Two former Laira engines, side by side after arrival at Paddington in around 1955; the ‘King’ had worked up to the Capital with the 7.30am from Shrewsbury No. 6014 King Henry VII, had been at Wolverhampton Stafford Road from February 1954, and ‘Castle’ No. 5057 Earl Waldegrave, had been at Bristol Bath Road since June 1954. No. 6014 was the ‘King’ which had the misfortune to be one of the subjects, along with ‘Castle’ No. 5005 Manorbier Castle, of a short-lived experiment in 1935 in which what can only be described as an attempt at ‘streamlining’ was applied. This took the form of a bullet-like hinged cover on the smokebox door and fairings around the cylinders, steam pipes, chimney, safety valves and cab. A wedge-fronted cab was also fitted and this survived on No. 6014 until withdrawal, although the rest of the adornments were removed by the end 1942.
One additional small reminder of 6014's streamlined days back in G.W.R. times which also survived on the engine until its end is hidden in this view by the "353 " Reporting Number, the 7.30.a.m. from Shrewsbury to here at Paddington, it being the special " Bull Nosed " little bracket which was welded to the front face of the inside valve chest designed and intended to do just what it's doing here, namely to carry the Reporting Number frame because when fitted with the rounded smokebox door front in its " streamlined " days it was impossible to locate on 6014 such frames on their customary fittting over the smokebox door handles.