The 42765 ‘Crab’ Overhaul Appeal

History of the Hughes-Fowler ‘Crab’

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 After a career spanning 40 years, the class was gradually withdrawn from service between 1961 and 1967, as the general rundown of steam traction on British Railways was accelerated.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 2700 (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 2700 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.

42765 Restoration Progress

42765 was restored to traffic following restoration from scrap condition in August 1993. After ten years reliable service on the East Lancashire Railway, the locomotive was withdrawn in 2003 upon expiry of the locomotive’s boiler certificate.

A brief period in store followed, before the locomotive was fully stripped down to allow an extensive inspection and overhaul to begin, It is anticipated that the total cost of the overhaul will be in the region of £300,000 to completion.

Boiler Work

Following a comprehensive survey and ultrasonic test of the locomotive’s boiler at Bury, the contract for the boiler overhaul was awarded to LNWR at Crewe. Work on the boiler has been progressing steadily, with the following work undertaken:

• Removal of all large tubes.
• Removal of all small tubes.
• Removal and refurbishment of foundation ring.
• Needle gun cleaning and de-scaling of the inside and outside of the boiler barrel and the front tubeplate.
• Removal of the boiler studs on the backhead and re-tapping of the stud holes.
• Fitting of shoulder patches to the boiler backhead. These have been fitted and will contribute greatly to the strength of the boiler in this area.

The locomotives boiler will be fitted with a new smokebox and this component has already been rolled and is now ready for fitting. A new smokebox door has also been manufactured and this is also now ready for fitting.

Although the boiler overhaul is progressing well, there are still a number of items requiring attention as part of the restoration. Work still be tackled includes repairs to some grooving inside the boiler, the renewal of the lower throatplate section, the renewal of all stays as required, and re-assembly of the boiler, including a full set of small and large tubes, and other sundry items required. Once these items have been completed the boiler will be ready for statutory hydraulic and steam tests.

It is thought that the majority of the outstanding work required has been identified and it is anticipated that work on the boiler will be completed at Crewe in mid-2009.

Locomotive Frames & Fittings

Most work on the frames is yet to begin in earnest, although a full assessment of the frames and wheelsets has taken place. The frames are currently being cleaned ready for lifting from the wheels.

A major source of expenditure will arise from the need for the locomotive’s driving wheel tyres to be renewed and it is anticipated that an order for a new set of tyres will be placed soon, due to the time taken for delivery of these items. It is also possible that the journals may need to be re-profiled, although this will not be known until that axle boxes have been removed for overhaul.

Many of the cab fittings have been overhauled ready for fitting. A full inspection and general repair of the mechanical parts is also due to take place in the near future.

Some of the cylinder steam passages are showing evidence of wastage and these will need to be replaced with new castings.

It is planned to accurately align the frames for the locomotive, with the work being done by a contractor using specialist equipment. The main benefit of this work is that accurately aligned parts will have a longer service life.

Tender

Upon inspection of the tender tank, it was found that the interior of the tender tank had suffered from extensive corrosion and was deemed to be beyond economic repair. A new tender tank was therefore ordered from locomotive engineering company, Riley and Son Engineering, who share our Locomotive Works complex at Bury.

The old tank was lifted from the tender frames so that further examinations could be carried out to the areas that were not visible whilst the tank was fitted to the chassis. This revealed that both the front and rear drag boxes were suffering from serious corrosion. This section carries the drawgear that attaches the engine to the tender and is an area that is often in regular contact with coal dust and water, which is the main cause of the corrosion. The front drag box has since been completely replaced and the rear drag box has been stripped down, de-scaled and painted.

Another problem, which was discovered when the wheelsets were removed from the tender chassis, has been some cracking found on the wheel centre on one of the axles.

Riley and Son Engineering staff have completed the construction of the new tender tank and this has now been placed onto a flat wagon to allow East Lancashire Railway staff and volunteers to begin work on preparing the new tank for fitting and painting. The tender tank has subsequently been given a coat of red oxide paint, had all excess welding marks removed and the tank has now received a coat of black paint.

Work has also commenced on the tender chassis. The frames have been painstakingly cleaned, sanded and needle-gunned by volunteers from our steam locomotive department. The inner frames have now been completed, benefiting from several coats of black undercoat and gloss, and work is now well underway on the outer frames.

How You Can Help

Whilst the overhaul work on the locomotive is progressing well, we still need your help to enable the return of 42765 to steam for service on the East Lancashire Railway. As you can see from reading this leaflet, work is now well underway on the restoration of this classic LMS workhorse. Our 42765 ‘Crab’ Overhaul Appeal was first launched in 2006 to members and supporters of the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society and the success of this initial appeal has allowed a great deal of progress to be made on the locomotive. However, we intend to return the locomotive to service by 2010 and are raising £300,000 to fund the restoration. Although, through our members support more than £80,000 has been raised to-date, we still need to raise in excess of £200,000 to ensure that the locomotive can be returned to service in time for our 2010 target.

A range of incentives are being offered for contributors to the appeal and we are seeking individuals prepared to make one-off donations towards the appeal and also people to support the appeal by monthly standing order payments over a 36 month period. It is possible to donate over a shorter or longer period of time, should you so wish.

The money raised from the ‘Crab’ appeal is paid into a special ring-fenced bank account, under the management of East Lancashire Railway Holdings Co Ltd (Registered Charity No. 1107332). If you are a tax payer you may wish to consider signing a Gift Aid Declaration, which allows the charity to collect an extra 28 pence for each pound you donate, at no additional cost to yourself.

The 42765 ‘Crab’ Overhaul Appeal is managed by:

East Lancashire Railway Holdings Co Ltd
Bolton Street Station
Bury
BL9 0EY

How to Donate & Appeal Benefits

We need your help to return 42765 to steam as soon as possible. Work on the overhaul of this important locomotive is already well underway, but with your help we can return it to traffic sooner. If you would like to see this classic locomotive back in service on the East Lancashire Railway, please support this fundraising appeal.

As a thank you to our contributors, all contributions received will receive a special ‘Certificate of Contribution’. For contributors who donate at least £10 per month for at least 36 months*, the following exciting incentives are available to recognise your generosity:

• £10 per month - ‘Certificate of Contribution’ at the end of the funding period plus a seat on an exclusive ’Special Inaugural Return to Service’ train, which will be the first official passenger train hauled by 42765 (after loaded test runs) following completion of the overhaul.
• £20 per month - As £10 per month benefits plus an additional seat on the inaugural return to service train for a guest of your choice.
• £30 per month - As £20 per month benefits plus four East Lancashire Railway Complimentary tickets.
• £40 per month - As £30 per month benefits plus a replica ’26D’ shedplate, similar to that carried on the locomotive.
• £50 per month - As £40 per month benefits plus a replica ‘42765’ smokebox number plate, similar to that carried on the locomotive.
• £100 per month - As £50 per month benefits, plus one person in a group of two for a half day Footplate Experience Course.

* Please note that these benefits are applicable for contributors making their contributions over at least 36 months. Donations of an equivalent amount over a shorter period will also qualify (ie £20 per month over 18 months will qualify for the same benefit as £10 over 36 months), subject to minimum amounts. Benefits will be issued at the end of the donation period., with the exception of seats on the inaugural train.

If you wish to support this worthwhile fundraising scheme please click here to download a Donation Form, complete it and, if applicable, the Gift Aid Declaration, and return them to: