The National Railway Museum is celebrating the centenary of SR S15 ‘King Arthur’ No. 777 ‘Sir Lamiel’.

The Southern Railway King Arthur class steam locomotive was designed by Richard Edward Lloyd Maunsell and built by Glasgow’s North British Locomotive Company in June 1925. It was one of a total of 74 locomotives of this class built between 1919 and 1926.

Following the post-WW1 grouping of railway companies into the ‘Big Four’, the London & South Western Railway (LSWR) became part of the Southern Railway, and Richard Maunsell developed the Class N15s to meet the demand for new express passenger locomotives.  Southern’s publicity department decided to name the N15s, which were the first British locomotives fitted with smoke-deflector plates, after characters from Arthurian legend.

Sir Lamiel entered service in 1925 and spent most of its working life on the Bournemouth and West of England service. After 36 years in service, the locomotive was withdrawn in 1961.

It is now part of the National Railway Museum’s collection, and is under the custodianship of the 5305 Locomotive Association.

The 5305 Locomotive Association will be leading the celebrations. It had hoped that Sir Lamiel, which is named after a minor knight of King Arthur’s Round Table, would have been ready to celebrate its birthday in steam, hauling celebratory services on the Great Central Railway.

However, its overhaul, which began in 2020, was interrupted first by the Covid-19 pandemic and then by the discovery of asbestos residue on the loco.

Sir Lamiel is based under cover at the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire, with work being carried out by the 5305 Locomotive Association’s engineering team at Loughborough.

The final part of the overhaul will see the locomotive repainted in lined out BR Green with early crests on the tender, which will replace the current Southern Railway Malachite Green.

Having hoped that the loco would be operational again this year, the Society now says that it expects the work to be complete early next year and is looking forward to a more active 101st birthday celebration!

In the meantime, Sir Lamiel’s centenary will be marked with a celebration event at Loughborough on Saturday 21 June, hosted by the Great Central Railway and 5305 Locomotive Association. Visitors to the event will be able to see the progress that has been made on the loco’s overhaul.

Once the overhaul is finished, a second, five-year loan agreement will be negotiated to enable Sir Lamiel to begin main line tours and a schedule of appearances at heritage railways across the country.

Craig Bentley, Interim Director of the National Railway Museum said: “Sir Lamiel is a magnificent example of Britain’s steam heritage, and we’re proud to see this important locomotive reach its centenary. This event is a fantastic opportunity for the public to see the care and craftsmanship going into Sir Lamiel’s vitally important overhaul.”