That light blue coronation class is a surprisingly nice looking loco. My eyes were immediately drawn to it when it was running. Have a merry Christmas everyone.
Coming from an American with little connection to British railways, I often think about which of the big 4 was the most famous. I often land on either the GWR and LNER, and the LMS as being the one people think about the least. Only for me to suddenly remember the Southern Railway existed and suddenly realize that’s the one people think about the least.
I mainly remember the Southern Railway mainly because the Southern Railway here in the US was influenced by the Southern Railway of the UK, apparently. Reportedly, one of the SOU's VPs took a trip over to the UK and saw the green paint the SR used on their locomotives and fell in love with it, so when he returned back here to the US, he had the same color adopted for the SOU's locomotives, and was retained as part of the SOU's paint schemes all the way up to the formation of NS in 1982. Also, my local Zaxby's has a (likely reprint of a) poster from the SR, lol.
While the LMS isn't my favorite of the big four, that being tied between the GWR and LNER, my favorite locomotive is one of their designs, if the pfp didn't already ring the 8F bell. Plenty were sent over to Israel, and one is in cosmetic condition there, with a song(in Hebrew)to its number, so I may be a little biased in saying I feel the 8F might have been better to run over the 0-6-0, lol. Splendid video and series as usual, Sam.
Fun fact: He can use BR locomotives to show off LMS locomotives he doesn't have, since most steam engines BR had were very close to or exactly like LMS designs.
I was born in Cornwall, so GWR engines are my favourite. There is some evidence to support this view. When George Churchward was asked why his engines were more expensive than other companies, he retorted Because one of mine will pull two of theirs backwards!. Stanier as mentioned in this video, was trained at Swindon, and many of his best ideas were taken from the GWR stable. Before he got to work on the LMS fleet, it was nothing to shout about. SR had too many line constraints to contend with, and a heavy need for short distance commuter traffic. LNER had a great long race track to put massive expresses on, but again they borrowed a GWR engine to analyse and develop a decent stable from. Just my personal opinion of course, it's purely subjective.
Being born and raised in Fife the lner pretty much runs in my veins. That being said I'm inclined to agree, especially during the locomotive exchanges of the 1920s where already aging western 4-6-0s still managed to outperform the brand new A1s
And many of his idea’s that took from Swindon simply didn’t work on the LMS as a different railway. Also if you look at the BR standard most of them resemble LMS more then the others, however of course that is the fact that Riddles was from the LMS so the CME selected for British Railways was LMS rather then the GWR. Each company developed its own engines for there own particular requirements, even with the BR standards then each region insisted on its own changes for its own requirements. A4’s May be great and the “fastest” but they would never have run that well with the trains of the GWR over the South Devon Banks or hauling the trains over Shap for the LMS. Kings similarly not suited for the LNER racetrack with lighter shorter trains but built for slogging over hills of South Devon. Duchess/Coronation similarly were sloggers rather then outright speed. Doesn’t make the A4 worse or better then Kings/Duchess but built for different purpose.
The ugly 2-6-0 was deliberate. There was an early drawing like a little class 5. The LMS was building tanks during the war and it seems to have inspired the LMS post war styling. The BR 76000 class was almost the same design apart from being tidied up.
The GWR has to be my favorite pre grouping railway. Remember they used 7 different gauges in different systems Now I give you a challenge Could you do a video on railway air services
Thomas characters from the LMS (as Sodor borders the Furness, there are quite a lot of these): Furness: Edward - K2, Albert - J1 L&YR: James - Class 29 Caledonian: 828, Donald & Douglas- Class 652 LNWR: Bloomer NLR: Cromford - Class 75 Pug - Kitson 0F Fowler: 44422 - 4F, 'Big City' engine - Patriot Stanier: Jinty - 3F, rebuilt Henry, Lancashire Fusilier, - Black 5, Bahamas - Jubilee, Duchess of Hamilton & Duchess of Loughborough (sort of a hodgepodge) Fairburn: 42073 - 4MT Ivatt: Arthur - 2MT tank (down to his maroon paint and lettering)
Happy Holidays everyone. My word what a collection Sam. We’ve just bought our first loco for the lay out, but you are truly something else. As we are mainly into electrics and diesels with a plan to have some steamers as well, I would vote for the black diesel one (10000) and the streamlined Coronation as a well good second place. Love the red colours.
I've always loved the LMS. I remember as a kid seeing so many grimy 8f, black fives, jubilees, patriots and Royal Scots pounding up the Colne Valley towards Marsden and the Standedge tunnels. 8f locos on the Meltham branch hauling wagons loaded with David Brown tractors. Happy days. So for me the LMS has been and always will be the Greatest of the Big Four!
I am more of an LNER aficionado myself, but I would say that, comparing engines running in preservation at least, the Black Fives are fond favourites among footplate crews. They are great pullers, very reliable and well set-up for operation.
An off topic question, haven’t run my trains for a while and I have the beginners Hornsby controller, while running sometimes the controller’s current light goes off and the trains stop (I assume it’s the track shorting out) how would I go about fixing this (sometimes the trains stop moving while electricity is flowing in the track), it’s using a regular wall socket so I’m just curious about this, thank you for any tips
For me, it has to be the Southern, although I was born in Maiden Newton on the GWR. Was involved in the Swanage Railway some time ago, and looking then at putting 35022 back to original condition, but funding was disappointing. I base my preference purely on nostalgia, and the fact I have mostly had model Southern locos for so many years. Your channel is great, Sam, no punches pulled on reviews, much prefer that to the wishy washy pseudo reviews to get us to buy the locos, which do not show inherent faults, which of course you do. As Bulleid was deputy to Sir Nigel Gresley, you can clearly see some influences from that direction, and the air smoothed homage with the MN/WC/BB are rather plain to see. Looking forward to more reviews in 2022, your channel is brilliant entertainment. Well done, Sam, keep it up and a very Happy New Year!
