An 83 year old iron giant – 45231 The Sherwood Forester* 5MT steam train stopped off at Lockerbie station today February the 18th, 2019 to fill up with water. The train 72 ton train can do 60mph and local Photographer Matthew Howitt was lucky enough to capture some fantastic images of the train on his camera.
The Sherwood Forester was originally known only as No. 5231, the number given to her by the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company (LMS) when she was built in 1936. She spent the early years of her life based in Manchester, working both passenger and freight trains to North Wales.
In 1948, following the nationalisation of the ‘Big Four’ into the newly created British Railways, The Sherwood Forester was renumbered as No. 45231. Throughout the 1950’s and early 1960’s she was moved between a number of depots across the North West and Midlands, eventually settling in Chester.
When Chester depot closed in 1967 she was moved to Carnforth where she was to remain until the end of BR steam, becoming one of just a handful of locomotives to continue in service until the very end of steam in August 1968.
In 1993 the train starred in the Richard Attenborough film ‘Shadowlands’, filmed at the Great Central Railway.
Mathew told DGWGO “I was really excited to get the photos from a location just outside Lockerbie. With the help from Steve Roberts who had an involvment in working on the train and Keith Nicholson who helped pass me the information on it’s location. The train was passing through Lockerbie at roughly 12.45 during time when I took my photographs.It had stopped collected water and then continued on Southwards.”
The train is now operated by http://www.iconsofsteam.com/ and you can find out the trains full story by clicking on their website.
