The Life and Times of a Duke

71000 was released into general service and for about six years made life hard for many footplate staff – arduous and miserable to the extent that good firemen would report sick rather than endure the vagaries of an engine that repaid hard work and diligence with a refusal to perform properly. Whenever there was time to be made up and the crew needed to ‘pull something out of the bag’ it just wasn’t there. (It is interesting to note at this point a remark from Fred Rich, who said that when first used, The Duke went to Perth and back quite comfortably - with an inspector aboard - but in his absence the coal consumption became unreasonable! Fred was also informed by the man he pseudonymously referred to as “Ben Wilson” that, during 71k’s visit to Swindon, the valve gear was dismantled and reassembled incorrectly. One can’t help wondering at this distance in time if “Ben Wilson” was in fact Ken Williams, Crewe’s Caprotti expert - the names are curiously similar). That said it is, unfortunately, true to say that stabling the Duke among the ‘Duchesses’ at Crewe North (5A) was, to an extent, asking for trouble. The Crewe men knew and admired Mr. Stanier’s later 4-6-2s and, unless any newcomer was at least as good if not better, it was bound to get a hostile reception. Ask any ex 5A men how to treat them and they will tell you: “Open the tender doors with the coal pick and put the spillage in the ‘box‘. Keep firing until there’s no more room and then go under the coaling stage again and top up the tender” – the fireman sometimes even arranging the coal by hand with a wall of lumps to contain a heap in the middle up to, or even above, the level of the cab roof. (Some firemen even put some more big lumps on the footplate!) This would mean possibly twelve tons (despite the nominal ten tons capacity of the coal space) and with almost two tons in the firebox it can be seen that shortage of coal was not likely to be an issue.