LMR 57 Lion

Liverpool and Manchester Railway 57 Lion

LMR 57 Lion

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Todd, Kitson & Laird Build date 1838

Specifications Configuration 0-4-2 UIC class 1'B Driver dia. 5 ft 0 in (1.524 m) Boiler pressure 50 psi (0.34 MPa) Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size 12 in × 18 in (305 mm × 457 mm)

Performance figures Tractive effort 2,160 lbf (9.6 kN)

Career Operators Liverpool and Manchester Railway (until 1859), Mersey Docks and Harbour Board Locale Great Britain First run February 1836 Withdrawn 1859 Disposition Used as stationary boiler 1859-1920s, now preserved.

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Todd, Kitson & Laird
Build date	1838

Specifications
Configuration	0-4-2
UIC class	1'B
Driver dia.	5 ft 0 in (1.524 m)
Boiler pressure	50 psi (0.34 MPa)
Cylinders	Two, inside
Cylinder size	12 in × 18 in (305 mm × 457 mm)

Performance figures
Tractive effort	2,160 lbf (9.6 kN)

Career
Operators	Liverpool and Manchester Railway (until 1859), Mersey Docks and Harbour Board
Locale	Great Britain
First run	February 1836
Withdrawn	1859
Disposition	Used as stationary boiler 1859-1920s, now preserved.

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (LMR) 57 Lion is an early 0-4-2 steam locomotive, which had a top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) and could pull up to 200 tons (203 tonnes). One of a pair designed for hauling freight (the other, number 58 was called Tiger), built by Todd, Kitson & Laird (later Kitsons) of Leeds in 1838. It was also used in the 1952 film The Titfield Thunderbolt.

In 1845 the LMR was absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway (GJR), which in turn was one of the constituents of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) a year later. Lion received a new boiler about 1845. It was used in traffic until about 1858, and in 1859 it was sold to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board for use as a stationary engine. It was used in that role until 1928 when it was replaced by an electric pump. It was then "rediscovered", renovated and displayed in the Transport Gallery of the Liverpool Museum. Lion's tender had long since been scrapped so one from an early Furness Railway locomotive was restored to run with her.

Lion took part in the LMR centenary celebrations in 1930 and the London and Birmingham Railway centenary in 1938. It starred in the 1953 film The Titfield Thunderbolt, among others. During the filming of Thunderbolt the tender was damaged in a shunting accident, the damage still being visible. It is the second oldest locomotive to be steamed, the older being the British-built American locomotive John Bull. For many years, Lion was on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester alongside replica Liverpool and Manchester Railway locomotive Planet.

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Wikipedia