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Duchess of Hamilton takes centre stage at exhibition

Aug 21 2011 by Kim Carmichael, Sunday Sun

IT WAS the British locomotive shipped to 1930s New York as an example of world-class engineering.

Now North rail fans can revisit that era of Art Deco glamour when the restored locomotive Duchess of Hamilton takes centre stage at a new exhibition.

And for the first time, steam and diesel shuttles will transport visitors between the National Railway Museum’s sites in York and Shildon, County Durham.

The shuttles, running from September 17 to 18 and 24 to 25, will be operated by a number of engines, including Royal Class 47 Prince William, which will haul diesel trains.

The locomotives hauling the steam shuttles are yet to be chosen.

But the real star attraction will be the iconic Princess Coronation Class No. 6229 Duchess of Hamilton, once shown at the 1939 World Fair, in New York.

The engine will go on display in York for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR) Steam Weekend on September 24 and 25 with its newly-converted LMS railway carriage in matching crimson and gold livery.