Alex Coomber
Here's a story about this Steam Locomotive. This Steam Loco is a Jubilee Class 4-6-0 No. 45552 Silver Jubilee. Oh how the mighty fall as we see a dirty 4-6-0 45552 Silver Jubilee as it heads a short parcels train northbound at Winwick Junction north of Warrington in 1963. This famous engine was built at Crewe Works in June 1934 as 5552. The following April. It swapped identities with 5642 which had been built in December 1935. 5642 was later named Boscawen. Silver Jubilee was the first of what came to be Known as the Jubilee Class. It was given special treatment. The Jubilees were painted in Crimson Lake Red. But 5552 was repainted in all over black with silver lining. It was given specially cast chrome numbers and named Silver Jubilee to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V. It remained like this until it's first allocation at nationalisation which was Longsight at which time it was renumbered 45552. Its last shed was Crewe North and it was withdrawn on 26th September 1964 and cut up at Cashmores of Great Bridge on 31st January 1965. Whatever the condition of the engine at withdrawal. The person who made the decision to scrap such an iconic engine did no one any favours. Since the demise of the engine other preserved engines have been disguised as it for instance 45593 Kolhapur was painted in the original livery to mark the Silver Jubilee of the preserved Great Central Railway in 2003. Jubilee 45690 Leander was temporarily renamed Silver Jubilee to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II though it remained in crimson red livery. Model Makers Bachmann Branchline have an 00 gauge model of Silver Jubilee. Silver Jubilee joins the list of important locomotives such as Sir William A Stanier FRS iconic in their own right. But still ordered to be scrapped.