 70034 were sent to the Eastern Region instead. Although No 70043 remained at Manchester until the end of September 1961, it was seen to go to Derby for fitment of air brake equipment and then to Toton for actual road testing at different times. No 70043 was relocated to Birmingham's Aston depot (21D) for a nine-month period, before returning to Longsight for three months, then in June 1962 it returned to Aston once again, remaining there until late April 1963 at which point the engine was allocated to Willesden MPD (1A). It spent fourteen months at this major LNWR depot followed by twelve months at Crewe North shed (5A). When 5A closed in June 1965, 70043 found favour at Crewe South MPD (5B), but that proved to be last move for the locomotive, as it was withdrawn in early August 1965, thus its length of service was a mere twelve years and two months.

MODIFICATIONS

Together with No 70044 Earl Haig, No 70043 Lord Kitchener was fitted with Air Brake equipment in order to compare with the normal Britannia engines' vacuum brakes, but this continued for a long time and with no conclusive outcome. 70043 was the penultimate locomotive to receive a BR1 tender and was able to benefit from the various updates and modifications that were discovered during the service of the first group of Britannias, mainly concerning the drive axle centres, bearings and coupling rods. The locomotive was not fitted with a cab sheet (item 9) when built, but this was seemingly added by Crewe Works later in the same month. 70043 began in service with three raised sand box lids, a tender step added to each side of the tender, also the coupling rods were plain from the outset and remained so all the way through its service history. Little changed over the ensuing four years, not until the air brake testing was completed and the Air Brake equipment was removed during April 1957, when finally a more conventional looking Britannia appeared from Crewe Works with the newly fitted smoke deflectors in situ and, although without any ceremony, the nameplates were fitted at this time with apparently no sign of the previous fitments of the air brakes. It is also worth noting that the lower grab handle, which would normally be fitted to the lower portion of the smoke deflector, for the crew to pull themselves onto the front buffer bar, had to be fitted on the bar itself while the Air Brake fittings were in place, but resorted to normal position after addition of the deflectors. At the same visit to Crewe, a speedometer unit was fitted; the original front step was modified to a full platform, helping the crew to reach into the smoke box for cleaning purposes. The LNER designed return crank was modified to the LMR type, recognised by its four pin fixing, at a further visit to Crewe Works during January 1958, but the old BR emblem remained on the tender until updated at another visit to Crewe Workshops in October, also in 1958 which was fully two years and four months after the emblem first appeared. Following a six weeks long visit to Crewe Works, 70043 reappeared in July 1959, with the AWS equipment fitted into the engine frame, and as a fully modified Britannia it was now a very far cry from the aesthetic disaster that was seen from new. Also at that time the rearmost bracket was added to the regulator rod, while a short time later the power warning plates were affixed to the engine, although not in the usual position as the most forward of them were added higher up on the deflectors. Because the locomotive was withdrawn at least a couple of years earlier than the average for the BR Standards, the lamp irons were not repositioned, but it was noted that from 1959 the top iron was a long version whereas the other three were short. Also of note was that the locomotive livery kept its lining and that the nameplates were not removed whilst in service.

SERVICE RECORD

Initially 70043 went to Derby Mechanical and Engineering Department for the fitment of Air Brake Equipment, which included two main air pressure tanks; two reserve tanks; two air compressors (steam driven) and cab controls. These were fitted under the support of the 'Ideal Stocks Committee' which was set up by British Railways to modernise wagon stocks. The strange manoeuvres of 70043 between Manchester and Derby, then down to Cricklewood hauling long coal trains from the Nottinghamshire coalfields prevented the locomotive building up a good service mileage, but reasonable figures were recorded just the same. The figures for the four years with Air Brake equipment fitted were at an average of 53,000 miles, whereas the following four years, as a conventional engine, a returned average of 55,000 miles was noted, which was lowered slightly by a poor return for 1958. Crewe Works visits amounted to twelve, with another five noted as Derby Works, although these were mainly for 'brake fittings', although one other occasion was for repairs to actual damage to the locomotive, recorded as August 1955, but no other details are known. The engine was a regular on London turns, but was rarely seen with a headboard in place, certainly not in the period with the air tanks fitted, which was also the reason that the engine was never cleaned; the lack of smoke deflectors caused much soot to cover the front end and access to same was extremely difficult. After the smoke deflectors were fitted, 70043 could be spotted with the 'Mancunian' headboard in prime position, but following relocation to Aston and then Crewe sheds there were really no opportunities to carry any other train title. Condition of the locomotive was good following its last visit to Crewe Works in June 1962, but by 1964 the engine was seen to be in a deplorable external state and desperately needing a further overhaul, but for some reason that was not forthcoming.

Derek Dean courtesy of David Heys

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