The incomparable Duke of Gloucester

I WAS just eight years old when the Harrow & Wealdstone railway disaster of October 8, 1952 occurred, but can still recall the wide-eyed horror I felt when the next morning's newspaper, filled with pictures of the destruction that ensued, dropped through our front door.

The tragedy, which resulted in 112 deaths and 340 injuries and remains the worst peacetime rail crash in UK history, unfolded after the late-running Perth to Euston overnight express, headed by Stanier Pacific No. 46242 City of Glasgow, rammed into the back of a stationary suburban passenger train with Fowler 2-6-4 tank locomotive No. 42389 at its head, at over S0mph. Although the driver and fireman of the 'Duchess' lost their lives, an inquiry suggested that a colour light signal at caution and two semaphores at danger had been passed in difficult murky conditions.

Wreckage was spread across the down main line seconds before the combined 15-coach Liverpool and Manchester express from Euston, double-headed by'Jubilee' 4-6-0 No. 45637 Windward Islands and 'Princess Royal' Pacific No. 46202 Princess Anne, a handsome rebuild of the Stanier'Turbomotive; ploughed into the debris at 60mph.

Both of the down express engines were destroyed, yet ironically City of Glasgow was repaired, and less than five years later, on June 17, 1957, it and sister locomotive No. 46245 City of London were chosen to work the inaugural runs of the eight-coach 'Caledonian' express between the two cities. For the record, the Fowler tank was undamaged.

The rebuilding ofthe'Turbomotive' into a conventional 'Princess Royal' Pacific utilising 'Duchess' cylinders, had already suggested a shortage of Class 8 motive power on the London Midland Region, and now that had gone, plugging the gap gave British Railways'Chief Mechanical Engineer