The LMS surged ahead when it head-hunted William Stanier from Swindon. Soon he built LMS versions of the 'Kings', 'Halls' and 28xx 2-8-0s. Until then it had been a bit of an 'also ran'.
Favourite LMS loco is hard. So many greats. Highlights have to be the 8F, Back 5, princess and coronation. But i do have a real fondness for the Webb Coal tank. It predated the LMS of course, from the LNWR stable, but its just such an elegant tank, looks and sounds great in real life too. Been behind it a number of times on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. So that's what I'm going with today. The Webb Coal Tank.
Merry Christmas Sam and have a Happy New Year, and I really love the LMS and LNER but to be honest the LMS has some great locos like the Coronation Scott class!
I think that they did, I adore the black fives and jubilees, their coaches in the early days were gorgeous. Red and lined with gold paint. Truly stunning! The 8fs are another very efficient loco, there were hundreds of them.
Yes, LMS was always my focus and got my attention at an early age. Innovative designs and good to look at too. So much of their coaching stock still exists today! The 4-6-4 Baltic Tank no. 11114 was an interesting loco. 😉
That Midland 1P of which you are so fond is an absolute beauty!! I only wish Bachmann produced more than 150 specimens for their collectors club in the S&DJR blue livery.
I couldn't for a moment claim to be unbiased on this question. The LMS is my family railway, and my loyalty and interests are specially focused there. My Grandad, my Dad's Dad, went to work for the Midland Railway towards the end of the 19th century. So, of course, upon amalgamation in 1923, he became an employee of the LMS. He had been a driver for the Midland since early in the 20th century, and he continued to drive for the LMS until his retirement towards the end of the 1930s. Other family members entered the service of the LMS, and some continued to BR service after nationalization in 1948. However our family experiences of British Railways were not happy, and the LMS is definitely the railway towards which I inherited the warmest feelings. I do model all of the Big Four in N gauge, but in OO gauge, having room for less track, I only model the LMS, and specifically only pre-WWII LMS, sticking to the period when my Grandad was driving. As such, I have all of the locos that you show here, except for the Turbomotive (which I do have in N gauge, but not OO); and also except for those classes that only emerged after WWII - so I don't run the Fairburn tank, or the Ivatt classes, or the 10000 diesel. I do have a couple of classes that you don't show here - un-rebuilt Royal Scots, a Sentinel shunter (Model Railways special edition by Dapol), a diesel shunter similar to the BR class 8 (but LMS had them first), an S&DJR 7F (perhaps you have one of those, but don't consider it an LMS loco - but they were absorbed into LMS stock in 1930), and a couple of kit-built locos, a Flatiron tank and a Johnson 1P tender loco. There's no doubt that you show here the main LMS locos available in OO gauge. The biggest omission is the pre-grouping LNWR locos that were significant in early LMS operations, which, for some reason, have never been modelled ready-to-run - the George V, Prince of Wales and Claughton classes (don't know why you refer to the Claughton as small - it was a 4-6-0 tender class with 4 cylinders and 6'9" driving wheels, weighing nearly 80 tons). I could, of course, go on endlessly about the classes that you show, as this is my special area. I will just make one comment though - the Jubilee class were primarily express passenger engines for lighter services, and they ran in the Crimson livery, except during the war; if you took a passenger express out of St. Pancras on the old Midland line in the late 1930s it would likely have been pulled by a Crimson Jubilee.
The Mainline model of the Royal Scot in LMS read is a beautiful model and despite its age still runs a treat. It is a model of the one that went to the US so has the bell on the front. If you see one I recommend you get it.
It's difficult to say which of the big 4 had the best locos. My favourite is the LNER. I would say LNER and GWR were better, until Stanier became CME bringing his knowledge of the GWR with him. The Princess Royal class were heavily based on the King Class. After Stanier's arrival the Black 5 and Coronation/Duchess were outstanding locos.
This focus on The Big Four says more about the History of Modelling than railways. Pre-Grouping covers about 100 years, British Rail about 50 years, but grouping only covers 1923 to 1939/1948.
Of the Big Four, the LMS is the favourite, but....that being said, the others had some beautiful locomotives and liveries, I do have a soft spot for GWR, LNER and Southern, especially the GWR! All the best from a Swede in Glasgow....
Hello Sam merry Christmas! I vote for LMS but I live in an LMS area and this hobby is so expensive that I have to keep collection really narrow and concentrate on just one era and company!
I think with the LMS the popularity of its engines is less than the sum of its parts. You can’t go wrong with the crimson express passenger locomotives 🚂
I’m surprised that Sam either didn’t have this or did but didn’t want to show it, the LMS 41241 tank engine because that was the basis for Arthur on Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends/Thomas & Friends.
