LMS Stanier Mogul 13268

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42968AtHighley.jpg

42968 in service

The StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 Moguls were one of the first classes designed by StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 after his arrival on the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway, the first loco of the single production lot emerging from Crewe in October 1933. 42968 was originally numbered 13268, and entered traffic on 24th January 1934, allocated to Willesden shed. She was renumbered as 2968 in September 1935, and over her lifetime was allocated to a wide variety of sheds on the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Western Division, mostly in the North-West but including spells at Aston, Bescot and Nuneaton. Her final shed before withdrawal in 1966 was Springs Branch. By 1960, she had covered over 700,000 miles.

42968 in preservation

Following withdrawal 42968 was purchased for scrap by Woodham Bros. By 1969 all other members of the class had been cut up, and the Stanier Mogul Fund was formed to preserve her as an important example of an early StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 locomotive. After four years the Fund had raised Woodham Bros's asking price, and the loco was hauled to the SVRSevern Valley Railway by rail in December 1973. Restoration began the following year.

The loco moved for the first time under her own steam in preservation in 1990, and officially entered SVRSevern Valley Railway service in April 1991 in LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway livery and numbered 2968. Unfortunately, she had to be withdrawn from traffic in December 1993 due to a loose tyre. Following tyre replacement she re-entered service in December 1994. In 1996 she was mainline-certified, and over the next two years hauled a number of main-line railtours, including the Settle-Carlisle line from Crewe to Carlisle. She also took part in the 1998 "Steam On The Met" event.

42968’s main line career included a couple of ‘firsts’:

On 22nd November 1997, 42968 and 7325 were the first steam locos in preservation to work a train over the 1:38 Lickey Incline.
On 3rd January 1998, 42968 set off on a rail tour from Shrewsbury to Newport and Gloucester via the Central Wales line. At Llandrindod Wells it was discovered that the track ahead was flooded, so 42968 drew the train back to Craven Arms running tender first, then ran around to take a detour via the Welsh Marches route. This was the first time that a steam-hauled special had been rerouted mid-tour.

In 1998 she was withdrawn for a full overhaul, which was completed in 2003, and she re-entered service in BRBritish Rail or British Railways livery. She remained in service until the expiry of her boiler certificate in 2013; her current overhaul began in early 2014. The StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 MogulLocomotive with a 2-6-0 wheel configuration Fund intends for her to re-enter service carrying her original number, 13268.[1]

Sources

Stanier Mogul Fund website

  1. Severn Valley Railway News 189 (Spring 2015), p57.

See Also

Steam Locomotives
The Severn Valley Railway on the main line