August bank holiday 1951, I booked on about midday. The RSF told me I was with Walter Medlicott, who said we were to relieve the 10.40 Euston Carlisle to Crewe and back with the 14:30 Morecombe Euston (a mileage turn). My heart missed a beat when I though we would have a Lizzie (I was just 18 and never fired one).

I told Walter this who said don't worry they are OK. In due course 46212 Duchess of Kent rolled in. By this time we had been met by a gent from the testing station who was on his way home and had a footplate pass, We got on the engine and the Camden fireman looked at me and said she was OK but must have wondered how an 18 year old was going to get on with this enormous engine. In the meantime Walter had gone over to the Camden driver who points to to a chalk written item on the cab roof which said 18 on, 600 tons.

We got the right away, Walter said fire in the back corners and providing we got some smoke she would be OK. I put several shovelfuls on but on smoke, by now we were taking water on Newbold troughs and the pressure was beginning to drop. Walter came over and asked our passenger to keep a look out and was checking to see if the Camden fireman had shut the dampers, but they were open or so we thought. Unbeknown to us they were the opposite way round to a Class 5 and were shut! After opening them, we began to get smoke and the steam pressure picked up. From then the engine steamed well but I had plenty of work to do maintaining a big fire, although our passenger did assist, but beyond that we had a good run to Crewe.

Our return job the 14.30 ex Morecombe arrived a bit late behind a 5X no 45599 Bechuanaland and we had 16 on with this. Our trip back to Rugby included a stop at Stafford was uneventful and we were relieved at Rugby and booked off in about 8 and a half hours and got paid for 9.