LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Nuneaton

Stockingford Station: mrs1889

Ex-L&Y 0-6-0 No 52465 stands by the water crane during shunting duties in Stockingford marshalling yard circa 1950. For a number of years a stud of Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway 0-6-0s were allocated to Nuneaton for working the branch, this being their only booked duly. The L&Y engines used were all left-hand drive as the men preferred these for shunting at the pit top and for travelling tender-first up the branch with a load of empties. The last L&Y engine to work the branch was No 52201 in 1956, being replaced by Midland 3F and 4F O-6-Os. Built as L&Y No 1600 by Horwich works in September 1918, the locomotive was renumbered in 1924 by the LMS as No 12465 and finally by BR in February 1949 which it carried until July 1955 when it was withdrawn from service to be scrapped. The legend 'British Railways' applied to the tender was the first of four models of corporate branding and was only applied during the first two years of nationalisation (1948-1950): the "Cycling Lion" (1950-1956); the "Ferret & Dartboard" crest (1956–1965) including a circular variant; and the British Rail "Double Arrow" (1965).

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