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Crimson Lake crab rolled out


Sir Hadyn

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December 22nd 2010 saw the NRM team at Shildon roll out the first Crab in Crimson Lake since the 1930s. The class pioneer has been in LMS black as 2700 since preservation, but recent conservation work gave us the chance to paint her in maroon as 13000 as she was when new. We know there are some detail differences - but hope you enjoy the end product as much as we do!

 

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That looks absolutely gorgeous! A friend of mine has a photo of his dad in the cab of a "Crab" in this livery, from his footplate days at Willesden. Although we have a model version, seeing the full size loco in that livery really brings home just how spectacular some of the earlier liveries were. I am not old enough to really remember "real" steam so I have no particular affinity, as many do, for the 1960's black and (as a friend calls it!) GWR "cowpat" green. I now model pregrouping railways but the "Crab" just seems to belong in that era, with its L & Y parentage, even though it is really an LMS design.

 

Well done the NRM for taking the plunge and doing something very worthwhile in my view.

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Thanks Larry, I was wondering about the reach rod too, but was not about to argue with the NRM!

 

Painting a Crab crimson may be authentic but with their LY parentage and their general familarity as a black engine it does seem strange. That said, I think the NRM ringing the changes on locos like this and the streamlining of the Duchess keeps the museum alive.

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Not sure what all the small structural innacuracies are to make in not really correct in red livery apart from tender coal rails, but I don't think it matters much. The first 100 or so were red and it does give the public a chance to see what these engines looked like when first introduced.

 

Bachmann, Dapol and Hornby please note the shade of lake (for LMS and BR post 1956 maroon stock) and that it looks richer when it is not matt....

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Phil H :

Is it ever going to be a runner?

I can almost feel your enthusiasm for driving it from here Phil. :D But your fireman might not like the injectors.

 

I heard or read a story once that under BR they were initially 6P/5F and someone said they should be 5MT. This was frowned upon because such a move would lead to reducing the load of excursions trains that the Crabs routinely hauled!

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Thanks All

 

Yes, it may seem odd, but my reasoning behind the repaint was that the engine needed some serious conservation work which would interfere with it structurally and necessitate a touch up if not repaint, particularly as it is to go back to York in 2011 for display - so my brain said "BR black, LMS black or LMS Crimson Lake?". At that stage, we chose the latter because it was a livery that had not been seen for a long time and if done well would refresh the loco and be a real exhibition piece. Phil Anderson the painter and signwriter has really made it so.

 

Little did we know that the East Lancs Railway had decided to turn their Crab out in red too...as 13065!

 

The attached image is the main one we worked from, being off an LMS poster of 1926 - and yes, I see we missed the reach rod. Will try and sort that after Christmas, thanks! You can also see the main differences - coal rails, pony truck brakes and drain cocks...

 

http://nationalrailwaymuseum.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lms-crab001.jpg

 

We also used the Jenkinson & Essery LMS locomotive books, the recent RCTS Crab book and the Wild Swan LMS loco series Crab book plus evidence off the loco itself. The shade looks different in sun and shade and is from Williamson's of Ripon.

 

As for will it run again? I doubt it. Withdrawn in 1967 and then run at Keighley until it would not run anymore around 1970-1, it is tired mechanically and worn out in the boiler department. It has basically been untouched since apart from the previous repaint into LMS black at Derby about 30 years ago. There is 1/8" play between the axleboxes and the hornguides for instance, poor thing!

 

Anyhow, glad to know it is already bringing pleasure, it'll be on view at Shildon from 4th January and at some date in the Spring before she goes down to York, we'll have a public photo session for her outside.

 

Cheers

Anthony

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December 22nd 2010 saw the NRM team at Shildon roll out the first Crab in Crimson Lake since the 1930s. The class pioneer has been in LMS black as 2700 since preservation, but recent conservation work gave us the chance to paint her in maroon as 13000 as she was when new. We know there are some detail differences - but hope you enjoy the end product as much as we do!

 

dsc04271a.jpg[/img]

 

Beautifully done that. This, along with 6229 must go down as the most stunning repaints of the last two years.

 

Now imagine if a certain can of worms was painted in this correct shade - would we all moan about the boiler not being right for the livery? I highly doubt it!

 

Well, not as much perhaps! :lol:

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Whilst my abiding memory of Crabs is a workstained, dirty and often ill maintained loco clanking by Linney Lane overbridge in Shaw, and will always be so, I've got to say that it looks stunning in that livery, it suits them very much indeed. The paint job and lining is a credit to those who did it, nice to see real craftsmanship still exists rather than someone rolling a vynyl overlay on a 185 :D

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There's a third Crab somewhere (42859?), last I read of it was that it remains a rusty kit of parts in basically ex-Barry condition (lots of bits missing) and sits on an airfield site in (I think) Yorks or Lincs.

 

Does anyone have any more info?

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There's a third Crab somewhere (42859?), last I read of it was that it remains a rusty kit of parts in basically ex-Barry condition (lots of bits missing) and sits on an airfield site in (I think) Yorks or Lincs.

 

Does anyone have any more info?

 

Thats the long and short of it I'm afraid.

 

Crimson Lake does look nice on what is a rather unglamourous engine.

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Thanks 60B/Mike - I had a feeling it wasn't going to steam for a while yet :rolleyes: .

Do you know if it's intended for an established scheme/preserved line?

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