LMS Stanier Mogul 42968

LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 MogulLocomotive with a 2-6-0 wheel configuration 42968
42968 at Highley in 2011
Built By	LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Crewe Works
Configuration	4-6-0
BRBritish Rail or British Railways rating	5MTThe British Railways system of classifying steam locomotives by power using a number from 0, least powerful, to 9, most powerful, followed by either F for freight, P for Passenger or MT for Mixed Traffic.
Status	Out of service
Loco Number	42968
Other Numbers	13268, 2968
History
Built	1934
Designed By	William StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944
Type	StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 MogulLocomotive with a 2-6-0 wheel configuration
1973	Arrived on SVRSevern Valley Railway
1990	First steamed in preservation
1991	Entered regular service on SVRSevern Valley Railway
1998	Withdrawn for overhaul
2002	Reentered service
2013	Withdrawn for overhaul
Technical
Length	69ft 10¾"
Weight	69t 2cwt
Tractive effort	26,290 lb
Pressure	225 lb/sq in
Steam Locomotives

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 in service

42968 was originally numbered 13268, and entered traffic on 24 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. Fund raising was helped by a raffle organised by the SVRA North West Branch in 1973. After four years the Fund had raised Woodham Bros's asking price, and the loco was hauled to the SVRSevern Valley Railway by rail, arriving 14 December 1973. Restoration began the following year.

The loco moved under her own steam for the first time in preservation on 12 November 1990, completing two light engine round trips between Bridgnorth and Highley. After further light engine trips on the following Thursday, two ECSEmpty Coaching Stock return trips to Kidderminster were scheduled for Monday 19 November. The first of these was terminated at Highley due to a bomb scare at the BSCBritish Steel Corporation, or British Sugar Corporation Foley Park factory, but the afternoon trip was completed without incident. The locomotive officially entered SVRSevern Valley Railway service on 13 April 1991 in LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway livery numbered 2968. Unfortunately, she had to be withdrawn from traffic in December 1993 due to a loose tyre. The autumn 1993 "Tyre a MogulLocomotive with a 2-6-0 wheel configuration in 1994" raffle organised by the SVR Macclesfield Branch and drawn in January 1994 raised over £4,000 net to assist. Following tyre replacement she re-entered service in December 1994.

In 1996 42968 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 2001 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 produced “A Pictorial History of 2968 The Mighty MogulLocomotive with a 2-6-0 wheel configuration”. This includes comprehensive reports and pictures of the locomotive’s main line tours. Copies of this publication may still be available from the SMF’s sales stand. A complete list of main line appearances is as follows:

Date	Tour name	Route	Notes	Web	SVRSevern Valley Railway News
31 Aug 1996		Kidderminster-Gloucester + return	Test run with support coach		121-44
07 Dec 1996	Lyndum Fayre	Dorridge - Lincoln - Dorridge		SBJ
21 Dec 1996	Cumbrian Mountain Express	Crewe - Carlisle	Deputising for 60009 Union of South Africa
04 Jan 1997	Cumbrian Mountain Express	Carlisle - Crewe	Deputising for 60009 Union of South Africa	SBJ	122-4
11 Jan 1997	Taffy Apple	Worcester Shrub Hill - Swansea - Worcester	D/H with 7325	UKS	122-4
08 Mar 1997	MogulLocomotive with a 2-6-0 wheel configuration Mountaineer	Crewe - Copy Pit - York		SBJ	123-7
18 Oct 1997	Welsh Dragon	Port Talbot - Shrewsbury	Gross load 365 tons, or 50% overload	SBJ	125-9
19 Oct 1997	Ynys Mon Express	Crewe - Holyhead - Crewe		SBJ	126-46
25 Oct 1997	Meldon Meanderer	Bristol - Exeter - Meldon Quarry	D/H with 7325, replacing 7802 (failed with hot box at Bristol)	SBJ	125-70
08 Nov 1997	Pilgrims Progres	Exeter - Plymouth - Bristol	D/H with 7325	SBJ	125-70
15 Nov 1997	Hardy Flyer	Bristol Temple Meads - Yeovil Pen Mill - Bristol	D/H with 7325	SBJ	126-48
22 Nov 1997	Lickey Incliner	Bristol-Bromsgrove-Stourbridge-Gloucester	D/H with 7325, first preserved steam on the Lickey Incline	SBJ	126-2
12 Dec 1997	Chester Chuffer	Wolverhampton - Chester - Wolverhampton		UKS	126-49
03 Jan 1998	Central Wales Adventurer	Shrewsbury - Llandrindod Wells* - Craven Arms* - Gloucester	*Tour re-routed due to flooding	UKS	126-50
31 Jan 1998	Inclined Salopian	Gloucester - Lickey Incline - Bescot	D/H with 7325	UKS	126-49
16 May 1998	Steam on the Met	Amersham-Watford shuttles		UKS
17 May 1998	Steam on the Met	Amersham-Watford shuttles		UKS	127-15
23 May 1998	Steam on the Met	Amersham-Watford shuttles		UKS
24 May 1998	Steam on the Met	Amersham-Watford shuttles		UKS
25 May 1998	Steam on the Met	Amersham-Watford shuttles		UKS	127-32
For further information on sources and references, see The Severn Valley Railway on the main line

A boiler inspection in February 1998 found that firebox crown stays were wasted below Railtrackprivate sector owner of the national railway system from 1994 until 2002, created as part of the privatisation of British Rail. Succeeded by Network Rail requirements for main line working, curtailing further railtours. However the locomotive continued in SVRSevern Valley Railway service and was invited by London Underground to take part in that year's 'Steam on the Met'. Later that year, the locomotive 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.

The latest overhaul began in early 2014. The locomotive was re-wheeled on 29 October 2019. The boiler successfully passed a hydraulic test in March 2023, marking the start of a new '10-year ticket'. As of 2023 work is progressing on the boiler, frames and other components at Bridgnorth Loco Works. 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 the locomotive to re-enter service carrying its original number, 13268.

Gallery

• 

  42968's boiler at Bridgnorth in May 2016

See also

Steam Locomotives
The Severn Valley Railway on the main line
SVR-based locomotives visiting other events
Rolling stock currently under restoration
Locomotives running under different identities

References

Links

Stanier Mogul Fund website
LMS Stanier Mogul on Wikipedia