For me, the finest and my favourites I saw in high speed action was the Stanier Design Pacific Coronation class. That despite my formative years being brought up in the land of Kings and Castles. Steam locomotives with FOUR Cylinders giving eight power pulses to each revolution of those huge Driving Wheels. Stanier does have a GWR background having spent his early career at Swindon and it shows. Back in my schoolboy days, Coronation class Locomotives were called by some "Super Kings" which actually is an accurate description . Teenager me standing next to 46235 City of Birmingham at Euston about to depart with the Mid-Day scot, asked the driver what the top speed of these beauties. His reply surprised me. " Hard to say, son. Nobody really knows. There is not a suitable stretch of track where they can be flat out". Having seen these at high speed he has a point. Standing on a footbridge as a Coronation, King or Castle class locomotive passes at speed beneath you, those eight power pulses at speed merge into one continuous glorious sound to my ears as good as any Formula 1 car. Just wish I could afford a camera and film back then. Photography was very expensive. Unlike today when you can capture both still and moving images with sound on a phone for next to nothing. Despite that, the most impressive Locomotive I ever saw, and was powered by on two train trips when I was a small boy, was also a LMS design. The wheel arrangement a simple 0-10-0 ... yes, no less a celebrity Locomotive as 58100 "Big Bertha" herself assisting my train up the infamous Lickey Incline. . As me old cockney Dad used to tell me, " Youngsters today don't know they're born". With the passing of years, I fully understand what he meant.. 😂😂
It was my dad that got me into this wonderful hobby over 45 year's ago. He was an L M S FANATIC with a get real taste for A4 PACIFIC'S. Crimson lake is the most stunning livery i ever seen. Although i love BRUNSWICK GREEN AND MALACHITE GREEN as well. The L M S is the best of the big four but the SOUTHERN AND L N E R great railways themselves, especially the SOUTHERN. 👍🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟😊
Great Showcase Video Sam! Just incase you aren't aware, the main difference between the Black 5 and Jubilee was that the Jubilee had the addition of a 3rd cylinder, so had more power and was therefore more common on passenger duties along the WCML and on the Somerset and Dorset railway
Merry Christmas Sam. Hard to say, since I've been all over the board when it comes to which BR region I like the most. Lately the northern companies have been really taking my interest. Just got a Bachmann Ivatt 2-MT tender engine in LMS lettering and it's incredibly smart and a great runner. The maroon liveries are very attractive but I don't have any locos wearing it yet, as far as designs go the more I learn about the northern railway companies I think they're becoming my favorite! The LMS sure did have some powerhouses.
ah well Sam, at least they got the preserved part right, people forget City of Birmingham is preserved, though she's in rebuilt condition and a static display in, you guessed it: Birmingham
Crewe man R.A.Riddles was of the opinion that the GW had the best engines. They had taken technical standardisation to a greater extent than other companies. If you look at a preserved GW loco in detail you can see that every part is beautifully made. Components that others left as rough castings were machined to a precise finish at Swindon. (One reason why they were more expensive)
Hi Sam, I was wondering if you could do a running session of British 50s/60s/70s diesels one day, such as the class 29, hymek, Westerns, Peak, deltic, brush etc? Keep up the good work 👌
Personally, I really like the designs of the LMS. The Royal Scots and The Princess Royals (my personal favourite locomotives) are truly gorgeous. The SR would get second. Followed by the LNER and GWR in fourth and fifth respectively. Also I know I'm late but Merry Christmas Sam!
Who could ignore the most powerful 4-4-0 of them all? The SR Schools V Class locos. And arguably one of the most powerful Pacifics, the Bulleid Merchant Navy Class, in their rebuilt condition great looking locos. Also their smaller brothers, the West Country / Battle of Britain locos, mainly in the original 'Spam Can" bodies, although some were rebuilt. I run a layout combining the SR and GWR, located in Devon, the GWR Kings are also in my list of favourites. But I guess, like me, most folk posting here are supporters of the railway in the region they live in. Fair enough!
I tend to only buy LMS locomotives (and Midland) apart from ROD and WD but I repaint those anyway. I have been collecting them for a while now and have a couple on order.
@Sam’sTrains LMS is my favorite of the Big Four (after seeing all of your videos) just because of their Crimson Lake (beautiful name) livery (any shade of red is my favorite color).
LMS was the "greatest" as it reached the Irish Sea, North Sea and Channel via Tillbury. It ran through most of the industrial UK, GWR and Southern are great to Model owing to their pretty rural branch lines. As for the LNER, it was mainly used to transport kippers and urine to London and Toffs to shoot grouse and deer in Scotland.
My favorite LMS locomotive is the Coronation Class streamlined! I like the design on this model, especially the streamline finish! It’s easily one of my favorite LMS locomotives of all time! Anyways, Merry Christmas Sam! 🎄🎁
Hi Sam, never one to promote contentious discussion! I'm brought up in the North West of UK, so seem to have a natural interest in ex. LMS rolling stock. That said, I like people 'pushing the envelope', and I think S.R. did it more than others - G.W.R. started this pre Grouping, then perhaps during Grouping the big competition was probably between L.N.E.R. and L.M.S. ... Have I just listed all 4 Grouping companies ... there, you have it! The 2nd World War put paid to continuing major developments of steam locomotives, and, possibly fortuitously, the nationalised B.R. saw fit for a major revamp into Diesel and Electric. In fairness, I don't think any particular one Grouping company stands out - loathe as I am to write this! Al.
Hi Sam, LMS was great with the coronation class , and whilst I love the maroon livery, my favourite is the Southern, where I grew up. Something about the green livery always conjours up the garden of England. But I also have a fondness of the electric. And the Difference of the classes are still waiting to be made. Thanks for reviewing the Bachman one, yes £90 is about right. I did own one of the 4 car ones, and it was a dream. I am modelling N gauge now and hopefully I will get a few but doubt it. Great channel and great reviews. I aspire to get my channel to be half as good as yours. Merry Christmas to you and your family, and a wonderful new year full of great reviews. Hope you are feeling better after the touch of Covid you had.
Very nice. I'm sure you didn't put the locos off the turntable for the other ones, so I'd say the LMS probably has the greater number of classes of the big 4 in 4mm scale. They certainly had the most locos in total. And I'm surprised you missed off the garratt and the s&djr 7Fs, both of which were essentially LMS designs. I've got a caledonian 264 (aka smokey joe), a LNWR coal tank, an old hornby jinty, a fowler 4P, a stanier 4P, a stanier 8F (although in its LNER O6 guise, so technically not a LMS one), a johnson/deeley 3F, a fowler 4F, a super D, an ivatt 4, an ivatt 2, an ivatt 2 tank, 2 black 5s, a jubilee, a crab, an unrebuilt and a rebuilt patriot, an unrebuilt and rebuilt royal scot, a streamlined Princess Coronation, a semi with the sloped smokebox, and an unstreamlined Princess Coronation (all 3 are the 00s toolings). I also have a garratt, but it's in scrap condition. I'd be surprised if Hornby, having just released their W1s as well as the new tooled Princess Royal and Princess Coronations, don't produce models of Turbomotive as built and with the larger reverse turbine and with deflectors, plus as Princess Anne as the rebuilt form. I'm also surprised there's been no Claughton, or a new tooled 2P yet. Plus the class 11s (and the SR's class 12s) are due soon from Heljan.
