Duchess of Hamilton

This article is about the Duchess of Hamilton. You may be looking for the Duchess of Loughborough.

Duchess of Hamilton
Background Information
First appearance	Thomas and the Great Railway Show (1991)
Last appearance	Thomas and the Great Railway Show (1991)
Creator(s)	Christopher Awdry (RWS)
Character Overview
Name	Duchess of Hamilton
Gender	Female
Country	England
Technical Details
Basis	LMS Princess Coronation Class 6229 Duchess of Hamilton
Gauge	4'8½" (1,435 mm; standard gauge)
Power type	Steam
Vehicle	Locomotive
Type	Tender engine
Fuel type	Coal
Configuration	4-6-2
Wheels	18
Top speed	114 mph (183 kph)
Designer(s)	Sir William Stanier
Builder(s)	Crewe Works
Year built	30 September 1938
Year retired	February 1964
Number	LMS 6229 BR 46229 (formerly) BR 98829 (TOPS Number)
Railway	London, Midland and Scottish Railway (formerly) British Railways (formerly)
Owner(s)	National Railway Museum

Duchess of Hamilton is a preserved steam locomotive living at the National Railway Museum in York.

Biography

Duchess of Hamilton was one of the many engines Thomas met when he was invited to visit the National Railway Museum. The engines were later excited when special railtours to the seaside were announced. Duchess of Hamilton was visibly upset when Mallard argued to pull the train himself. Duchess of Hamilton felt that another engine should be chosen instead. In the end, it was decided to give the trips to Green Arrow and Thomas.

Technical Details

Real-Life History

Duchess of Hamilton is an LMS 8P Princess Coronation "Duchess" class 4-6-2, built in September 1938 by the LMS Crewe Works and operated until February 1964. Duchess was withdrawn from service in February 1964 and was later saved from the scrap yard as a result of Sir Billy Butlin's efforts to place locomotives as children's playground exhibits at his holiday camps. In 1976, the Friends of the National Railway Museum accepted the locomotive from Butlin's on a twenty-year loan deal, and immediately began to restore and preserve it.

It first ran as the Museum's flagship locomotive in 1980 and was operational until 1985. After purchasing the locomotive from Butlin's in 1987, after an extensive overhaul it resumed running in 1989, withdrawn from main line duty in 1996 when its seven-year boiler ticket expired. From 1998 to 2005, 46229 was a static exhibit in the National Railway Museum, standing next to Mallard. In September 2005 the National Railway Museum announced that the streamlining would be re-instated, returning the locomotive to its original appearance. This work was undertaken at Tyseley Locomotive Works and in May 2009 it was returned to the National Railway Museum in its streamlined form.

The real Duchess of Hamilton

Duchess of Hamilton streamlined

Livery

Duchess of Hamilton is painted in LMS Crimson Lake with gold lining and black wheels. Before being re-streamlined, Duchess was painted in LMS maroon with yellow lining and black wheels. Duchess also had the BR lion and crown logo painted on the tender.

Unlike Duchess' basis, Duchess of Hamilton is illustrated in The Railway Series with yellow and red boiler bands, whereas the real Duchess of Hamilton only has one yellow band behind the smokebox, the rest being the same colour as the boiler.

Appearances

• Railway Series

The Railway Series

• Thomas and the Great Railway Show - Thomas and the Railtour (not named; does not speak)

Companion Volumes

• 1995 - The Thomas the Tank Engine Man (mentioned)
• 2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection (not named; does not speak)

Trivia

• Duchess of Hamilton is the only known female steam engine to appear with a face in the Railway Series.
• In "The Railway Series", she appears in her non-streamlined form, while in real life, she is currently on static display in her streamlined casing form.

Gallery

The Railway Series

Main Series

Duchess of Hamilton with Thomas and Mallard

Real-Life Gallery

Duchess of Hamilton running alongside Caitlin's basis during a 1939 United States tour.

Duchess of Hamilton at Butlin's Minehead in 1974

References

United Kingdom

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National Railway Museum

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