Five-piece Frame plate For Stanier ‘mogul’
Stanier ‘Mogul’ No. 13268 will emerge from its latest overhaul with a frame plate comprising five sections – dating from 1934, 1957 and 2017/18. Approximately two feet of the unique LMS 2‑6‑0’s right‑ hand frame, from the centre of the driving axlebox horn back towards the cab, has been replaced following the discovery of a crack from the top of the horn that, in the words of Severn Valley Railway Works Manager Neil Taylor, “had gone up through two rivet holes and was heading north.” As a result, points out Jim Norman – archivist of its owning group the Stanier Mogul Fund – this frame plate alternates between old and new five times. As detailed in SR453 In the Works, the front section of the frame as far back as the rear of the cylinder (along with both cylinder castings) was renewed in 1957, which the SMF believes to be the result of substantial collision damage. From the rear of the cylinder to the centre of the driving horn gap is the original frame plate from when No. 13268 was built at Crewe in 1934; followed by the latest replacement section, then by more original frame, and finally by a replacement rear section and dragbox fitted last year. Conversely, most of the left‑ hand frame is original, except for the rear section that was also replaced as part of the new dragbox. Unlike the ‘Black Fives’ that followed them, frame cracking was never a serious problem on the Stanier ‘Moguls’, says Mr Norman: “We’ve only found cracks in the right‑hand frame, because the piston leads on that side” (like most two‑cylinder locomotives, the right‑hand crankpin is set 90º ahead of the left‑hand one). Mr Taylor estimates that the extra work has delayed the overhaul by approximately six to eight weeks: “We couldn’t do any work on the horns until we had a solid datum point to work from.” He concludes: “We’ve effectively done two overhauls’ worth of work rather than just doing enough to get it going again. “It won’t be long before we start to replace whole frames on locomotives of this age.” The locomotive’s wheels have returned from South Devon Railway Engineering after having their tyres turned, and work has begun to strip its boiler for overhaul, although the latter will not become the main priority until the boiler from BR ‘4MT’ 4‑6‑0 No. 75069 is complete (see main text). However, it is hoped that it will be in reasonably good condition, as the SVR was using reverse osmosis‑treated water throughout its previous ‘ten year’ ticket, from 2003 to 2013. Previously running in BR black as No. 42968, the Stanier ‘Mogul’ is to spend its next boiler certificate in LMS livery as No. 13268 – the identity with which it emerged from Crewe in January 1934, but which was superseded by the number 2968 in September 1935 and has not been carried since. Its tender has already been finished in LMS lined black (see SR475 News in Pictures). For more details of the locomotive and its owners, visit www.staniermogulfund.org.uk