It’s a tough choice between the LMS and the GWR but I must say the GWR definitely has the most beautiful 4-6-0s, the polished gold funnels and domes, the screaming of the whistles and the striking green livery
Growing up between Sheffield & Doncaster, in the steam era, I have "one foot firmly in each camp" ...LMS & LNER, not really caring for GWR & SR locomotives. The LNER just wins it for me ....but it's very, very close.
I am afraid to say Coming from the South of Uk. Southern Rail is my favorite but that Comes with a Huge Lump of Bias..!! I Remember seeing one of the Last Steam trains, Sat on My Dads Shoulders, on a Local Bridge. Showered in a Cloud of Steam as it past under the Stone Bridge..! A fond Memory Set in Cement in my Old Brain..!! Cheers all. 😎
I got the Princess Royal 'Dutches Of Kent' LMS Engine yesterday for Christmas. What type of coaches would you guys recommend to be pulled by my new engine? I personally, am leaning towards the Pullman Coaches. But would like some more coach idea's to decide from. -Will
YES THEY DID!!! I'm on the lego side of the train hobby and have built a few streamlined coronations. I've made a few other LMS tender locos and plan to make a few more in time. That streamlined coronation is my all time favourite loco and as is with many of the better known LMS steamers, they look the best out of all of the BIG 4.
The LNER us my favourite of the big 4. I'll admit though that I'm a bit biased as my great grandad drove the A3 down my local line during LNER and BR days
LNER is definitely my favourite, can't beat the a1's to the a4's and p2's and many many more locos. Duchess of Hamilton is my favourite LMS loco, the streamlining is just beautiful 😍 👌 even the lner teaks I love.
Whilst the LMS had absolutely beautiful locomotives, I’m a Southern fanatic. And did you know that the old television series Dad’s Army was filmed in East Sussex?
Great video I really like these videos on the big four. I do hope you do more . Sam my grandson and I really loved your videos this year and looking forward to next year. Hope you have a great News year day .
I'm an LNER guy right here! Though LMS is my second favorite of the big 4, the third being GWR and last is SR. Kinda think Maunsell's locos are a bit boring but it's just my opinion.
I have to say my vote goes to LNER, as for a start I believe GWR didn't operate in Scotland. Also LNER had what is probably the two most famous steam engines in the world, Mallard the fastest steam locomotive and The Flying Scotsman who as we know was the first train to break the 100 mph barrier. Also they operated some of the greatest Clyde steamers including the Waverley paddle steamer. And hope you had a merry Christmas, thanks for all your vids through the year.
I like all the big 4 but my two favorites are LNER and LMS. But i have to choose one it has to bee LMS. But on second place is the LNER and the GWR. Happy new model year to you and your loved ones Sam. 👍👍👍👍✨✨✨🎊🎊🎊🎊
“I’ve been looking forward to this” - count dooku
haha! ;D
Personally I love the LMS liveries. That shade of maroon is just perfect
Yeah me too - it's a lovely livery! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
LMS maroon has been appealing ever since learning of it in a library book here in the US in the 1970s.
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@@SamsTrains 00:04:45 - His name is Martin.
Yeah me too
That light blue coronation class is a surprisingly nice looking loco. My eyes were immediately drawn to it when it was running. Have a merry Christmas everyone.
Coming from an American with little connection to British railways, I often think about which of the big 4 was the most famous. I often land on either the GWR and LNER, and the LMS as being the one people think about the least. Only for me to suddenly remember the Southern Railway existed and suddenly realize that’s the one people think about the least.
I mainly remember the Southern Railway mainly because the Southern Railway here in the US was influenced by the Southern Railway of the UK, apparently. Reportedly, one of the SOU's VPs took a trip over to the UK and saw the green paint the SR used on their locomotives and fell in love with it, so when he returned back here to the US, he had the same color adopted for the SOU's locomotives, and was retained as part of the SOU's paint schemes all the way up to the formation of NS in 1982.
Also, my local Zaxby's has a (likely reprint of a) poster from the SR, lol.
I’m an Australian and all I know of railways in the UK comes from books and TH-cam videos, some of which were from this channel. Now I’m smart.
Interesting since the LMS was by far the largest of the 3
While the LMS isn't my favorite of the big four, that being tied between the GWR and LNER, my favorite locomotive is one of their designs, if the pfp didn't already ring the 8F bell. Plenty were sent over to Israel, and one is in cosmetic condition there, with a song(in Hebrew)to its number, so I may be a little biased in saying I feel the 8F might have been better to run over the 0-6-0, lol. Splendid video and series as usual, Sam.
haha yeah - I realise now what a horrible decision this is to make... very tricky!!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Fun fact: He can use BR locomotives to show off LMS locomotives he doesn't have, since most steam engines BR had were very close to or exactly like LMS designs.
I was born in Cornwall, so GWR engines are my favourite. There is some evidence to support this view. When George Churchward was asked why his engines were more expensive than other companies, he retorted Because one of mine will pull two of theirs backwards!. Stanier as mentioned in this video, was trained at Swindon, and many of his best ideas were taken from the GWR stable. Before he got to work on the LMS fleet, it was nothing to shout about. SR had too many line constraints to contend with, and a heavy need for short distance commuter traffic. LNER had a great long race track to put massive expresses on, but again they borrowed a GWR engine to analyse and develop a decent stable from. Just my personal opinion of course, it's purely subjective.
Being born and raised in Fife the lner pretty much runs in my veins. That being said I'm inclined to agree, especially during the locomotive exchanges of the 1920s where already aging western 4-6-0s still managed to outperform the brand new A1s
And many of his idea’s that took from Swindon simply didn’t work on the LMS as a different railway.
Also if you look at the BR standard most of them resemble LMS more then the others, however of course that is the fact that Riddles was from the LMS so the CME selected for British Railways was LMS rather then the GWR.
Each company developed its own engines for there own particular requirements, even with the BR standards then each region insisted on its own changes for its own requirements.
A4’s May be great and the “fastest” but they would never have run that well with the trains of the GWR over the South Devon Banks or hauling the trains over Shap for the LMS.
Kings similarly not suited for the LNER racetrack with lighter shorter trains but built for slogging over hills of South Devon. Duchess/Coronation similarly were sloggers rather then outright speed.
Doesn’t make the A4 worse or better then Kings/Duchess but built for different purpose.
@@michaelmcnally2331 I'd say the BR standards 6, 7, 8 & 9 reek the basic shape of Southern rebuilt WC & MN classes, especially the tenders.
The ugly 2-6-0 was deliberate. There was an early drawing like a little class 5. The LMS was building tanks during the war and it seems to have inspired the LMS post war styling. The BR 76000 class was almost the same design apart from being tidied up.
The GWR has to be my favorite pre grouping railway.
Remember they used 7 different gauges in different systems
Now I give you a challenge
Could you do a video on railway air services
Thomas characters from the LMS (as Sodor borders the Furness, there are quite a lot of these):
Furness: Edward - K2, Albert - J1
L&YR: James - Class 29
Caledonian: 828, Donald & Douglas- Class 652
LNWR: Bloomer
NLR: Cromford - Class 75
Pug - Kitson 0F
Fowler: 44422 - 4F, 'Big City' engine - Patriot
Stanier: Jinty - 3F, rebuilt Henry, Lancashire Fusilier, - Black 5, Bahamas - Jubilee, Duchess of Hamilton & Duchess of Loughborough (sort of a hodgepodge)
Fairburn: 42073 - 4MT
Ivatt: Arthur - 2MT tank (down to his maroon paint and lettering)
The Coal Tank was from the London & North Western
Lms engines are stunning liverys , builds , and just beautiful
Thanks for this great video, Sam, and also for all the brilliant viewing you've created for us in 2021
Happy Holidays everyone. My word what a collection Sam. We’ve just bought our first loco for the lay out, but you are truly something else. As we are mainly into electrics and diesels with a plan to have some steamers as well, I would vote for the black diesel one (10000) and the streamlined Coronation as a well good second place. Love the red colours.
My favourite L.M.S loco is the Bayer Garrett. As a boy they could still be seen around Barnsley.
You potentially could have squeezed a class 08 in there as well, as they were based on a pre-nationalisation lms shunter design.
Yes the Ivatt class 4 2-6-0 was primarily a freight engine to replace the Fowler 4F although it was intended as a mixed traffic loco.
I've always loved the LMS. I remember as a kid seeing so many grimy 8f, black fives, jubilees, patriots and Royal Scots pounding up the Colne Valley towards Marsden and the Standedge tunnels. 8f locos on the Meltham branch hauling wagons loaded with David Brown tractors. Happy days. So for me the LMS has been and always will be the Greatest of the Big Four!
I am more of an LNER aficionado myself, but I would say that, comparing engines running in preservation at least, the Black Fives are fond favourites among footplate crews. They are great pullers, very reliable and well set-up for operation.
An off topic question, haven’t run my trains for a while and I have the beginners Hornsby controller, while running sometimes the controller’s current light goes off and the trains stop (I assume it’s the track shorting out) how would I go about fixing this (sometimes the trains stop moving while electricity is flowing in the track), it’s using a regular wall socket so I’m just curious about this, thank you for any tips
For me, it has to be the Southern, although I was born in Maiden Newton on the GWR. Was involved in the Swanage Railway some time ago, and looking then at putting 35022 back to original condition, but funding was disappointing. I base my preference purely on nostalgia, and the fact I have mostly had model Southern locos for so many years. Your channel is great, Sam, no punches pulled on reviews, much prefer that to the wishy washy pseudo reviews to get us to buy the locos, which do not show inherent faults, which of course you do. As Bulleid was deputy to Sir Nigel Gresley, you can clearly see some influences from that direction, and the air smoothed homage with the MN/WC/BB are rather plain to see. Looking forward to more reviews in 2022, your channel is brilliant entertainment. Well done, Sam, keep it up and a very Happy New Year!
6:00 yes its ivatt class 4 and mix traffic , particularly during the 60s ;)
The unstreamlined Coronation class at 10:00 looks great with it’s weathering.
Yes beautiful loco. I have one in BR blue and its just stunning.
I've always had a soft spot for the LMS ever since my 1st model train was the old Midland Belle set
I don't blame you - my first model had a big impact on me too!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The LMS surged ahead when it head-hunted William Stanier from Swindon. Soon he built LMS versions of the 'Kings', 'Halls' and 28xx 2-8-0s. Until then it had been a bit of an 'also ran'.
Favourite LMS loco is hard. So many greats. Highlights have to be the 8F, Back 5, princess and coronation. But i do have a real fondness for the Webb Coal tank. It predated the LMS of course, from the LNWR stable, but its just such an elegant tank, looks and sounds great in real life too. Been behind it a number of times on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. So that's what I'm going with today. The Webb Coal Tank.
Merry Christmas Sam and have a Happy New Year, and I really love the LMS and LNER but to be honest the LMS has some great locos like the Coronation Scott class!
Merry Christmas! Yeah... they definitely all have their plusses! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I believe you mixed up the 4F with the 4P. F stood for freight, I think, and P for passenger.
5:07 yea the "4P" is a famous freight loco even though "it has P in the name" and P on loco classes means it's a passenger loco and F means freight
I think that they did, I adore the black fives and jubilees, their coaches in the early days were gorgeous. Red and lined with gold paint. Truly stunning! The 8fs are another very efficient loco, there were hundreds of them.
