British Railways 4-6-0 No. 1306 'Mayflower'
Crewe, Cheshire, UK 		Location: LNWR Heritage
Status: Operational
Posted: Mar 8, 2025 @ 10:03:28 by Russell Newman
The ex LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower", will now be visiting the East Lancashire Railway for their Legends of Steam Gala from the 14th to 16th of March 2025, where she will take the place of No. 60163 "Tornado" which is no longer visiting for the Gala due to her being focused on returning to the mainline after her overhaul and running-in period.
Posted: Jan 24, 2024 @ 10:01:58 by Russell Newman
The ex LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower", is to visit the West Somerset Railway for the first time to star at their Spring Steam Spectacular, being held from the 3rd and 6th of May 2024.
Posted: Jun 30, 2023 @ 15:06:49 by Russell Newman
The ex LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" will be visiting the Severn Valley Railway again, this time to star at their Autumn Steam Gala on the 14th to 17th of September 2023.
Posted: Oct 28, 2022 @ 14:10:45 by Russell Newman
Former LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" will be making a short visit to the Severn Valley Railway for more testing of her airbrakes from the 31st of October 2022, which will be done when public services along the Severn Valley Railway have temporarily halted as the railway prepares for the Christmas season.
Posted: Oct 26, 2022 @ 06:10:10 by Russell Newman
Work on fitting airbrakes to former LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" has now been completed at LNWR Heritage at Crewe and the locomotive will be out this Friday on a mainline test run from Crewe via Shrewsbury to Coton Hill and back to test her new airbrakes. If successful No. 61306 will head south to work some Christmas railtours with Steam Dreams over the festive season this December.
Posted: Jun 2, 2022 @ 15:06:05 by Russell Newman
Following its purchase by Locomotive Services Group ex LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" has now left Southall Depot and has now relocated to her new home at LNWR Heritage at Crewe in Cheshire. No. 61306 will undergo some work there which will see the fitment of air brakes to the locomotive for futher mainline running with them on their own charter trains like the Fellsman over the Settle and Carlisle line and Saphos Trains and of course Steam Dreams tours. Like the other steam locomotives at Locomotive Service Group No. 61306 will also visit some preserved railways for Gala visits at times too.
Posted: Jun 1, 2022 @ 12:06:49 by Russell Newman
It has been announced that former LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" along with railtour operator Steam Dreams Rail Co. have been sold to Crewe based Locomotive Services Group. This means that 61306 Mayflower will join the Locomotive Services Group fleet of locomotives that are owned and operated by the head of Locomotive Services Group Jeremy Hosking, with the group saying that they intend to care for the B1 in the same way as the previous owner David Buck had for the last four years. No. 61306 will be relocated to its new home at LNWR Heritage at Crewe in Cheshire the base for Locomotive Services Group in the not to distant future.
Posted: Apr 26, 2021 @ 06:04:25 by Russell Newman
Here is the history of No. 61306 "Mayflower". She was built in 1948 by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow, Scotland for the London & North Eastern Railway from the designs of Edward Thompson who was the second chief Mechanical Engineer for the LNER. But 1948 was the year when British Railways was formed and she carried the Number 61306 from new. She was first allocated to Hull Botanic Gardens Depot followed by a spell at Hull Dairycotes Depot before being finally transferred to Low Moor Depot, Bradford. She was the last of the B1 Class in service and her final trip under British Railways before withdrawal from service was hauling the "Yorkshire Pullman" from Leeds in September 1967 which was the last time this train was hauled by steam. No. 61306 was immediately purchased for preservation and was initially based at Steamtown in Carnforth. She was fully restored for mainline operation and worked a number of rail tours in the 1970’s. But round then she carried what would have been her LNER Number No. 1306 which she never carried and she never carried a name at all as the name "Mayflower" came from long lost sister B1 No. 61379. but was given to 61306 in preservation. In 1978 the locomotive was moved to the Great Central Railway where she ran for a number of seasons there during the 1980’s. She was moved again to the Nene Valley Railway where she had another overhaul and ran there in the early to mid 2000’s which by then she had been sold to the Boden family in 2006. She was sold to her current owner David Buck in 2014, she returned to the mainline in 2015 before being withdrawn for an extensive overhaul. Resplendent in the early British Railways apple green livery as she was originally given when delivered in 1948 she returned to full mainline operation in early 2019 and has been a top mainline performer ever since mainly working trains for Steam Dreams which her owner David Buck is head of.
Posted: Jun 12, 2020 @ 07:06:21 by Russell Newman
It has been announced by its owner David Buck in the railway press that LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" will have a new name and number as in 2021 the B1 will be in the guise as No. 61674 ‘Ipswich Town’.
Posted: Sep 11, 2019 @ 09:09:16 by Russell Newman
LNER B1 No. 61306 "Mayflower" will visit the Bluebell Railway for their Giants of Steam Autumn Gala on the 12th & 13th of October 2019 in the place of 6233 "Duchess of Sutherland".
Posted: Apr 17, 2019 @ 09:04:52 by Russell Newman
No. 61306 "Mayflower" is set for a busy season out on the mainline this summer round London as the locomotive is working Steam Dreams new regular mainline steam service from London Waterloo to Windsor and back every Tuesday though the summer.
Posted: Apr 8, 2019 @ 12:04:03 by Russell Newman
Sadly again the visit of LNER B1 No. 61306 "Mayflower" to the Nene Valley Railway in June has been cancelled this time due to Network Rail unable to give a path to a mainline railtour that the locomotive was going to haul that would have seen 61306 come off at Peterborough and make her way to the Nene Valley from there.
