LMS Jubilee Class

The last five locomotives of Henry Fowler's Patriot class on order, 5552 to 5556, were built with William Stanier's taper boiler and so became the first of the Jubilee class. 113 locomotives were ordered straight from the drawing board. They were initially a disappointment; their moderate degree of superheating often left them short of steam. Changes to the blastpipe and chimney dimensions helped to transform them.

On 29 April 1935 no. 5552, the first of the class, permanently swapped identities with no. 5642 which had been named Silver Jubilee on 19 April 1935 in recognition of the Silver Jubilee of King George V on 6 May of that year. This change gave the name to the rest of the class, see LMS Jubilee Class 5552 Silver Jubilee. Earlier on (from summer 1934), they had been known as the "Red Staniers" (because of the crimson livery), to distinguish them from the "Black Staniers" (the LMS Stanier Black Five class).[3]

Until the late 1950s, Jubilees were the largest express engine normally found on the lines running out of St Pancras or radiating from Derby. They could nevertheless be found on main lines throughout the former LMS system.

The power classification was 5XP, in common with the earlier Patriot class.[4] In January 1951 the classification was revised to 6P and in November 1955 to 6P5F but this change was not applied to the locomotives' cabsides, which continued to show 6P.[5]

Five members of the class were fitted with a double chimney at different times. 5684 Jutland was the first, fitted with a double Kylchap in 1937.[6] The double chimney did improve the power of the locos and also improved the coal consumption. It only carried this fitment for one year. 5742 Connaught was the next, being fitted with a plain double exhaust in 1940 which it carried until 1955.[6] 5553 Canada was also fitted in 1940 but carried the double chimney for a short time.[6] 5735 Comet and 5736 Phoenix were rebuilt with a 2A taper boiler and double chimney in 1942.[7] They were to have been the prototypes for the rebuilding of the entire class but were, in the end, the only Jubilees so to be treated. (They were reclassified 6P in July 1943,[8] and 7P in 1951).[9] As part of experiments at the Rugby Locomotive Testing Station, no. 45722 Defence was fitted with a double chimney from 1956 to 1957.[10] In 1961 a double exhaust was fitted to no. 45596 Bahamas which carried it through withdrawal and into preservation.[11]

• On 21 January 1938, locomotive No. 5568 Western Australia was hauling an express passenger train which was in a head-on collision with an empty stock train at Oakley Junction due to a combination of driver and signalman's errors. Three people were killed and 46 were injured.[12]
• On 11 October 1943 locomotive 5581 Bihar and Orissa hauling the Leeds - Edinburgh express collided with a freight train being shunted into sidings at Steeton, West Yorkshire. No one was killed but four people were injured.[13][14]
• On 18 May 1948, locomotives 5609 Gilbert and Ellice Islands (train loco) and 5605 Cyprus (pilot), hauling the 11:45 am down (St Pancras to Bradford) express were derailed, along with 8 coaches of a 12-coach train on a 30 ft high embankment near Wath Road Junction, Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The cause was track distortion in hot weather. Poor track maintenance was a contributing factor. 8 people died and 56 were injured.[15] Both locos were recovered to Derby works[16] and returned to traffic following repairs.
• On 8 October 1952, a three-train collision occurred at Harrow & Wealdstone station, Middlesex. Locomotive No. 45637 Windward Islands was one of two locomotives hauling an express passenger train which crashed into wreckage. A total of 112 people were killed and 340 were injured. This remains the worst peacetime rail crash in the United Kingdom. The locomotive was consequently scrapped due to damage sustained.
• On 16 August 1953, locomotive No. 45699 Galatea was hauling a passenger train which became divided and was derailed at Kingsbury, Warwickshire due to a combination of defects on the locomotive and the condition of the track.[17]
• On 20 July 1959, locomotive No. 45730 Ocean overran a signal and consequently crashed into Dock Junction Signal Box, London. Trains had to be handsignalled into and out of St Pancras station for several days afterwards.[18]
• On 17 January 1964, No. 45695 Minotaur was involved in a head-on collision with a mail train and a freight train. The locomotive was deemed to be uneconomical to repair and was withdrawn and scrapped off-site.[19]

Four Jubilees have been preserved with two of them 45593 and 45596 being purchased directly from BR for preservation, the other two being rescued from Woodham Brothers. All four members of the class have operated in preservation and all have run on the main line. As of 2019 three members of the class are operational and all of them have main line certificates, the most recent engine being 45596 Bahamas following running in at Tyseley.

