LIMA HO/00 2-6-0 LMS CRAB STEAM LOCOMOTIVE, NIB

History of the Hughes-Fowler ‘Crab’ (Thanks to Wikipedia).

These locomotives got their ‘Crab’ nickname supposedly due to the appearance of the running board, which had its front portion raised to allow space for the cylinders to be set high and at a steep angle. This gave the front end of the locomotive a distinctive ‘Crab’ look, but the design also eased maintenance on the locomotives.

They were built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway between 1926 and 1931. The class was designed by George Hughes and were built under the direction of Sir Henry Fowler, who had replaced Hughes upon his retirement. A total of 245 ‘Crabs’ were built and the building was shared between Crewe and Horwich Works. Originally built as 13000 - 13244, they were subsequently renumbered 2700 - 2944, and following the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, they were numbered 42700 - 42944. The design provided a powerful dual-purpose steam locomotive for mixed traffic use. After a career spanning 40 years, the class was gradually withdrawn from service between 1961 and 1967, as the general rundown of steam traction on British Railways was accelerated.

The locomotives had a 2-6-0 wheel arrangement, with driving wheels of 5ft 6in and pony wheels of 3ft 6½in, the total length being 59ft 3 7/8in. The total un-laden weight is 108 tons 4 hundredweight. The two cylinders are 21in x 26in, with a boiler pressure of 180 pounds per square inch. The locomotives were left hand drive and had a tractive effort of 26,580 pounds. The six wheel tender holds 3,500 gallons of water and five tons of coal, and was designed to be narrower than the locomotive, in order that when forward running, tender first, a good view of the road ahead is available.

Three ‘Crabs’ have survived into preservation. Class pioneer 13000 (once based at Bury in British Railways service) is now part of the National Railway Museum collection and is currently on static display at Locomotion - The National Railway Museum at Shildon, having not steamed for almost 40 years. There are no plans for 13000 to be returned to steam for the foreseeable future. Our own 42765 and another member of the class, 42859, were rescued from the famous Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales. Whereas 42765 is now being prepared for a second period of service on the East Lancashire Railway, 42859 is stored in a largely unrestored condition and there are no timescales known for its restoration to be undertaken.