LMS diesel shunter 7051

LMS diesel shunter 7051 was built by the Hunslet Engine Company to demonstrate its wares. After public exhibition in February 1932, it was used for trials at a colliery, before being tested by the LMS. After further public exhibition in February 1933, it was at last purchased by the LMS in May 1933. It was loaned to the War Department from August 1940, which numbered it 27. During 1941–1944 it was returned to the LMS, but in August 1944 it returned to the WD, now numbered 70027. After the end of World War II it was returned to the LMS, but was withdrawn in December 1945 and resold back to Hunslet. Hunslet used the locomotive as a works shunter, but it was also available for hire, and spent time at oil refineries in Essex and with British Railways.

LMS 7051
7051 "John Alcock" at the Middleton Railway
Type and origin Power type Diesel-mechanical Builder Hunslet Engine Company Serial number 1697 Build date February 1932 Total produced 1
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0DM  • UIC C Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Wheel diameter 3 ft 0 in (0.914 m) Wheelbase 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m) Length 23 ft 2 in (7.06 m) Width 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) Height 11 ft 4+3⁄4 in (3.47 m) Loco weight 21 long tons 8 cwt (47,900 lb or 21.7 t) Fuel capacity 100 imperial gallons (450 L; 120 US gal) Prime mover MAN WV16/22 6-cyl of 150 hp (112 kW) at 900 rpm; later McLaren Ricardo MR6 of 132 hp (98 kW) Transmission Hunslet clutch and 4-speed pre-selector gearbox Loco brake Air Train brakes None (Vacuum brake fitted in preservation)
Performance figures Maximum speed 30 mph (48 km/h) Tractive effort 10,520 lbf (46.8 kN)
Career Operators London, Midland and Scottish Railway War Department Hunslet Engine Company Numbers LMS 7401; LMS 7051; WD 27; WD 70027 Withdrawn December 1945 Disposition Preserved

In September 1960 the locomotive was preserved by the Middleton Railway in Leeds and named John Alcock, named after the then current Managing Director of Hunslet Railway Company. It remains at the Middleton Railway, but has spent time on loan to other locations, including the National Railway Museum, York.

See also

• LMS diesel shunters

Literature

• Rowledge, J.W.P. (1975). Engines of the LMS built 1923–51. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company. pp. 36, 42, 72, 84. ISBN 0-902888-59-5.
• Strickland, David C. (September 1983). Locomotive Directory: Every Single One There Has Ever Been. Camberley: Diesel and Electric Group. pp. 23–25. ISBN 978-0-906375-10-5. OCLC 16601890. OL 27959920M. Wikidata Q105978499.
• Tourret, R. (1995). Allied Military Locomotives of the Second World War. Abingdon, Oxon: Tourret Publishing. pp. 36–42. ISBN 0-905878-06-X.