Posted: Mar 2, 2019 @ 09:03:53 by Russell Newman
61306 "Mayflower" registered base is Southall Depot in London, Middlesex where the locomotive is located at.
Posted: Feb 11, 2019 @ 12:02:19 by Russell Newman
61306 "Mayflower" will visit the Nene Valley Railway for a special weekend for it on the 29th and 30th of June 2019 in between her mainline duties.
Posted: Jan 29, 2019 @ 13:01:54 by Russell Newman
No. 61306 "Mayflower" is set for its public mainline debut after overhaul this weekend on the 2nd of February. As the B1 could be working double heading with Merchant Navy Class Pacific No. 35018 "British India Line" on the Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express between Carnforth and Preston via Carlisle and the Settle and Carlisle Railway. If 61306 is ready?
Posted: Jan 23, 2019 @ 13:01:09 by Russell Newman
LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" will be out on the mainline tomorrow with a test run from Carnforth via Hellifield, Blackburn, Preston and back to Carnforth. Completing its test runs in preparation for its return to the mainline and heritage railway circuit this year.
Posted: Nov 8, 2018 @ 13:11:24 by Russell Newman
The overhaul on LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" has now been completed and the loco has just had a repaint in 1940s British Railways Apple Green livery at West Coast Railways Carnforth Depot. No. 61306 will soon be under going mainline test runs in readiness for some Christmas trips for Steam Dreams.
Posted: Oct 3, 2018 @ 05:10:51 by Russell Newman
Sadly due to its overhaul overrunning at Carnforth Depot the visit of No. 61306 "Mayflower" to the Bluebell Railway for there Giants of Steam Event has had to be cancelled. But it is hoped that the locomotive visit in the near future.
Posted: Sep 21, 2018 @ 05:09:20 by Russell Newman
LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" current location is West Coast Railway Company Depot at Carnforth in Lancashire where the locomotive is currently being overhauled there.
Posted: Jul 30, 2018 @ 10:07:28 by Russell Newman
Sadly due to the current Steam ban on Network Rail down to the hot dry weather No. 61306 "Mayflower" will now not be visiting the Nene Valley Railway for their Steam in Green event. As its mainline test runs have been put on hold but the locomotive should return to the mainline very soon and its visit to the Bluebell Railway in October should still go ahead hopefully.
Posted: Jul 6, 2018 @ 05:07:08 by Russell Newman
The LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" is to Join No. 60009 "Union of South Africa" and 34081 "92 Squadron" at the Nene Valley Railway for their Steam in Green Gala on the 1st and 2nd of September 2018. Which this will be one of the first gala visits of 61306 following completion of its overhaul and one of the last times to see three iconic Green steam machines come together once again and for the last time with 60009 retiring in July 2019.
Posted: Jun 15, 2018 @ 10:06:48 by Russell Newman
No. 61306 "Mayflower" is also joining No. 60009 "Union of South Africa" for its first ever visit to the Bluebell Railway for there Giants of Steam LNER theme Autumn Steam Gala on the weekend of 12th, 13th & 14th October 2018 as well. Which its overhaul at Carnforth should be completed by then hopefully?
Posted: Jun 2, 2018 @ 09:06:41 by Russell Newman
The current location of LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 "Mayflower" is West Coast Railway Company s Depot at Carnforth in Lancashire where it is still under overhaul there but is due to make a come back to the mainline later this year.
Posted: Jan 18, 2018 @ 13:01:50 by Russell Newman
LNER B1 No. 61306 "Mayflower" is nearing completion of its overhaul at Carnforth and will soon be moving to Southall Depot in West London where it will be based for mainline running. But in early May it will be visiting the Nene Valley Railway to take part in the 10th birthday celebration of 60163 "Tornado" on the weekend of the 5th to 7th May 2018.
Posted: Jul 30, 2017 @ 17:07:18 by Russell Newman
The overhaul work on LNER B1 61306 "Mayflower" at West Coast Railways Depot at Carnforth should all be done in time for some Christmas mainline trips. The bottom end like the frames and running gear are all complete and the boiler should be back on by the late Autumn. When completed 61306 will be based at Southall Depot in West London for mainline running.
Posted: Apr 8, 2017 @ 13:04:32 by Russell Newman
Work on 61306 "Mayflower" is progressing at West Coast Railway Company s Carnforth depot as the LNER B1 looks set to be back on the mainline by late summer.
Posted: Dec 22, 2016 @ 15:12:26 by Russell Newman
61306 Mayflower is still undergoing a boiler overhaul at West Coast Railway Companys Carnforth Depot in Lancashire. Its hoped that the B1 will be back on the mainline in the spring in the New Year.
Posted: May 6, 2016 @ 09:05:00 by Russell Newman
61303 is currently up at Carnforth undergoing a boiler overhaul and is due back in service in June.
Posted: Aug 22, 2014 @ 05:08:55 by Russell Newman
61306 Mayflower has now moved to the North Norfolk Railway where it be based for the foreseeable future now.
Posted: Sep 9, 2003 @ 11:09:35 by Steve Frost
Edward Thompson's classic 4-6-0 for the LNER. Simple, 2 cylinder, outside motion design, the B1 handled all sorts of traffic on LNER and BR metals. Most were un-named, and those that were had a wide variety of names. One theme that was used in naming some of this class was African antelopes, which produced such gems as 'Gnu', 'Bongo', and 'Chiru'. Restored to post war LNER livery, 'Mayflower'is pictured at the Doncaster plant 150th anniversary exhibition.