 The WEC Watkinson Trust, which was formed in 1999, owns the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) 4-6-0 5025, four LMS coaches and a Highland Railway brake van. All the trust’s stock is based on the Strathspey Railway, Aviemore. The trust is now raising funds to return 5025 to working order, and once back in traffic, 5025 will run between Aviemore and Broomhill, and eventually on to Grantown-on-Spey.
The LMS 4-6-0 class 5 locomotives, known as Black 5s, were designed by Sir William Stanier and introduced in 1934. These general purpose 2-cylinder taper boilered locos were equally at home on express passenger and goods trains. Locomotives were built by Armstrong Whitworth (Newcastle), Vulcan Foundry (Newton-le-Willows) and the LMS works at Crewe. 472 locos were constructed before World War II. Production resumed in 1943, with more locomotives built at Crewe, Derby and Horwich, and building continued right into BR days until the 'Standard Class 5' was introduced in 1951. In total 842 'black 5's were built.
The LMS Black Five 4-6-0s were one of the most familiar classes of locomotives on Britain’s railways. The Scottish region had a sizeable allocation, our own 5025 having been based at Perth when it was first built in 1934. The class dominated on the former Highland Railway lines north of Perth and Inverness, and also on the routes out of Glasgow Buchanan Street to Oban, Dundee and Aberdeen. By the mid 1950s Black 5s were also working on former LNER routes, including the West Highland line from Glasgow Queen Street to Fort William.
The beginning of the end came in 1960 with the introduction of Sulzer Type 2s (Class 24 and Class 26) at Inverness in 1960. Steam lasted on the Scottish region until 1967.
5025, which is the oldest surviving Black Five, and is one of 18 in preservation, was purchased in 1968 when it was one of the last steam locomotives on British Railways. For the next 25 years it was one of the best-known preserved working steam engines, but since 1993 it has been awaiting an overhaul, which has now begun.
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