Good chioce - yes they had some amazing locos didn't they? :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Really enjoyed that video Sam, as I love anything & everything LMS lol
Yes, LMS was always my focus and got my attention at an early age. Innovative designs and good to look at too. So much of their coaching stock still exists today! The 4-6-4 Baltic Tank no. 11114 was an interesting loco. 😉
That Midland 1P of which you are so fond is an absolute beauty!! I only wish Bachmann produced more than 150 specimens for their collectors club in the S&DJR blue livery.
Yeah it really is - and me too - would be great to see them do more!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I couldn't for a moment claim to be unbiased on this question. The LMS is my family railway, and my loyalty and interests are specially focused there. My Grandad, my Dad's Dad, went to work for the Midland Railway towards the end of the 19th century. So, of course, upon amalgamation in 1923, he became an employee of the LMS. He had been a driver for the Midland since early in the 20th century, and he continued to drive for the LMS until his retirement towards the end of the 1930s. Other family members entered the service of the LMS, and some continued to BR service after nationalization in 1948. However our family experiences of British Railways were not happy, and the LMS is definitely the railway towards which I inherited the warmest feelings. I do model all of the Big Four in N gauge, but in OO gauge, having room for less track, I only model the LMS, and specifically only pre-WWII LMS, sticking to the period when my Grandad was driving. As such, I have all of the locos that you show here, except for the Turbomotive (which I do have in N gauge, but not OO); and also except for those classes that only emerged after WWII - so I don't run the Fairburn tank, or the Ivatt classes, or the 10000 diesel. I do have a couple of classes that you don't show here - un-rebuilt Royal Scots, a Sentinel shunter (Model Railways special edition by Dapol), a diesel shunter similar to the BR class 8 (but LMS had them first), an S&DJR 7F (perhaps you have one of those, but don't consider it an LMS loco - but they were absorbed into LMS stock in 1930), and a couple of kit-built locos, a Flatiron tank and a Johnson 1P tender loco. There's no doubt that you show here the main LMS locos available in OO gauge. The biggest omission is the pre-grouping LNWR locos that were significant in early LMS operations, which, for some reason, have never been modelled ready-to-run - the George V, Prince of Wales and Claughton classes (don't know why you refer to the Claughton as small - it was a 4-6-0 tender class with 4 cylinders and 6'9" driving wheels, weighing nearly 80 tons). I could, of course, go on endlessly about the classes that you show, as this is my special area. I will just make one comment though - the Jubilee class were primarily express passenger engines for lighter services, and they ran in the Crimson livery, except during the war; if you took a passenger express out of St. Pancras on the old Midland line in the late 1930s it would likely have been pulled by a Crimson Jubilee.
My favourite LMS class is coronation class duchess of Hamilton, duchess of Hamilton (non-streamline), duchess of Sutherland and LMS stainier class 5,
The Mainline model of the Royal Scot in LMS read is a beautiful model and despite its age still runs a treat. It is a model of the one that went to the US so has the bell on the front. If you see one I recommend you get it.
The Coronation Class locomotive looks amazing! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Sam!
Lms duchess of Sutherland my favourite remember having a Hornby set long time ago when I was a nipper , from parents
It's difficult to say which of the big 4 had the best locos. My favourite is the LNER. I would say LNER and GWR were better, until Stanier became CME bringing his knowledge of the GWR with him. The Princess Royal class were heavily based on the King Class. After Stanier's arrival the Black 5 and Coronation/Duchess were outstanding locos.
Very much so! Good choice though - can't go far wrong with the LNER!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Merry Christmas everyone
Whatever happened to the Hornby Standard 2MT that was meant to release this year? Did it launch? Shared overall similarities with the Ivatt 2MT
This focus on The Big Four says more about the History of Modelling than railways. Pre-Grouping covers about 100 years, British Rail about 50 years, but grouping only covers 1923 to 1939/1948.
Of the Big Four, the LMS is the favourite, but....that being said, the others had some beautiful locomotives and liveries, I do have a soft spot for GWR, LNER and Southern, especially the GWR!
All the best from a Swede in Glasgow....
Hello Sam merry Christmas! I vote for LMS but I live in an LMS area and this hobby is so expensive that I have to keep collection really narrow and concentrate on just one era and company!
I think with the LMS the popularity of its engines is less than the sum of its parts. You can’t go wrong with the crimson express passenger locomotives 🚂
I have the same perspective on the crimson livery. If anyone tries to dis my LMS crimson, it’s like a direct insult.
I’m surprised that Sam either didn’t have this or did but didn’t want to show it, the LMS 41241 tank engine because that was the basis for Arthur on Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends/Thomas & Friends.
I have to be honest… I can’t really pick which of the big 4 is my favourite… they all have awesome engines!
haha yeah it's difficult! They certainly do!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
For me, the finest and my favourites I saw in high speed action was the Stanier Design Pacific Coronation class. That despite my formative years being brought up in the land of Kings and Castles. Steam locomotives with FOUR Cylinders giving eight power pulses to each revolution of those huge Driving Wheels. Stanier does have a GWR background having spent his early career at Swindon and it shows. Back in my schoolboy days, Coronation class Locomotives were called by some "Super Kings" which actually is an accurate description .
Teenager me standing next to 46235 City of Birmingham at Euston about to depart with the Mid-Day scot, asked the driver what the top speed of these beauties. His reply surprised me.
" Hard to say, son. Nobody really knows. There is not a suitable stretch of track where they can be flat out".
Having seen these at high speed he has a point. Standing on a footbridge as a Coronation, King or Castle class locomotive passes at speed beneath you, those eight power pulses at speed merge into one continuous glorious sound to my ears as good as any Formula 1 car. Just wish I could afford a camera and film back then. Photography was very expensive. Unlike today when you can capture both still and moving images with sound on a phone for next to nothing.
