Royal Scot Steam Engine at Skegness Butlins
The famous train gets to Butlin’s
THE Royal Scot was laid to rest on Thursday. Restored to its pre-nationalisation livery of maroon and gold, its last journey was made at a funeral pace of 3 m.p.h. through the streets of Skegness to Butlin’s Holiday Camp just outside the town, where it will stand as a mammoth attraction for holidaymakers.
The end of the line at Skegness came after a distinguished life of 36 years. One of the most famous of British steam locomotives, in the thirties the Royal Scot was the pride of the L.M.S. fleet and as such made a tour of the North American Continent.
With nationalisation and the eventual introduction of more economic diesel traction to replace steam, the end was in sight for the Royal Scot. Some famous locos — the record-breaking “Mallard” and British Railways’ built ” Duke of Gloucester ” among them — were destined for railway museums, but for the Royal Scot the breaker’s yard was waiting.
Then holiday-camp king Billy Butlin arrived on the scene and decided that a railway engine would go down well as an attraction at one of his seaside holiday camps. He chose the Royal Scot as the engine and, even though is is on former L.N.E.R. territory, Skegness as the camp.
MARKED CONTRAST
Brom Boston sheds, where she underwent a minor refit involving mainly her coupling rods. the Royal Scot was hauled to Skegness last Wednesday. Her gleaming paintwork stood out in marked contrast to the soot-blackened Boston pilot engine that brought her.
All day Wednesday the Royal Scot was being prepared for transportation. Two huge Pick-ford’s trailers arrived in the coal yard on the east side of the station and after their rear wheels were removed, the railway track was extended on to them and engine and tender winched on to their respective vehicles.
The following morning at precisely 9.30 the trailers rumbled out into Richmond Drive taking the Royal Scot away from the railway it had served since 1927. The giant 4-6-0 engine was followed by its tender, now bearing L.M.S. lettering, and together the cortege moved slowly into Lumley Square.
The Royal Scot on its last journey was mourned by railway enthusiasts and followed by hundreds of spectators including a
hostof Press and amateur Photographers. For the holidaymakers lining the route to Butlin’s, this was one attraction not advertised in any holiday guide.
Through Lumley Square — where it broke traffic regulations by going the wrong way down a one-way street and along Roman Bank, the Royal Scot dwarfed all other traffic in its path and especially the Butlin’s motor-cycle escort. It even made some of the buildings look small.
PROCESSION
The trailer moved slowly enough for people to read the plaques on each side of the boiler commemorating the engine’s American visit. They “Prior to conversion this locomotive with the Royal Scot train was exhibited at the Century of Progress exposition at Chicago 1933, and made a tour of the Dominion of Canada and the United States of America.
“The engine and train covered 11,194 miles in the North American Continent and was inspected by 3,021,601 people.”
Near to Butlin’s the trip turned into more of a procession when the engine was met by smartly turned-out “Red Coats ” of the camp staff and by the 30-strong pipes and drums of the Royal Scots Guards, who were in Skegness specially for the occasion.
Probably the most unusual well-wisher the Royal Scot has ever had, or is likely to have. caught the engine just before it turned into the gates of the camp. The well-wisher was ” Baby,” the elephant of Skegness’s Big Top Circus, who was out for a morning stroll. “Baby” stopped the Royal Scot and checked its wheel arrangement with her trunk.
Precisely one hour after leaving the railway yard the Royal Scot entered the gates of Butlin’s camp. The engine was met by its former driver, Bill Starvis. Soon he was showing hundreds of children and adults over his very famous charge.
Photo below by Norman Beckett: The Royal Scot steam engine moving acrosss Lumley Square, with High Street shown in the background.
Date – around 1963.
what has happened to it now i belive it was sold on could you inform
Hi Robert, you may be interested in this post http://skegnessvideo.com/2009/03/royal-scot-at-skegness-traffic-lights/ which tells you where it went after leaving Butlins. But where the train is today we do not know.
46100 was bought by Billy Butlin of Butlin’s holiday camps after withdrawal and after cosmetic restoration at Crewe Works, was set on a plinth at Skegness. It was painted in LMS crimson lake livery, which although it was the original livery it received, it did not carry it after being rebuilt (only one rebuilt Royal Scot ever carried LMS crimson lake livery and that was 6170 Royal British Legion). 6100 arrived in Skegness at 18 July 1963 piped in by pipers from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Scots.
6100 left Skegness for the Bressingham Steam Museum on 16 March 1971 and was returned to steam in 1972. It ran until 1978 when it became a static exhibit again. It was sold by Butlin’s to Bressingham in May 1989. It was restored to working order again in April 2009, the final stage of restoration being completed by Pete Waterman’s LNWR Heritage workshops in Crewe