ASPINALL CLASS ‘21’ (‘PUG’) 0-4-0ST No. 19 (LMS No. 11243)
Unlike No. 51218, the other surviving ‘Pug’ has never really been in the preservation limelight – indeed, it has steamed just once since its acquisition from industrial use in 1967 – but, as reported in News, that could be about to change.
Allocated to Manchester’s Newton Heath shed in 1921, it was withdrawn from LMS service ten years later and sold to contractor John Mowlem, who gave it the name Bassett and used it at Southampton Docks in the construction of the King George V graving dock.
Two years later, it was sold on to George Cohen & Sons Ltd, although what work it did for them is unknown. Richard Greenwood says: “If I remember rightly, they were locomotive dealers, so it’s possible they bought it to sell on.” Certainly, in 1935, it changed hands again, moving to United Glass Bottle Manufacturers Ltd at Charlton, London, where it was renamed Prince, and it remained there for the rest of its career.
It was initially saved in January 1967 by a member of the London Railway Preservation Society and kept at Luton (presumably the Ministry of Food cold store that was also the first preservation home of Metropolitan Railway 0-4-4T No. 1), though in October of that year, it headed north to the KWVR. It was transferred into the ownership of what is now the LYR Trust in 1969.
Richard believes that its solitary trial steaming took place in the early 1970s,
but says that it failed owing to “old age”.
“Without even looking too far, there was a heck of a lot that wanted doing,” he recalls.
As a result, it has been a static exhibit ever since, latterly on loan to Steamport Southport – where it had one solitary moment of glory, disguised as scrapped classmate No. 51231 for a photo charter with No. 51218 in 1998, before that former LYR shed was demolished.
Along with the Southport preservation group, No. 19 moved to the Ribble
Steam Railway. It is currently at the East Lancashire Railway, where it will appear at the Spring Steam Gala in March to help celebrate the return of No. 752 (see News), and the LYR Trust has designs on returning it to steam.
Though Richard admits that it is “likely to be quite a heavy job”, the group plans to have the locomotive’s boiler professionally inspected this year, and says that it would be pleased to hear from “anyone interested in (fully or partially) sponsoring” the engine’s restoration. Any takers?