Jubilee Galatea is given a makeover as Sierra Leone
LMS Jubilee No. 45699 Galatea has been turned out in the guise of scrapped classmate No. 45627 Sierra Leone.
The Stanier 4-6-0, part of the Carnforth-based West Coast Railways fleet, appeared with its new identity to haul the ‘Scarborough Spa Express' from York on July 8, with replica nameplates and smokebox numberplate.
The renumbering has been carried out to promote the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum, which former National Railway Museum director Steve Davies, chairman of
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, was instrumental in setting up in 2004.
After No. 45699 has run as No. 45627 for a period, one of the nameplates will be auctioned to raise funds for the museum, which will receive the other nameplate and the smokebox numberplate for display.
It is the second change of identity for Galatea, which since November 2019 has been running in the guise of No. 45562 Alberta, the last member of the class in BR service in 1967.
The original No. 45627 was also historically significant as the last
Jubilee in service on the class's native London Midland Region, when it was withdrawn from Liverpool's Bank Hall shed in the week ending September 17, 1966. After this, all the remaining examples were concentrated on the North Eastern Region at Leeds Holbeck, Farnley Junction, Low Moor and Wakefield sheds.
For its first run as Sierra Leone, Galatea wore a dual identity, with the number 45562 still on its cabside. However, it is planned to finish the makeover by repainting the cabside with the number 45627, complete with the yellow stripe applied to the original Sierra Leone and at least 75 other Jubilees in 1964 to signify that they were banned from working south of Crewe under the overhead wires.
It will be only the second steam locomotive to wear the yellow stripe on the main line in preservation, the first having been Stanier Pacific No. 46229 Duchess of Hamilton during its farewell main line run on November 30, 1996.
Three other engines have had the stripe applied on preserved lines: Fowler 4F 0-6-0s Nos. 43924 and 44422, and Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 48773.