Despite that, the most impressive Locomotive I ever saw, and was powered by on two train trips when I was a small boy, was also a LMS design. The wheel arrangement a simple 0-10-0 ... yes, no less a celebrity Locomotive as 58100 "Big Bertha" herself assisting my train up the infamous Lickey Incline. .
As me old cockney Dad used to tell me,
" Youngsters today don't know they're born". With the passing of years, I fully understand what he meant.. 😂😂
Ah yes - very impressive machines those! Thanks so much for sharing all of this - it's lovely to read! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
It was my dad that got me into this wonderful hobby over 45 year's ago. He was an L M S FANATIC with a get real taste for A4 PACIFIC'S. Crimson lake is the most stunning livery i ever seen. Although i love BRUNSWICK GREEN AND MALACHITE GREEN as well. The L M S is the best of the big four but the SOUTHERN AND L N E R great railways themselves, especially the SOUTHERN. 👍🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟😊
Great Showcase Video Sam! Just incase you aren't aware, the main difference between the Black 5 and Jubilee was that the Jubilee had the addition of a 3rd cylinder, so had more power and was therefore more common on passenger duties along the WCML and on the Somerset and Dorset railway
Merry Christmas Sam.
Hard to say, since I've been all over the board when it comes to which BR region I like the most. Lately the northern companies have been really taking my interest. Just got a Bachmann Ivatt 2-MT tender engine in LMS lettering and it's incredibly smart and a great runner. The maroon liveries are very attractive but I don't have any locos wearing it yet, as far as designs go the more I learn about the northern railway companies I think they're becoming my favorite! The LMS sure did have some powerhouses.
Merry Christmas Nick - the Northern railways have definitely been popular in the polls!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Sam, you are like a Swiss Army Knife! Awesome videos. Thank you for all the info!
Asm you can still do all British Railways engines (like the 9F, the brittania, the 4MT, etc)
Sure! That's one I need to do some time! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Merry Christmas Sam to you and your family. ⛄🎄 Thanks for all your hard work making all these videos.
Stay safe. ❄️
ah well Sam, at least they got the preserved part right, people forget City of Birmingham is preserved, though she's in rebuilt condition and a static display in, you guessed it: Birmingham
Crewe man R.A.Riddles
was of the opinion that the GW had the best engines. They had taken technical standardisation to a greater extent than other companies. If you look at a preserved GW loco in detail you can see that every part is beautifully made. Components that others left as rough castings were machined to a precise finish at Swindon. (One reason why they were more expensive)
Hi Sam, I was wondering if you could do a running session of British 50s/60s/70s diesels one day, such as the class 29, hymek, Westerns, Peak, deltic, brush etc? Keep up the good work 👌
Great idea Nicholas - that'd be nice to try! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Personally, I really like the designs of the LMS. The Royal Scots and The Princess Royals (my personal favourite locomotives) are truly gorgeous. The SR would get second. Followed by the LNER and GWR in fourth and fifth respectively. Also I know I'm late but Merry Christmas Sam!
Who could ignore the most powerful 4-4-0 of them all? The SR Schools V Class locos. And arguably one of the most powerful Pacifics, the Bulleid Merchant Navy Class, in their rebuilt condition great looking locos. Also their smaller brothers, the West Country / Battle of Britain locos, mainly in the original 'Spam Can" bodies, although some were rebuilt. I run a layout combining the SR and GWR, located in Devon, the GWR Kings are also in my list of favourites.
But I guess, like me, most folk posting here are supporters of the railway in the region they live in. Fair enough!
I tend to only buy LMS locomotives (and Midland) apart from ROD and WD but I repaint those anyway. I have been collecting them for a while now and have a couple on order.
My personal favorite is the Bachmann 1P. I own it and I'm really proud of it
@Sam’sTrains LMS is my favorite of the Big Four (after seeing all of your videos) just because of their Crimson Lake (beautiful name) livery (any shade of red is my favorite color).
LMS was the "greatest" as it reached the Irish Sea, North Sea and Channel via Tillbury. It ran through most of the industrial UK, GWR and Southern are great to Model owing to their pretty rural branch lines. As for the LNER, it was mainly used to transport kippers and urine to London and Toffs to shoot grouse and deer in Scotland.
My favorite LMS locomotive is the Coronation Class streamlined! I like the design on this model, especially the streamline finish! It’s easily one of my favorite LMS locomotives of all time! Anyways, Merry Christmas Sam! 🎄🎁
I was kinda suprised that Henry wasn't in this collection because he's an LMS Black 5
Ahh good point - I forgot about Henry!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Hi Sam, never one to promote contentious discussion!
I'm brought up in the North West of UK, so seem to have a natural interest in ex. LMS rolling stock.
That said, I like people 'pushing the envelope', and I think S.R. did it more than others - G.W.R. started this pre Grouping, then perhaps during Grouping the big competition was probably between L.N.E.R. and L.M.S. ...
Have I just listed all 4 Grouping companies ... there, you have it!
The 2nd World War put paid to continuing major developments of steam locomotives, and, possibly fortuitously, the nationalised B.R. saw fit for a major revamp into Diesel and Electric.
In fairness, I don't think any particular one Grouping company stands out - loathe as I am to write this!
Al.
Hi Sam, LMS was great with the coronation class , and whilst I love the maroon livery, my favourite is the Southern, where I grew up. Something about the green livery always conjours up the garden of England. But I also have a fondness of the electric. And the Difference of the classes are still waiting to be made. Thanks for reviewing the Bachman one, yes £90 is about right. I did own one of the 4 car ones, and it was a dream. I am modelling N gauge now and hopefully I will get a few but doubt it. Great channel and great reviews. I aspire to get my channel to be half as good as yours. Merry Christmas to you and your family, and a wonderful new year full of great reviews. Hope you are feeling better after the touch of Covid you had.
