Flying Duchess

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Flying Duchess
Flying Duchess locomotive at La Grange, KY.jpg
Flying Duchess at La Grange, KY in 2019
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Builder Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
Serial number7745
Build date1951–1952
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 •  Whyte 0-6-0 T
Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Driver dia.3 ft 8 in (1.12 m)
Loco weight50 t (49 long tons; 55 short tons)
Boiler pressure180 psi (1,200 kPa)
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 18 in × 24 in (460 mm × 610 mm)
Valve gear Stephenson
Couplers UK: Buffers and chain
US: Buckeye
Performance figures
Tractive effort 27,000 lbf (120 kN)
Career
Operators Meaford (1952–1970)
BCRR (1971–1976)
BVRR (1976–1978)
TVRM (1978–1981)
Numbers7745 (RSH and TVRM)
2 (Meaford)
Official nameFlying Duchess (BCRR)
Delivered1952
Retired1970 (Meaford)
1976 (BCRR)
1978 (BVRR)
1981 (TVRM)
DispositionOn static display in La Grange, Kentucky

38°24′31″N85°22′31″W / 38.408533°N 85.375352°W / 38.408533; -85.375352 Flying Duchess, also known as No. 7745 and MEA No. 2, is a 0-6-0 T steam locomotive, built from 1951 to 1952 by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns (RSH) in North East England. The locomotive originally worked at the Meaford Power Station, numbered MEA No. 2, until 1970. In 1971, the locomotive was moved to the United States, and received the name Flying Duchess. Throughout the 1970s, the locomotive ran on heritage railroads, such as the Boyne City Railroad (BCRR) in Boyne City, Michigan, and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is currently on display at the La Grange Railroad Museum in La Grange, Kentucky.

Contents

History

United Kingdom (1952–1970)

MEA No. 2 at Meaford B, March 1970 MEA No. 2 at Meaford Power Station in March 1970.jpg
MEA No. 2 at Meaford B, March 1970

The locomotive was built from 1951 to 1952 by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns (RSH) in North East England, originally numbered 7745. [1] [2] In 1952, the locomotive began service at Meaford B – located within the Meaford Power Station in Staffordshire, England – as MEA No. 2. [2] The locomotive would work with MEA No. 1 (originally numbered 7683), a similar 0-6-0 T locomotive built in 1951 by RSH. The two locomotives were used for heavy shunting services on the 9 miles (14 km) of sidings at the power station. The two locomotives would be in steam from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. for seven days a week. The two locomotives would alternate shunting duties every six weeks until 1966, when the firebox of MEA No. 1 was deemed unsafe. [3] In 1970, MEA. No 1 and MEA No. 2 were withdrawn from service at the power station, and were replaced by diesel locomotives. [2] [4]

United States

Heritage services (1971–1981)

Flying Duchess at the Boyne Falls station with its coaches, c. 1970s Flying Duchess at Boyne Falls station.jpg
Flying Duchess at the Boyne Falls station with its coaches, c. 1970s

In 1971, the locomotive was bought by Hollis Baker and Charles Williams, and moved to the Boyne City Railroad (BCRR) in Boyne City, Michigan. [5] [6] The locomotive travelled by cargo ship to Detroit, Michigan, where it was unloaded onto a flatcar in May 1971. The locomotive's move from Detroit to Boyne City was delayed due to the 1971 rail strike. [7] After the locomotive arrived at the Boyne City Railroad, it was given a new coat of bright green paint and named Flying Duchess. [2] [6] In addition to the locomotive, three maroon British Rail Mark 1 passenger coaches were bought. [5] [6] [8] [9] To comply with local railroad regulations, the locomotive was fitted with buckeye couplers and a high-intensity headlamp. [4] In an interview, Baker stated: "We just thought that an all-English train would be an interesting attraction." [5]

The BCRR would shift from a shortline railroad to a heritage railroad. Freight services on the railroad ceased in 1970, and Baker – the owner of the railroad at the time – repurposed the railroad for running exclusively tourist passenger services, with the intention to revive the railroad. [6] Flying Duchess and its coaches would be used for the railroad's daily summer services, in addition to another passenger service consisting of a GE 44-ton switcher, two to three open observation cars, one roofed observation car, and a caboose. [8] [10] The railroad was 7.2 miles (11.6 km) long, with two stations: Boyne City and Boyne Falls. [6] One round trip was about 12 miles (19 km), and took about 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete. [9] Passengers could ride both trains during the same trip; for example, a passenger could ride with Flying Duchess in one direction, and ride with the GE switcher in the opposite direction. [8] In the summer of 1972, the two trains carried 24,500 passengers. [10]

