Appeal to save historic steam loco that used to thunder through the countryside from London to Glasgow

Princess Elizabeth, named after the ex-Queen when she was still a schoolgirl, suffered a major boiler failure just hours before pulling the luxury Northern Belle train in July 2021. Now a £165,000 appeal has been launched to pay for a major overhaul 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 that 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. Originally numbered 6201, she was renumbered 46201 when the railways were nationalised in 1948, but was withdrawn from service in 1962 after British Rail began turning to diesel locomotives.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 to save her from being turned into pots and pans. 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 when she hauled the Northern Belle, once part of the iconic Orient Express group, over the spectacular 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 call at Wigan in August to take passengers on a slap-up trip to Edinburgh and the city’s Fringe Festival. For more details about Princess Elizabeth Society and to donate to the appeal, see www.6201.co.uk

For more details of the Northern Belle see www.northernbelle.co.uk