Very nice. I'm sure you didn't put the locos off the turntable for the other ones, so I'd say the LMS probably has the greater number of classes of the big 4 in 4mm scale. They certainly had the most locos in total. And I'm surprised you missed off the garratt and the s&djr 7Fs, both of which were essentially LMS designs.
I've got a caledonian 264 (aka smokey joe), a LNWR coal tank, an old hornby jinty, a fowler 4P, a stanier 4P, a stanier 8F (although in its LNER O6 guise, so technically not a LMS one), a johnson/deeley 3F, a fowler 4F, a super D, an ivatt 4, an ivatt 2, an ivatt 2 tank, 2 black 5s, a jubilee, a crab, an unrebuilt and a rebuilt patriot, an unrebuilt and rebuilt royal scot, a streamlined Princess Coronation, a semi with the sloped smokebox, and an unstreamlined Princess Coronation (all 3 are the 00s toolings). I also have a garratt, but it's in scrap condition.
I'd be surprised if Hornby, having just released their W1s as well as the new tooled Princess Royal and Princess Coronations, don't produce models of Turbomotive as built and with the larger reverse turbine and with deflectors, plus as Princess Anne as the rebuilt form. I'm also surprised there's been no Claughton, or a new tooled 2P yet. Plus the class 11s (and the SR's class 12s) are due soon from Heljan.
It’s a tough choice between the LMS and the GWR but I must say the GWR definitely has the most beautiful 4-6-0s, the polished gold funnels and domes, the screaming of the whistles and the striking green livery
Growing up between Sheffield & Doncaster, in the steam era, I have "one foot firmly in each camp" ...LMS & LNER, not really caring for GWR & SR locomotives.
The LNER just wins it for me ....but it's very, very close.
Do you mind doing tender freight engines? I want to figure out what to get.
GWR is somthing i like for the over all style but lms colors are amazing
I am afraid to say Coming from the South of Uk.
Southern Rail is my favorite but that Comes with a Huge Lump of Bias..!!
I Remember seeing one of the Last Steam trains, Sat on My Dads Shoulders, on a Local Bridge. Showered in a Cloud of Steam as it past under the Stone Bridge..!
A fond Memory Set in Cement in my Old Brain..!!
Cheers all. 😎
LMS every time. Merry Christmas
We need a 00 model of Big Bertha
LMS locomotives are beautiful
hey sam i got my first DCC sound steam engine it was an old train i sent off to get a decoder and got for christmas plus a hand master controller
Hey sam! Just asking, if you could, would you buy N Scale engines and make of them "narrow gauge" engines of sorts?
I do have a Hornby Duchess of Hamilton but it has a slightly darker shade of red more of a maroon colour
Sorry I’m late again, merry Christmas and an happy new year (enjoy your videos by the way)
Hi Sam, fantastic video and I hope you have a lovely jolly Christmas :)
He Sam I got my first loco, bachmann edward. Although it does have a wonky eye. But over all great loco. Merry Christmas.
Sincerely, me
The LMS is second to the GWR for me
Ah the GWR - can't blame you for that!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Nice video Sam, expecting the LNER video of this soon!
Thank you! I already did that one! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
I got the Princess Royal 'Dutches Of Kent' LMS Engine yesterday for Christmas. What type of coaches would you guys recommend to be pulled by my new engine?
I personally, am leaning towards the Pullman Coaches. But would like some more coach idea's to decide from.
-Will
Merry Christmas @Sam’s Trains and family
And you make this video before you got the LMS Garrett
YES THEY DID!!! I'm on the lego side of the train hobby and have built a few streamlined coronations. I've made a few other LMS tender locos and plan to make a few more in time. That streamlined coronation is my all time favourite loco and as is with many of the better known LMS steamers, they look the best out of all of the BIG 4.
haha I think they were pretty amazing - the Coronations in particular! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Well done Sam I very engaging and excellent video
The LNER us my favourite of the big 4. I'll admit though that I'm a bit biased as my great grandad drove the A3 down my local line during LNER and BR days
That's a fair choice - the LNER takes some beating!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
The 812 is out now I’d love to see a review on it
LNER is definitely my favourite, can't beat the a1's to the a4's and p2's and many many more locos. Duchess of Hamilton is my favourite LMS loco, the streamlining is just beautiful 😍 👌 even the lner teaks I love.
Ahh good choice - definitely seen lots of support for the LNER in the polls!
Merry Christmas - Sam :)
Whilst the LMS had absolutely beautiful locomotives, I’m a Southern fanatic. And did you know that the old television series Dad’s Army was filmed in East Sussex?
Great video I really like these videos on the big four. I do hope you do more . Sam my grandson and I really loved your videos this year and looking forward to next year. Hope you have a great News year day .
I'm an LNER guy right here! Though LMS is my second favorite of the big 4, the third being GWR and last is SR. Kinda think Maunsell's locos are a bit boring but it's just my opinion.
Keep it up Sam'sTrains
Nice LMS Steam Train Video
Can't Wait to See What Videos You'll Have For 2022
Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
I have to say my vote goes to LNER, as for a start I believe GWR didn't operate in Scotland. Also LNER had what is probably the two most famous steam engines in the world, Mallard the fastest steam locomotive and The Flying Scotsman who as we know was the first train to break the 100 mph barrier. Also they operated some of the greatest Clyde steamers including the Waverley paddle steamer. And hope you had a merry Christmas, thanks for all your vids through the year.
I like all the big 4 but my two favorites are LNER and LMS.
But i have to choose one it has to bee LMS.
But on second place is the LNER and the GWR.
Happy new model year to you and your loved ones Sam.
👍👍👍👍✨✨✨🎊🎊🎊🎊
Can you send me a link to the coronation class on Hornby?
Merry Christmas Sam and everyone
I LOVE the LMS maroon livery, one of the best to come out of the British Isles imo. Merry Christmas Sam!!! (or should I say Happy Christmas? 🤔)
Me too - such a lovely livery! Merry Christmas works for me! :D
Merry Christmas - Sam :)