LMR 57 ''Lion''

Liverpool and Manchester Railway 57 Lion
LMR 57 Lion
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Builder Todd, Kitson & Laird
Build date 1838
Specifications
Configuration:
 ​
 • Whyte 0-4-2
 • UIC 1'B
Driver dia. 5 ft 0 in (1.524 m)
Boiler pressure 50 psi (0.34 MPa)
Cylinders Two, inside
Cylinder size 12 in × 18 in (305 mm × 457 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort 2,160 lbf (9.6 kN)
Career
Operators Liverpool and Manchester Railway (until 1859), Mersey Docks and Harbour Board
Locale Great Britain
First run February 1836
Withdrawn 1859
Disposition Used as stationary boiler 1859-1920s, now preserved.[1]

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (LMR) 57 Lion is an early 0-4-2 steam locomotive, which had a top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) and could pull up to 200 tons (203 tonnes).[2] One of a pair designed for hauling freight (the other, number 58 was called Tiger), built by Todd, Kitson & Laird (later Kitsons) of Leeds in 1838. It was also used in the 1953 film The Titfield Thunderbolt.

History

In 1845 the LMR was absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway (GJR), which in turn was one of the constituents of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) a year later. Lion received a new boiler about 1845. This replaced the pointed firebox of the original haycock boiler with a round-topped boiler with raised firebox wrapper.

It was used in traffic until about 1858, and in 1859 it was sold to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board for use as a stationary engine, worked only intermittently as a pump at Prince's Dock. It was used in that role until 1928 when it was replaced by an electric pump. It was then "rediscovered" by C.W. Reed, and renovated by Crewe works. Lion's tender had long since been scrapped so one from an early Furness Railway locomotive was restored to run with her.

Lion took part in the LMR centenary celebrations in 1930 and the London and Birmingham Railway centenary in 1938. Although the round-topped firebox was kept, it was covered in a new wrapper representing the original haycock shape.

Before World War II, Lion was displayed at Lime Street station. During the war it was stored at Crewe and afterwards displayed in the Transport Gallery of Liverpool Museum. In later years, Lion was on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester alongside replica Liverpool and Manchester Railway locomotive Planet.

It starred in the 1953 film The Titfield Thunderbolt, among others. During the filming of Thunderbolt the tender was damaged in a shunting accident, the damage still being visible. It is the second oldest locomotive to be steamed, the oldest being the British-built American locomotive John Bull.

On 27 February 2007, Lion was moved by road from Manchester to Liverpool for conservation work prior to it becoming an exhibit in the new Museum of Liverpool.[3]

Other locomotives

London, Midland and Scottish Railway Royal Scot Class 4-6-0 locomotive 6142 was originally named Lion. This loco was built by the North British Locomotive Company at Glasgow in November 1927 and withdrawn in January 1964 as 46142 The York and Lancaster Regiment.

D0260, a prototype diesel locomotive built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company in 1962 was named Lion.

British Rail Class 08 diesel shunter 13030 (later D3030 then 08022) was sold to Guinness at Park Royal in 1985 where it was given the name Lion. It and its sister locomotive Unicorn now reside on the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Casserley, H.C. (1960). Historic locomotive pocket book. London: Batsford. pp. 9–10.
  2. ↑ Tufnell, Robert (1986). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Railway Locomotives. Chartwell Books, Inc. ISBN 9781555210861.
  3. ↑ "Train leaves city - by road!". Manchester Evening News. 27 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-28.

Further reading

  • Bailey, Michael R. (2014). "The Patentee Type: Lion 0-4-2". Loco Motion. The History Press. pp. 120–122. ISBN 978-0-7524-9101-1.
  • Reed, C.W. (June 1953), "Resurrection of the old Lion", Railway World
  • Reed, C.W. (1957), "The iron 'Lion': Locomotive, pump engine, film star", Journal of the Stephenson Locomotive Society, 33, 312
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