Ironclad 0-6-0 LMS 12042 Steam Locomotive

Ironclad 0-6-0 LMS 12042 Steam Locomotive

1:76 scale model produced by Rapido Trains. This model is ready-to-run straight out of the box and would make a excellent addition to any model railway collection.

Features:

• Analogue DC Model
• This model mainly operates in Britain
• Decorated in LMS company markings
• Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Class 25
• No. 12042
• LMS Livery (cabside number)
• L&Y Style Smokebox Door
• 1 Piece Boiler Handrail
• Ramsbottom Safety Valves
• Coreless motor with flywheel
• 21 pin decoder socket in tender
• Large tender mounted speaker
• MoPower stay-alive fitted.
• Plunger loco pickups
• Tender wheel bearing pickups
• Dynamic firebox flicker
• NEM pockets front and rear
• Suitable for operation on 2nd radius curves (438mm or greater)

Details

The L&Y Class 25 was introduced by William Barton Wright following his appointment as Locomotive Superintendent of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1875. Seeking to modernise an ageing fleet, Barton Wright ordered a new class of 0-6-0 tender locomotives, with the first 22 engines built by Kitson & Co. between 1876 and 1878, based on a design supplied to the Taff Vale Railway.

The design proved highly successful, leading to further orders from Sharp, Stewart & Co. and construction at the railway’s Miles Platting works, alongside additional batches from Vulcan Foundry and Beyer, Peacock & Company. By 1887, a total of 280 locomotives had been built.

Although intended for freight, the Class 25 quickly demonstrated its versatility on mixed traffic duties, earning the nickname “Ironclad”. Under John Aspinall, many were later rebuilt as saddle tanks for shunting and local goods work, reflecting changing operational needs.

The class passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, receiving a 2F classification, and later to British Railways. Withdrawals began in 1930, but the final example survived until 1959 after an impressive 72-year career.

Preservation was secured when No. 957 was saved by Tony Cox in 1960. Now based on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, the locomotive gained worldwide recognition as the “Green Dragon” in the classic film The Railway Children, cementing its place in railway history and making it a popular subject for model railway enthusiasts.