While three members of the class are operational the fourth engine 45593 Kolhapur is stored inside the shed at Tyseley Loco Works awaiting its turn in the overhaul queue.

A large number of parts were taken from sister engine 45562 Alberta, which was the subject matter of a few preservation attempts, one of them even tried to persuade Sir Billy Butlin to buy it, that failed before she was scrapped in 1968 and most parts exist on preserved sister engine Galatea.[20][21]

Note: Marked names indicate that the loco is not presently wearing them & Loco numbers in bold mean their current number.

Number		Name	Builder	Built	Withdrawn	Service Life	Location	Owners	Livery	Condition	Mainline Certified	Photograph	Notes
LMS	BR
5593	45593	Kolhapur	North British Locomotive Company	Dec. 1934	Oct. 1967	32 Years, 10 months	Tyseley Locomotive Works	Tyseley Locomotive Works	LMS Crimson Lake	Static display, awaiting overhaul.	No
5596	45596	Bahamas	North British Locomotive Company	Jan. 1935	Jul. 1966	31 Years, 6 months	Keighley and Worth Valley Railway	Bahamas Locomotive Society	BR Green, Late Crest	Operational. Boiler ticket expires: 2027	Yes (2019–2026)		Only preserved Jubilee fitted with a double chimney
5690	45690	Leander	Crewe Works	Mar. 1936	Mar. 1964	28 Years	Carnforth MPD	Chris Beet	BR Black, Early Emblem	Operational, boiler ticket expires: 2024.	Yes (2014–2021)		Black nameplate on fireman's side and red nameplate on driver's side.
5699	45699 (45562)	*Galatea Alberta	Crewe Works	Apr. 1936	Nov. 1964	28 Years, 7 months	Carnforth MPD	David Smith	BR Green, Late Crest	Operational, boiler ticket expires: 2023.	Yes (2013–2023)		Presently disguised as scrapped classmate 45562 Alberta.

• 
  45572 Eire at Water Orton. This locomotive was one of those renamed to reflect changes in the name of the territory after which they were called. Eire was originally Irish Free State.
• 
  45552 Silver Jubilee at Willesden Sheds.
• 
  45599 Bechuanaland traveling south down the WCML at Winwick Junction in March 1955
• 
  45682 Trafalgar awaiting movement to Bird's Morriston scrapyard in 1964 following withdrawal from traffic
• 
  45690 Leander at Woodham Brothers Scrapyard in July 1968

• 
  5593 Kolhapur on display in the carriage sidings at Cricklewood in 1969.
• 
  45699 Galatea arriving at Ely from Carnforth MPD with the Queen of Scots set of coaches in May 2013.
• 
  45690 Leander working down the Cumbrian Coast Line on Sat 30th Sept 2017.
• 
  45596 Bahamas at Appleby while working "The Bahamas Renaissance II" railtour on Sat 16 Feb 2019.
• 
  45690 Leander parked up alongside the Ffestiniog Railway in Blaenau Ffestiniog on Sat 3 Aug 2019. She and 48151 had worked a re-opening special for the "Conwy Valley Line" following closure for repairs.
• 
  45562 Alberta (45699 Galatea in disguise) taking on water in Sowerby Bridge while working "The Cotton Mill Express" from Lancaster to Blackburn on Sat 29 Feb 2020.
• 
  45562 Alberta stood at Preston's platform 5 waiting for the signal to depart with the last leg of 29 Feb's Cotton Mill Express.

• Clay, John F. (1971). Jubilees of the LMS. Ian Allan.
• Essery, Bob; Toms, George (1994). Historical Locomotive Monographs No 2: LMS Jubilees. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-1-874103-17-2.
• Hawkins, Chris (ed.). The Book of the Jubilee 4-6-0s. Irwell Press. ISBN 1-903266-27-0.
• Longworth, Hugh. British Railway Steam Locomotives 1948-1968. ISBN 0-86093-593-0.
• Rowledge, J.W.P.; Reed, Brian (1984) [1977]. The Stanier 4-6-0s of the LMS. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-7385-4.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to LMS Jubilee Class.

• Jubilees
• RailUK
• Film of overhaul of no. 5605 on YouTube