LMS Patriot Class

The LMS inherited at the 1923 Grouping a substantial fleet of LNWR Claughton Class four-cylinder 4-6-0 express engines designed by Charles Bowen Cooke in 1913. The Claughtons were powerful but had reliability problems with their unusual four-cylinder layout, and by the late 1920s the LMS was looking for a more reliable replacement.

Henry Fowler, the LMS's second CME (1925–1931), proposed in 1929 a three-cylinder 4-6-0 derived from the Royal Scot Class of 1927 but smaller and lighter, using parts recovered from withdrawn Claughtons including their bogies, motion, and (nominally) the frames. The first 42 engines were therefore nominally classed as Claughton "rebuilds", although in practice they were essentially new locomotives. The remaining 10 (5542–5551) were built as new from 1933 onwards under Stanier's CME tenure.

The class is often called the "Baby Scots" because the engines were nominally rebuilds of withdrawn LNWR Claughtons. The 1933–1934 batch built under Stanier's tenure incorporated detail improvements but retained the original parallel-boilered design.

From 1946 onwards Stanier rebuilt 18 of the original Patriots with taper boilers, the same Stanier 2A boiler used on the Black Five and Jubilee classes. The rebuilt Patriots ("Rebuilt Patriot" sub-class) had 250 psi boilers, double chimneys, and improved performance. The rebuilds gave the class another decade of useful life.

The Patriots worked the principal LMS West Coast and Midland Main Line secondary expresses through the 1930s and 1940s. Their reputation was for reliable rather than exceptional performance, they were widely admired by crews for their availability and free running, although the parallel-boilered original engines were less powerful than the Royal Scots.

The 1946 Stanier rebuilds transformed the class's capability. Rebuilt Patriots could match the Royal Scots on most West Coast main-line work, and the rebuilt sub-class continued in BR service into the early 1960s. The unrebuilt parallel-boilered examples were withdrawn first; the Stanier rebuilds lasted somewhat longer.

Withdrawal began in 1960 and was complete by November 1965. None of the 52 Patriots was preserved, the class was withdrawn during a period when BR steam preservation was focused on more famous engines, and several Patriots were sold to Woodham Brothers' scrapyard at Barry but none was rescued.

The Patriot Class is recognisable in its original parallel-boilered form by the relatively long boiler outline and round-topped chimney; the rebuilt examples (1946 onwards) carry the Stanier taper boiler outline and double chimney that visually align them with the Royal Scot rebuilds. The class is sometimes called the "Baby Scots" because the engines were nominally rebuilds of withdrawn LNWR Claughtons, although in practice they were essentially new locomotives. Most carried plain LMS lined black and BR Brunswick green liveries through their service lives. Names included strong patriotic and World War One memorial themes, Patriot, Royal Scots Fusilier, Royal Air Force, Royal Tank Corps, Lance-Corporal J. A. Christie V.C., The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, The Burma, Stockport, Glatton and others. The Unknown Warrior naming theme is reflected in the new-build 5551.

5500 Patriot, first of class, completed at Derby in 1930. The class's name engine. Worked the principal West Coast secondary expresses through the 1930s and 1940s. Withdrawn 1961.

5505 The Royal Air Force, one of the most famous Patriots, named after the RAF and worked the principal Midland Main Line expresses. Withdrawn 1962.

5538 Giggleswick, distinctive Yorkshire town name; worked the West Coast main line through the 1940s and 1950s.

5551 The Unknown Warrior, a new-build engine under construction by the LMS Patriot Project. The engine takes the next-in-series number (the original sequence having ended at 5551, although the original 5551 was withdrawn and scrapped). Construction has been ongoing for many years; the engine is partly assembled but is at the time of writing not yet complete or operational. The choice of The Unknown Warrior name reflects the class's patriotic and World War One memorial naming theme.

LMS era (1930–1947): the class was distributed across the LMS West Coast Main Line and Midland Main Line. Major Patriot allocations were at Crewe North (the largest contingent), Camden (London), Bushbury (Wolverhampton), Bristol, Manchester Longsight, and the Scottish Polmadie shed (Glasgow). They worked the secondary expresses on the West Coast, services not heavy enough for the Royal Scots but more demanding than ordinary stopping trains.

British Railways London Midland Region (1948–1965): the class continued at the same depots through the 1950s. The introduction of the Princess Coronation Pacifics, Britannia Class and (later) the West Coast Main Line electrification progressively displaced the Patriots. Withdrawal began in 1960 and was complete by 1965.

LMS (1930–1947): initial parallel-boilered engines wore LMS lined black; from 1934 some examples wore LMS crimson lake (the famous Midland-derived livery). Stanier rebuilds (from 1946) wore LMS lined black.

British Railways early (1948–1956): initially LMS livery retained on some examples; from 1949 BR lined Brunswick green for parallel-boilered engines and Brunswick green for rebuilt examples; from 1956 the late BR crest.

British Railways late (1956–1965): BR lined Brunswick green with the late BR crest. Most Patriots spent the bulk of their BR years in this livery.