Bachmann Branchline 32-178.OW Crab 2-6-0 Mogul 2715 & tender in LMS lined black. OFFER OF THE WEEK

Refered to by the nickname of the 'Horwich Crab', or simply just 'Crab', this distinctive 2-6-0 tender locomotive owed its origins to George Hughes, CME of the L&Y Railway. Although the very earliest of the LMS mainline classes, the engine bore many hallmarks of its Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway ancestry such the smmoke box and cabs shapes, the cab controls and fittings. Most of all it was the steeply inclined cylinders and the correspondingly high running plates which were characteristic. It is believed the nickname 'Crab' was bestowed upon the class due to the visual effect of the Walschaert valve gear in operation. A total of 245 were outshopped in total over a seven year production period, Horwich buily 78, with the remainder being constructed in the ex-LNWR works at Crewe. Hughes, who eventually became the initial CME of the LMS, retired in 1925 before production of his Mogul commenced. His Mogul enjoyed an excellent working life over a 40-year period, without need for major modification and was only superseded on certain services by the influx of the superior Stanier 'Black Five'. They enjoyed a high level of popularity with their crews and maintenance personnel alike. Withdrawals commenced in 1961 and the final crab disappeared in 1967.