Hughes/Fowler Class 5F "Crab"
Class 5F No 42765 at Kidderminster station, Severn Valley Railway, September 2001
Technical Data
Introduced : 1926
Number built : 245
Wheel arrangement : 2-6-0 "Mogul"
Wheel arrangement : 2-6-0 "Mogul"
Glossary
Mixed Traffic engine : a locomotive that is intended to haul both passenger and freight trains.
Prior to the Grouping, the Caledonian Railway had designed a 2-6-0 mixed traffic engine, which George Hughes decided had potential for use by the LMS. However, the restrictive loading gauge of the former Midland lines meant that inclining the cylinders was a necessity and the final design had extremely inclined cylinders which coupled with a raised running plate at the front end, made the locomotive somewhat distinctive. Hughes decided on a parallel Belpaire boiler for the locomotive pressurised to no more than 180 lb per sq inch, which meant that the cylinders had dimensions of 21 inches diameter by 26 inches of stroke, using long lap Walschaerts valve gear. This arrangement would result in the nickname "Land Crabs" or just "Crabs".
Hughes retired before the locomotives were finished, and the designs ended up
with Fowler, who promptly proceeded to apply Derby engineering principles to the
design, somewhat to the detriment of the original Horwich design. The boiler
design was retained, only because it was too late to get a standard Derby boiler
onto the engine, but a lot of the other parts became pure Derby. Worst of all,
the locomotives were given standard Derby tenders which were narrower than the
locomotive, spoiling the lines of the original design. These tenders were to
remain with the locomotives throughout their working lives.
Although intended as a freight engine, the "Crabs" unofficially became a
mixed traffic engine, so could occasionally be found on passenger services. By
the end of their career, British Railway officially recognised them as such,
giving them the power classification of 5P5F. They were considered to be a
successful design and were the only non-Derby inspired design of the Fowler
era.
Original Number | Built at | Year of Building |
13000-13006 | Horwich | 1926 |
13007-13029 | Horwich | 1927 |
13030-13035 | Crewe | 1926 |
13036-13099 | Crewe | 1927 |
13100-13107 | Crewe | 1928 |
13108-13109 | Crewe | 1929 |
13110-13129 | Horwich | 1929 |
13130-13149 | Horwich | 1930 |
13150-13224 | Crewe | 1930 |
13225-13234 | Crewe | 1931 |
13235-13244 | Crewe | 1932 |
The class was renumbered in 1934 to become numbers 2700-2944, with
40000 being added to these numbers upon nationalisation.
Preservation
Three examples are preserved; numbers 2700 (A static exhibit at
the National Railway Museum, and currently liveried into LMS Crimson as
13000), (4)2765 (currently running on the East Lancashire Railway in LMS Crimson
as 13065) & 2859 (currently awaiting restoration, but with its tender and boiler scrapped, it could be quite time - if ever - before it is operational again).