LNER A4 No.60009 'Union of South Africa'
LNER No.60009 Union of South Africa is owned by John Cameron, and
has recently completed an overhaul at Bridgenorth on the Severn Valley Railway
in 2002. Also 60009 has performed very well on the main line since it's come
back from overhaul hauling tours around Crewe, Carlisle, Birmingham, London and
Southampton. Below is history of what 60009 would have done in its time of
service, I don't know any personal history of 60009, so here's the class A4
history.
The Silver Jubilee service to Newcastle was a success from the beginning for
the A4's.
This was because it supplied the public exactly what they wanted - a fast,
reliable service between two major cities. Success was so great, that the trains
were extended from 7 coaches to 8 coaches. Reliability was such, that it was
said that the people of York checked their watches against the characteristic
chime whistle of the Silver Jubilee A4 coming through York station.
The A4s were also mechanically reliable. On only 10 occasions out of a total
of 1952 Silver Jubilee services, did an A4 experience a mechanical problem.
Drivers and fireman were happy too. They found the A4s easily took the loads
required of them. They also found the footplate very smooth. This was
demonstrated on the original publicity run, when the driver and fireman
thought they had barely gone above 90mph. In reality they had touched 112mph!!
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, maintenance of the locomotives and the
permanent way improved, so facilitating speed increases of the A4s. Prewar
speeds were never reached, although in 1959, 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley set
a post-war steam speed record of 112mph.
By the late 1950s, steam was being
replaced by diesel power. Although the Deltics proved worthy successors of the
A4s on East Coast Mainline express services, other diesel classes were generally
very poor and often failed. Hence, the A4s were kept in service until the
mid-1960s. The first A4s were scrapped at the end of 1962. These were from Kings
Cross and had been directly replaced by the Deltics. The last BR A4 service was
on 14th September 1966 between Aberdeen and Glasgow.
Locomotive Details
Name: UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA
Number: 4488 (In British Railways days 60009)
Class of Locomotive: A4 Pacific Class
Valve gear: Walschaerts - derived motion
Tractive Effort: 35,455lb
Built: 1937 at Doncaster Works
Locomotive Weight: 102 tons 19cwt, Tender: 64 19tons cwt
Length: 71 feet (21.5 metres)
Coal Capacity in the tender: 8 tons
Water Capacity: 5000 gallons
Boiler pressure: 250lb/sq inch
