Camden shed (1B) was closed to steam from September 9 1963 and Willesden (1A) nearby, became the steam depot for power as required for the Western Division and also for the former Great Central line service from Marylebone to Nottingham. Since early spring 1963 Willesden had become the home depot for six ‘Britannia’ 4-6-2s released at last by the Eastern Region (Nos. 70000/1/5/10/2/34) and later in the year the other 15 from that Region were reallocated to Kingmoor (nine) and Upperby (six). Together with the earlier transfers from the Western Region of their locomotives of the class it meant that the LMR then had all 55 ‘Britannias’.
During the summer, Willesden had five ‘Royal Scots’ to help out with the reduced number of seasonal extras and Q (ran as required) trains. The cascade of power enabled by the arrival of the six ‘Britannias’ allowed Speke (for Garston Docks traffic) and Warrington to receive Class 6 locomotives (‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0s).
No mileage figures for 1964 are available to the writer for the remaining ‘Princess Coronations’ but sightings had them on the summer trains to North Wales, Workington/Penrith, from Glasgow to Morecambe as well as the, by then frequent, use on merchandise and
