Birmingham New Street Station

BR Period Locomotives: lnwrbns_br345

Ex-Midland Railway 4P 4-4-0 Compound No 41035 and ex-LMS 4P 4-4-0 Compound No M935 are seen leaving the West end of Platform 9 at the head of a Bristol express on 4th May 1949. Built at Derby works in November 1908 No 41035 was near to the end of her working life at the time of the photograph being withdrawn in June 1952 from Bournville shed to be scrapped immediately by Derby works. Its later LMS classmate differed only in minor detail having 6ft 9in Driving wheels instead of 7ft Driving wheels and being driven from the left-hand side of the cab instead of the right-hand side. Built at Derby works in September 1932 No M935 was to remain in service for only slightly longer than its older classmate being withdrawn in April 1958 from Bournville shed and being scrapped immediately by Crewe works.

At the very beginning of the nationalised railway there was not an immediate plan to differentiate between the locomotives of the 'big four' which shared the same number. Initially the plan was to add the letter 'M' to locomotives on the Midland Division but soon this was replaced with the more logical method of adding 40,000 to former LMS locomotives. In a short time No M935 would become No 40935. Similarly the corporate branding or identity of ownership was a little late in evolving. The initial use of 'British Railways' on the tender was replaced by the 'Lion and Wheel' logo, sometimes nicknamed the "Cycling Lion' which was then changed in 1956 by a second logo which featured a lion holding a wheel (which gave rise to the nickname "ferret and dartboard"), sitting in a crown, with the words "British" and "Railways" to left and right.

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