Synopsis
In September 1938 the Duchess of Hamilton entered service on the LMS. With the country on the brink of war, it seemed am almost defiant act. The streamlined “Coronation Pacifics” were designed by Sir William Stanier and No 46229 (or 6229 as she was then known) was one of the second batch of ten machines. In 1939 she gained worldwide fame as one of Britain’s representatives at the World Fair in New York, although she masqueraded there under the name “Coronation”.
In 1945, the locomotive’s streamlined castings were removed and with her name restored, she ran in express passenger services for many years. In 1964, after covering over 1.5 million miles, the Duchess Of Hamilton was withdrawn from service and sold to a holiday camp for static display. In 1975 she was loaned to the National Railway Museum and after an overhaul, she again steamed in 1980, running at the head of many special trains over the next 5 years. By this time total restoration was required and the Friends of the National Railway Museum took on the project. In 1990, the Friends we able to hand her back to the National Railway Museum in perfect working condition. This programme records every phase of the Duchess Of Hamilton’s 5 year restoration and her rerun to the main line.
