No. 60133 was one of the early class members. Three had already been built by then and in October 1948 it was one of three Darlington and two Doncaster-built A1s to be completed. A1 No. 60133 was Darlington Works No. 2052, carrying boiler No. 3917. Livery was apple green with white and black lining, old gold numbers and letters and BRITISH RAILWAYS on the tender. Entry into service was on 30th October at Grantham shed (GRA) joining classmate No. 60117. Its first recorded journeys away were at Darlington on 1st November then it was seen in Darlington station on the 14th. In December it was noted at Potters Bar and Grantham. The first train workings recorded were the 19:00hrs down from King’s Cross on 15th April 1949 and the 10:00hrs Newcastle-King’s Cross on 28th May. The Up ‘Tees-Tyne Pullman’ on 9th August was No. 60133’s first recorded named train. The Down ‘Northumbrian’ was also hauled into Newcastle on 19th October then on 28th December it departed King’s Cross with the same express.
During general repairs at Doncaster Works in April 1950 it was repainted into BR blue with black and white lining with the early BR emblem on the tender. This was the 21st blue A1. It was also named Pommern at this time so becoming one of the many LNER-design Pacifics named after racehorses. This was the second A1 to be named and the first after the decision was taken to name the rest of the class from 1950. Pommern was owned by Mr. Solomom Barnato Joel who had made a fortune in the South African diamond and gold mines. The horse had a racing career from 1914 to 1916, winning a number of prestige races such as the Derby, St. Leger and 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in 1915.
Pommern at Holbeck High Level with ‘The Yorkshire Pullman’ in 1951 – G.M.Coomer
No. 60133 is seen at Ellers Crossing on 1st August 1953 – Peter Townend
The locomotive had its first general overhaul at Doncaster during June 1952, leaving with boiler No. 29824. A transfer to Ardsley shed on 6th September 1954 made little difference to No. 60133’s workings. It still hauled Leeds-King’s Cross and vice versa passenger trains plus named trains like ‘The Queen of Scots’ (the named train it was recorded on the most), ‘The Yorkshire Pullman’ and ‘The White Rose’. During August 1955 it went through ‘The Plant’ for another boiler change, this time for boiler No. 29863. Between 14th and 17th February 1956 Pommern was loaned to Grantham shed for ATC trials between Peterborough and King’s Cross on passenger trains and goods trains of classes C, D and F. On the 16th it took the 09:40hrs King’s Cross-New Clee train of 580 tons where it passed a signal at 60 mph. The following day it pulled the 10:50hrs Ferme Park-New England class F train of 564 tons. It stopped in 4,040 yards from 49 mph at an outer distant signal. The 13:18hrs King’s Cross-Leeds also featured in its normal workings. On 9th August 1956 Pommern was on the ten coach 07:50hrs King’s Cross-Doncaster passenger. An example of its diagrams was seen when on 15th, 16th and 17th November 1956 it arrived at King’s Cross at 11:43hrs on a train from Leeds then returned with the 15:40hrs. In June 1957 the locomotive had another ‘General’ at Doncaster, being fitted with boiler No. 29812, at the same time No. 60133’s tender received the later BR crest. Variations from its usual workings came with bringing the up ‘Northumbrian’ into King’s Cross at 15:24hrs on 10th May 1957, setting off from King’s Cross with a Cambridge train on 12th February 1958 and departing the capital with the Down ‘Tees-Tyne Pullman’ on 4th December. A different type of working came two days later when it left with the 20:20hrs King’s Cross-Edinburgh mail train. While the three named trains mentioned above were still being hauled through the decade by 1959 the ‘West Riding’ also featured on the roster a number of times. Following its final overhaul at Doncaster (boiler No. 29838 fitted) during June 1959, Pommern was working diversions, 15th November 1959 via Cambridge then via Lincoln on the 13:45hrs Harrogate-King’s Cross of 16th April 1961. An extra working was the 06:05am Leeds-King’s Cross Rugby special on 14th May 1960.
A superb study shows Pommern tackling the gradient out of Gas works tunnel, passing N2 tanks Nos. 69583 and 69494 on 1st August 1958 – Peter Townend
The early 1960s continued with the same mix of named trains and workings between the capital and Leeds. Another diversion via Lincoln took place on 25th February 1962. Pommern strayed from its normal runs when it reached Tyneside, being serviced on Gateshead shed on 9th March. More different runs ensued including a rare (for No. 60133) goods train, noted on 9th May when it passed Hatfield with the 4N08 King’s Cross Goods-Newcastle with 45 vans. 25th June’s run on the 17:08hrs Hull-King’s Cross had a horsebox on its nine coach train. On 13th July it passed Lincoln again but this time on a Great Yarmouth-Leeds train. On 13th November it arrived in Newcastle with the 1N05 from Birmingham. 28th November’s departure from King’s Cross at 18:32hrs was with a down parcels train.
No. 60133 at Potters Bar on 15th June 1960 – K.L. Cook/Rail Archive Stephenson
Pommern runs into New Barnet on 2nd August 1961 – Richard Greenwood
Into 1963 and 1964 No. 60133’s workings continued to be more varied. A number of King’s Cross -York parcels trains were run. There were still Leeds-King’s Cross trains but Pommern’s last recorded named one was the Down ‘White Rose’ on 25th May 1963. The next day it hauled a return King’s Cross-Sunderland football special, being serviced on Gateshead shed. On the 31st it was noted at Darlington then on 1st June it took the ECS from Heaton to Darlington for the 1M66 09:20hrs extra Darlington-Manchester train. On 13th and 23rd July it again took a Great Yarmouth-Leeds train from Lincoln.
The locomotive spent all of May 1964 at Darlington Works undergoing casual repairs, Darlington having superseded Doncaster for A1 overhauls, and a number of times from June No. 60133 was seen at Ardsley shed. From 25th October to the 30th sightings list it as stored there. On the 31st it was noted as “on Ardsley Shed”. By 7th November No. 60133 was back in service taking the 11:00hrs ex-Liverpool forward from Leeds to Newcastle. That was its final recorded working though it was noted “on shed” into 1965. On 21st June it was withdrawn. Already withdrawn were 28 A1s and No. 60133 was one of another eight to go that month. It was last noted lying withdrawn on Ardesley shed on 18th July. It was sold in August to Cox & Dank of Wadsley Bridge for scrap. It had had five boilers, all to diagram 118. At 16 years eight months this was one of the longest-serving A1s.
N.B. There is a discrepancy between “Yeadon’s Register” and the RCTS book about allocation to Ardsley. The former says September 1954, the latter September 1964. Advice has been taken to follow Yeadon on this matter. This would fit in with it being seen on Ardsley shed in June 1964 rather than if it was transferred there in September 1964.
This history was compiled by Phil Champion based on a database compiled by Tommy Knox, “The Pioneer” (A1 Steam Locomotive Trust) and with reference to the RCTS book “Locomotives of the LNER Part 2A” as background. Revised and updated by Graham Langer, June 2020.