Shed allocation

 6023 was built for the GWR in 1930, coming into use in June of that year and in accordance with the intended use of the Kings spent most of its working life based in the West Country in order to tackle expresses over the Devon banks.  In July it was allocated to Newton Abbott engine shed, where it was based until November 1936, when it was re-allocated to briefly to Plymouth Laira, from whence it returned in December. It then continued to work out of Newton Abbott shed until February 1949, after which it was sent again to Laira until August 1956, when it moved to London's Old Oak Common depot - covering expresses to Wolverhampton. Its final months in BR service from September 1960 to withdrawal in June 1962 were spent at Cardiff's Canton shed, serving London trains. 6023's final mileage was 1,554,201 miles.

Boilers

The maintenance of high pressure boilers was a constant job in the days of steam, and the speed of boiler overhauls sufficiently slow to justify a policy of maintaining a boiler surplus across the King fleet, replacing boilers with new or rebuilt units during general (or heavy-general under BR designation) overhauls. 6023 had thirteen different boilers during its working life, only two of which, 4686 (original)  and 8621 (1955) were brand new. The current boiler on 6023 is 8619, originally issued to 6012 King Edward VI in 1954, and refurbished in 1956, before being removed for a total strip down in 1958, after which it was inserted in 6003 King George IV until 1960, when it was removed during a heavy general overhaul, and after retubing, inserted in 6023 in June 1960.

Tenders

6023 has had 24 changes of tender during its life, and according to Swindon records, the current restored tender, 2640, was never mated to 6023 during its steaming life.

Draughting

During the second world war, good quality steam coal found its way to the Merchant Navy, where the need was greatest. Poor steaming afflicted many steam engines, and after the war the shortage remained acute. In the early 1950s, significant performance improvements (30% more steam) were made by fitting a longer but narrower chimney liner, and a smaller diameter blastpipe (it is to this arrangement that KE2 is being returned). Further experiments took place through the 1950s, and a double blastpipe arrangement was found to increase the top speed to over 100mph.

Withdrawal

The locomotive was withdrawn from service in 1962 but unlike the rest of the class, which were scrapped quickly, 6023 & 6024 were used as dead weights for a bridge test and so ended up at Woodham's scrap yard in Barry, Glamorgan. Unlike railway scrap yards across the UK, Woodham's slow pace of destruction led to the salvaging of significant numbers of engines when preserved railways created the right conditions for demand. 

Unhappily 6023 suffered a shunting accident whilst awaiting scrapping at Barry, which led to the rear driving wheel set being sliced through with a cutter's torch.

Continue the story at  .[ Restoration Project ]