£165k appeal launched to save famous old steam engine that used to thunder through Lancaster

Princess Elizabeth used to thunder through Lancaster hauling crack express trains like The Royal Scot between London and Glasgow.

Named after the ex-Queen when she was still a a seven-year-old schoolgirl, the locomotive suffered a major boiler failure just hours before pulling the luxury Northern Belle train over the picturesque Settle-Carlisle line in July, 2021.

Now a £165,000 appeal has been launched to pay for a major overhaul at West Coast Railway’s Carnforth depot in a bid to get the record-breaking engine back on track next year.

But Clive Mojonnier, chairman of the Princess Elizabeth Society, has warned the final bill could be nearer half a million pounds.

He said: “We have already removed her boiler to investigate but we won’t know the full situation until after the overhaul. Whatever the cost, it will be worth it because Lizzie is not just a locomotive, she is part of our nation’s heritage.”

Built originally for the old London, Midland and Scottish Region at Crewe and costing just £11,685, Princess Elizabeth still holds the record for the fastest non-stop steam train journey between London and Scotland.

In 1936 she reached 100mph and averaged 68.2mph to complete the 401mile trip in five hours 53 minutes, smashing Flying Scotsman’s six-hour record for the journey.

Driver Tom Clarke, from Crewe, was later honoured with the OBE.

Originally numbered 6201, she was renumbered 46201 when the railways were nationalised in 1948 but was withdrawn from service in 1962 after British Rail began turning to diesel locomotives.

Lizzie was destined for an ignominious end in a scrapyard before a group of enthusiasts bought her for £2,160.

The locomotive later played a major role in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 before pulling the Royal Train carrying the Queen and Prince Philip.

Later Lizzie became a firm favourite with passengers on the Northern Belle, once part of the iconic Orient Express group, which she regularly hauled over the Settle-Carlisle line.,

Actor Bill Nighy raved over the train when the journey featured on Channel 5’s The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys programme.

The Northern Belle will make two trips to Edinburgh from Lancaster this year, as well as a slap-up Christmas Lunch special in December.

For more details about Princess Elizabeth Society and to donate to the appeal, see www.6201.co.uk

Fares on the Northern Belle start at £295. For more details, see www.northernbelle.co.uk