How Sunderland steamed to the FA Cup in 1937 behind a fake engine

The engine said “Sunderland” on the side, and it was festooned with red and white ribbons. Even the inside of the carriages was decorated in red and white, and LNER had placed red and white flowers on the directors’ luncheon table.

But really the engine was “Derby County”.

READ FIRST: HOW DARLINGTON RAILWAYMEN HELD AN ENGINE HOSTAGE UNTIL IT WAS NAMED AFTER THEIR FOOTBALL CLUB

Recent Memories have told how the Class B17 engines made at Darlington’s North Road works were named after top flight football clubs – apart from the fifth engine which the railwaymen apparently held hostage until it was named after bottom flight Darlington.

Darlington was No 2852, which entered into service in April 1936, and No 2851 was Derby County, which was finished in March 1936.

“When built at the Darlington Works in April 1936, the B17 4-6-0 No 2854 was named Sunderland, just as they were becoming league champions for the sixth time,” said John Rusby in Bishop Auckland.

John Rusby's picture of the real Sunderland engine which hung in his homeWinning the First Division title, with Derby finishing eight points behind in second, enabled Sunderland to equal Aston Villa’s record of the most championships, although they haven’t won it since.

“The following year,” continued John, “Sunderland reached the FA Cup final and the appropriate thing was to have the “Sunderland” locomotive haul the train taking the directors and players to Wembley.

“However, it was in works under repair, so the nameplates were switched to its sister locomotive No 2851 “Derby County.”

The fake loco, pulling four highly decorated coaches, took the players and directors to Wembley, and other special excursion trains carried another 7,000 fans.

The Sunderland players display the FA Cup in 1937 in what appears to be a railway stationThe final was played on May 1, 1937, and Sunderland came from a goal behind to beat Preston North End 3-1. Sunderland’s scorers were Bobby Gurney, their all-time leading scorer who went on to manage Darlington for five years, captain Raich Carter and man of the match Eddie Burbanks.

“On May 3, 1937, No 2851 masquerading as Sunderland brought the victorious team back into Sunderland station,” said John.

Sunderland's all-time highest goalscorer Bobby Gurney with his pipe. He scored in the 1937 FA Cup final, so this must have been taken in the 1950s when he was managing Darlington“One of the nameplates from the engine was on display in Monkwearmouth station museum, and the other belonged to a private collector. The amazing thing was that while I was in hospital in Sunderland a few years ago, the gentleman admitted to the next bed was the owner of that nameplate!”

The replica Sunderland nameplate is now in the Fans Museum in Monkwearmouth station. Picture: Gary StoutGarry Stout volunteers at the Fans Museum at Sunderland which has recently taken over the Monkwearmouth Station museum. “It’s a football-based museum which also pays tribute to the station's glorious past,” he says, “and in it is a replica of the Sunderland nameplate.

“I believe one of the originals currently hangs above the players' tunnel at the Stadium of Light, and the other, I am told, is in the hands of a private collector who bought it for a considerable sum of money.”

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth present Sunderland with the 1937 FA Cup

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John Rusby, of Bishop AucklandTHE great sadness of this story is that the day after John Rusby prepared it for us, he passed away. He was 80, and one of our regular correspondents.

He was born in Clifford Avenue, Bishop Auckland, next to the railway line to Barnard Castle, and perhaps because of that introduction at any early age, railways were always a huge part of his life.

He left school on Friday, March 28,1959, aged 14, and started work the following Monday – his 15th birthday – as a painting and decorating apprentice. Six years later, having completed his apprenticeship, he set up his own decorating business, JS Rusby Ltd. He worked for nearly 60 years, and rarely missed a day.

The company is still going strong with his son, Stewart, as director.

As well as steam trains, John’s other hobbies were sea fishing, on his boat, and his cats – he had 11 of them.

Memories will miss his many contributions, and we are grateful to his daughter, Helene, for sending this last one on to us.

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