Royal Claud - the Monarch's Train
Postcard From The Past: The LNER 8783 Royal Train #
LNER (ex GER) No. 8783, a 4-4-0 “Claud Hamilton” class D16/3 (rebuilt from D16/2) locomotive (July 1938). Postcard in the Vintage Buses Collection. - Click image to enlarge
History #
- 1923: Built at Stratford Works under the Great Eastern Railway (GER) design as Class H88 (“Super Claud” 4-4-0) and assigned LNER number 8783.
- 1930s: Selected along with No. 8787 as one of the dedicated “Royal Clauds” kept at Stratford Depot. Rebuilt around this period with a larger Gresley boiler and decorative copper capped chimney as Class D16/3, retaining immaculate LNER Apple Green livery for working Royal Trains to Wolferton.
- 1939: 1 June: Suffered a derailment when it collided with a lorry on an occupation crossing at Hilgay, Norfolk, while hauling a passenger train. It was subsequently repaired and returned to service.
- 1946: Renumbered to 2614 under the LNER 1946 renumbering scheme.
- 1948: 1 January: Passed into British Railways ownership following railway nationalisation.
- 1948 to 1950: Renumbered to 62614 under British Railways and eventually repainted from Apple Green into standard BR Lined Black.
- 1950s: Spent its final operating years allocated to King’s Lynn depot.
- 1958: 31 August: Formally withdrawn from service by British Railways.
- 1959: 31 January: Cut up for scrap at the Stratford Works.
LNER Class D16 NO.8783: Moore, F, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Click image to enlarge
