About one third of the locomotives at Quainton Road are owned by the Quainton Railway Society itself, the remainder by private individuals, groups of two or more members, or by Societies. One such Society is the 6024 Preservation Society which is actively preserving ex-Great Western 4-6-0 No. 6024, King Edward I.

6024 is a member of a class of thirty engines that was for many years the pride of the GWR, (in later years the Western Region of British Railways) and is one of only two surviving today. The 6024 Preservation Society is a group of enthusiasts working for the day when 6024 will be seen in steam again, and this will provide Quainton Road with a fine example of the highly developed GW 4 cylinder locomotives that were so familiar on the main lines from Paddington through High Wycombe, Banbury, Bicester and other local places.

6024 was delivered new in June 1930 at a cost of £7,175 and was withdrawn almost exactly 32 years later on 19th June 1962 after completing 1,570,015 miles in service. Early years were spent based at Newton Abbott but in 1949 it was transferred to Laira, Plymouth, although duties remained the same. Later duties were affected by the introduction of diesel locomotives and final duties were on South Wales trains. The whole class were withdrawn from traffic in 1962 and all but 3 were cut up immediately. One, No. 6000, King George V was preserved in working order but the other two were sold to a South Wales scrapyard where they remained for a number of years. In 1973, the King Preservation Society was successful in its bid to rescue 6024 and it was moved to Quainton in March of that year. It has since been dismantled for a complete overhaul, many parts being sent to Swindon for specialist attention.

Details of membership of this growing Society can be obtained from :-
Kettering,
Northants.

Full details of the engine are given in the Q R S stockbook.

Photo:
P I Clarke - 6024 King Edward I in BR days.

Notes:
The text in this Quainton Railway Society publication was written in 1979 and so does not reflect events in the 38+ years since publication. The text and photographs are repeated verbatim from the original publication, with only a few minor grammar changes but some clarifying notes are added if deemed necessary. The photos from the original publication are provided as scans in this internet version of this long out of print publication.

Reference:
Quainton Guide 1979