European Railroad Discussion > What is the steam locomotive in "The Crown?"

We've started watching the delightful Netflix series, "The Crown," about Queen Elizabeth II. In the first show, there were several nice views of a steam locomotive-hauled passenger train. Can anyone tell us which locomotive was used?

B&OBill
USA

I think it was a Stanier Class 5MT, often called a 'Black 5'. Number 45305, preserved on the Great Central Railway (Loughborough). A 4-6-0 design for the LMS railway. I haven't seen 'The Crown' and the only steam train video i can find on youtube for 'the crown' is of this locomotive.
Prior to nationalisation of the UK's railways, these were the work-horses of the steam era in the 30's, 40's and 50's and some survived until the end of steam in '68. Kind of like the SD40-2 of their age....although they were a mixed traffic loco that hauled passenger as well as freight.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/16 13:23 by exhaustED.

exhaustED Wrote:
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> Prior to nationalisation of the UK's railways,
> these were the work-horses of the steam era in the
> 30's, 40's and 50's and some survived until the
> end of steam in '68. Kind of like the SD40-2 of
> their age....although they were a mixed traffic
> loco that hauled passenger as well as freight.

These engines formed the most numerous  single type ever built in the UK, around 840 examples were built, and many of these were actually constructed after nationalistion in 1948. Moreover the design was effectively perpetuated by a further 150 locos of the 73000 class of post-nationalisation "standard" design, which differed only in minor details.

If ever there was an example of professional vanity leading to wasteful efforts it was the post nationalisation range of 12 standard classes of steam locos, which were no major improvement upon the most recent (pre-1948) designs some of which anyway continued to be supplied until well into the 1950s.

In my recollection the "black fives" were principally used on a wide range of passenger duties until the early 60s, when they were increasingly used on freight trains.

I have noticed a recent trend in the UK trainspotting press towards the attribution of  the design of these post nationalisation locos to tne then BR Chief Mechanical Engineer, Robert Riddles. In reality of course the time was long past when loco designs could be credited to an individual "heroic" CME, and this was fully recognised in the contemporary locospotting books which decribed the engines as having been designed by one of the various drawing offices, eg "BR Brighton" or "BR Derby".



Edited 8 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/16 14:35 by spflow.

The scenes in the first episode sure looked like a green 2-10-0.  They way it flew through the station platforms - crowded with people - was impressive.

NKP779 Wrote:
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> The scenes in the first episode sure looked like a
> green 2-10-0.  They way it flew through the
> station platforms - crowded with people - was
> impressive.

Could it have been the "Evening Star"?

penncentral74 Wrote:
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> Could it have been the "Evening Star"?

Evening Star is on exhibition at York, she's not operational. But there are eight other 9Fs in existence; I suspect it may have been 92214 Central Star which is on the Great Central and is in in-authentic Brunswick Green