47832 "Driver Tom Clark OBE" was on the rear of the train.
Tom Clark joined the London & North Western Railway Company (LNWR) in December 1888 in his home town of Crewe. Working through the links from cleaner to driver at Crewe North shed, it was not until he was nearing retirement, however, that Tom Clark became famous.
In 1936, the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) which had been formed through amalgamation of a number of companies in 1923 (including the LNWR) was confident enough to tackle emerging road and air competition head on. Held back after 1923 following World War 1 and the depression, it was essential to reduce journey times. Likewise, the operators of the East Coast Main Line, the London & North Eastern Railway was similarly engaged and both routes had been bitter rivals in the past to establish their route as the fastest carrier to Scotland.
The LMS contemplated a six hour non-stop service between London and Glasgow but needed information to ascertain its practicality. Crewe North men at that time worked not only south to London but also as far north as Perth. It, therefore, fell to a Crewe Driver and Tom Clark, the Senior Driver in particular, to work the trial train, designated train "703" from London Euston to Glasgow Central. On 16 November 1936 with 6201 Princess Elizabeth at its head, Tom Clark and Fireman Charles Fleet and Passed Fireman Albert Shaw reached Glasgow Central in 5 hours 53 minutes 38 seconds. The following day they did it again in the reverse direction in 5 hours 44 minutes 14 seconds. On arrival the crew were taken to Broadcasting House and interviewed by the BBC.
Driver Tom Clark and Princess Elizabeth grabbed the headlines and in 1937 Hornby, the famous Liverpool manufacturer of O gauge model railways, choose the locomotive for its most prestigious project. This locomotive was only produced for two years and was not reintroduced after the 1939-45 war. To publicise the new model when it was launched on 1 May 1937, Hornby arranged for a photograph to be taken at Edge Hill depot, Liverpool with two school boys holding a model alongside the real locomotive. Also in the picture were Tom Clark and his regular Fireman Charles Fleet. He was reported as saying "It's grand" a well-known Crewe expression at the time.
By 1937, however, the London & North Eastern Railway had set a world speed steam locomotive record and the LMS decided that something had to be done. William Stanier, had by now delivered the first of the streamlined Princess Coronation class and 6220 Coronation was chosen to go for the record. On Tuesday 29 June 1937, Tom Clark set off from Crewe and reached London in 2 hours 9 minutes 45 seconds. He returned to Crewe in 1 hour 59 minutes and set a new speed record of 114 mph. The record was later reclaimed by the LNER and after the famous A4 Class Mallard set a never to be beaten record of 126.4 mph on the East Coast Main Line.
Less than a month after claiming the world speed record, on 12 July 1937 Tom Clark drove the Royal Train from Crewe to Euston. On reaching the terminus, King George VI who had been travelling with Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret summoned Tom from the footplate. Unwashed and still wearing his overalls, the King conferred upon Tom the Order of the British Empire, for his record runs to and from Glasgow in 1936.
Tom retired in 1938 and continued to live in Crewe, pursuing his interests in fishing and snooker. He died aged 80 in January 1954, after a short illness.
