Flying Duchess

History

United Kingdom (1952–1970)

The locomotive was built from 1951 to 1952 by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns (RSH) in North East England, originally numbered 7745. In 1952, the locomotive began service at Meaford B—located within the Meaford Power Station in Staffordshire, England—as MEA No. 2. The locomotive worked with MEA No. 1 (originally numbered 7683), a similar 0-6-0T 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 were in steam from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. for seven days a week. The two locomotives alternated shunting duties every six weeks until 1966, when the firebox of MEA No. 1 was deemed unsafe. In 1970, MEA. No 1 and MEA No. 2 were withdrawn from service at the power station, and were replaced by diesel locomotives.

United States (since 1971)

In 1971, the locomotive was bought by Hollis Baker and Charles Williams, and moved to the Boyne City Railroad (BCRR) in Boyne City, Michigan. The locomotive was moved by cargo ship to Detroit, Michigan, and unloaded onto a flatcar in May 1971. The locomotive's move from Detroit to Boyne City was delayed due to the 1971 rail strike. A second locomotive similar to MEA No. 2 was restored and planned to be shipped to the United States, but only MEA No. 2 was shipped.

After the locomotive arrived at the Boyne City Railroad, it was given a new coat of bright green paint and named Flying Duchess. In addition to the locomotive, three maroon British Railways passenger coaches were bought and moved. To comply with local railroad regulations, the locomotive was fitted with buckeye couplers and a high-intensity headlamp. In an interview, Baker stated: "We just thought that an all-English train would be an interesting attraction."

Freight services on the BCRR 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. Flying Duchess and its coaches would be used for the railroad's daily summer services, dubbed The English Train by the railroad. A second train, The Mixed Freight, consisted of a GE 44-ton switcher leased by Penn Central (named Lady Bug), two to three open observation cars, one roofed observation car, and a caboose.

The Flying Duchess began its operations at the BCRR on July 24, 1971. The railroad was 7.2 miles (11.6 km) long, with two stations: Boyne City and Boyne Falls. One round trip was about 12 miles (19 km), and took about 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete. Passengers could ride both trains during the same trip; for example, a passenger could ride with The English Train in one direction, and ride with The Mixed Freight in the opposite direction. In the summer of 1972, the two trains carried 24,500 passengers. In 1973, the BCRR ceased its passenger services, which was then attributed to the 1970s energy crisis. On May 15, 1976, Baker would auction off the BCRR. The railroad was sold to a new group, and would continue its passenger services as the Boyne Valley Railroad (BVRR).

Before the BVRR ceased its operations in 1978, the Chattanooga Coke & Chemicals Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee bought the Flying Duchess and one of the British Railways coaches in 1977. The locomotive and coach were then donated to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in 1978. They were moved via flatcar along the Chattanooga Traction Company's branch line to the museum. Flying Duchess and its coach operated passenger services in October 1978 and September 1979. In the first quarter of 1980, the locomotive was in steam and appeared on the television series PM Magazine.