In 1973, the BCRR ceased its passenger services, which W. Howard Fineout – an engineer on the railroad – attributed to the 1970s energy crisis. [11] [6] On May 15, 1976, Baker would auction off the BCRR. [12] [6] [11] The railroad was sold to a new group, and would continue its passenger services as the Boyne Valley Railroad (BVRR). [13] In 1978, the Federal Railroad Administration surveyed the railroad line and deemed its tracks unsafe, and required the tracks to be rebuilt to continue its operations. The BVRR was unable to afford building new tracks, and ceased its operations the same year. [13] [4]

The locomotive was sold to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in Chattanooga, Tennessee, [2] where it operated passenger services in October 1978 and September 1979. [14] In the first quarter of 1980, the locomotive was in steam and appeared on the television program PM Magazine . [15]

Static display (since 1981)

The locomotive was missing documentation on its boiler, and would need a boiler ticket from the state of Tennessee to continue running. In 1981, the locomotive stopped operating passenger services on the TVRM, and was put on static display. Southern Railway 4501 took over passenger services at the TVRM. [4] The locomotive was not cosmetically maintained while it was on static display, and fell into disrepair. [4] [2] In 2000, the locomotive was sold and moved to Indiana. [2] [1] The locomotive was sold again and moved to Louisville, Kentucky, [2] [4] where it sat in the yard of a logistics center for over a decade. [2]

The locomotive in a gloss black at La Grange, KY, November 2014 La Grange, KY, Ohio Valley Railroad. Steam Locomotive No 7745 (cropped).jpg
The locomotive in a gloss black at La Grange, KY, November 2014

In 2011, the Louisville Harrods Creek & Westport Railway Foundation, which owned the locomotive at the time, would loan the locomotive for 20 years to the Ohio Valley Railroad Historical Foundation. [16] On August 23, 2011, the locomotive was moved to the La Grange Railroad Museum in La Grange, Kentucky, and placed onto the tracks outside the museum's depot the following day. [16] [2] The locomotive's side tanks were obtained separately from the Louisville yard and placed on the locomotive; several of the original components from the locomotive could not be obtained by the Ohio Valley Railroad Historical Foundation. [4] A fundraising campaign was started to restore the locomotive cosmetically. [16] The locomotive was painted in a matte black after its arrival to slow down rust. In July 2014, the locomotive was repainted in a gloss black in preparation for a restoration. In 2018, the locomotive received a cosmetic restoration; the locomotive was repainted green, and was fitted with several new components in place of its missing components. [2] [4] As of 2026, the locomotive is on static display about 30 feet (9.1 m) from a CSX railroad line, [2] in front of a dining car and caboose previously owned by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 McKinney, Helen (May 2021). "La Grange, Ky., Railroad Museum is still chugging along". RoundAbout. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "History of Our Steam Engine 7745". La Grange Railroad Museum. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Standard Gauge in North Staffordshire". The Industrial Railway Record . Vol. 17. February 1968. pp. 169–175. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 La Grange Railroad Museum (December 5, 2020). The Flying Duchess (Internet video). La Grange, Kentucky: Phipps Media – via YouTube.
  5. 1 2 3 "North Michigan 'British' Train To Make Runs". Associated Press . Boyne City, Michigan: Reading Eagle. January 24, 1971. p. 21. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chargot, Patricia (May 2, 1976). "For sale - lock, stock and linch pin: The Boyne City Line, Michigan's Shortest, Prettiest railroad". Detroit Free Press . Detroit, Michigan . Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Train enroute to Boyne Falls". Traverse City Record-Eagle . Traverse City, Michigan: United Press International. May 20, 1971.
  8. 1 2 3 "Railroading Anyone?". The Antrim County News. August 31, 1972. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Miles, David (September 22, 2022). "Looking Back: Burglars, babies and railroad buffs found among historical headlines". Charlevoix Historical Society. Petoskey News-Review. Archived from the original on January 23, 2026. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "BOYNE CITY – success sans U.S. steam". Trains. Vol. 32–33. 1971. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Boyne Line Only A Memory Now". Associated Press . Boyne City, Michigan. June 21, 1976. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Want to buy railroad?". The Rocky Mountain News . Vol. 118, no. 6. Boyne City. April 28, 1976. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Meints, Graydon M. (1992). Michigan Railroads and Railroad Companies. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Press. ISBN   978-0-87013-318-3.
  14. ↑ "The First 55 Years" (PDF). Smoke & Cinders. Vol. 56, no. 1. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. First Quarter 2017. ISSN   1083-1606 . Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  15. ↑ "This Quarter in TVRM History" (PDF). Smoke & Cinders. Vol. 59, no. 1. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. 2021. p. 7. ISSN   1083-1606 . Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 "'Flying Duchess' steam locomotive lands in La Grange". RoundAbout. September 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
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