North London Railway

North London Railway

The North London Railway was a railway company that opened lines connecting the north of London to the East and West India Docks. The main east to west route is now part the North London Line. Other lines operated by the company fell into disuse, but were later revived as part of the Docklands...

 (NLR) Crane Tank was a 0-4-2ST steam locomotive crane tank

Crane tank

A crane tank is a steam locomotive with a crane fitted to it. The crane may be fitted at the front, centre or rear of the locomotive and gives it a rather "top heavy" appearance...

 type. Originally built in 1858 as a Sharp-Stewart 0-4-0ST, it was rebuilt into an 0-4-2ST with a steam crane

Steam crane

A steam crane is a crane powered by a steam engine. It may be fixed or mobile and, if mobile, it may run on rail tracks, caterpillar tracks, road wheels, or be mounted on a barge...

 carried by the trailing truck in 1872. NLR Number 29A; it was subsequently inherited by the LNWR in 1908, who gave it the number 2896, in turn the LMS in 1923 (No. 7217, later placed on duplicate list as 27217), and British Railways in 1948 (BR No. 58865). It was the oldest locomotive to be inherited by BR. And when finally withdrawn in 1951, it was the oldest surviving standard gauge engine in service with British Railways. It was scrapped at Derby Works

Derby Works

The Midland Railway Locomotive Works, known locally as "the loco" comprised a number of British manufacturing facilities in Derby building locomotives and, initially, rolling stock in Derby, UK.-Early days:...

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Further reading

• Essery and Jenkinson An Illustrated History of LMS Locomotives Volume 2. Absorbed Pre-Group Classes Western and Central Divisions.