Severn Valley Railway (SVR) has welcomed the return to passenger service of Stanier 2-6-0 Mogul 2968 on Saturday 2 December.

The locomotive is the sole surviving member of its class, and had not steamed on SVR for more than ten years. In December, the loco hauled the Enchanted Express service between Bridgnorth and Highley, with the Stanier Mogul Fund hailing this as a ‘momentous milestone’.

On Saturday 30 December, the Fund ran a Mince Pie Steam Special, which two hundred members and supporters took part in, demonstrating their support and interest in the one-of-a-kind locomotive.

2968 was one of forty locomotives built between 1933 and 1934 at Crewe, to the second new design introduced after LMS appointed Stanier as its Chief Mechanical Engineer. Stanier developed the Moguls from the Hughes Crab, and added the tapered boilers that he had worked with during his time at the GWR. The Stanier Moguls, which were nicknamed ‘North West Crabs’, had a higher working boiler pressure than their predecessor locos, and were allocated to both freight and passenger workings.

During its career, 2968 covered almost 750,000 miles, and SVR describes its return to service as “absolute proof that determination pays off”.

The Fund has been working on the restoration for several years, and after a break, resumed its efforts in August 2020.

The SMF has been raising funds for 2968’s overhaul for several years. More information is available on the SMF’s website.

SMF committee member Peter Holder said, “We’re thrilled to see the Mogul return to life. It has seen its most comprehensive overhaul since preservation and the results speak for themselves; the workmanship is simply stunning. Though if you think it is looking spectacular now, wait until you see its fully-lined-out guise as LMS 13268, when the loco emerges from Bridgnorth’s paint shop in the coming months.”