The Duchesses: The Story of Britain's Ultimate Steam Locomotives

Designed by the great William Stanier, the Duchess of Hamilton and Duchess of Sutherland steam engines began service in the 1930s as the “Princess Coronation” class. They were the flagships of the West Coast main line for the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway and were made to compete with the famous streamlined “Pacific” class locomotives on the East Coast line. The Coronation locomotives were beautifully streamlined and considered the pride of the line for decades. This is the engaging story of the most powerful passenger locomotives to serve on the British Railways' network and the extraordinary saga of their preservation, eventual rescue, and their return to steam on the main line.