NRM | Collections | Locomotives

Shunting Revolutionary to Heritage Survivor

LMS 7050 is a diesel survivor from the age of steam. Built as an experiment to cut shunting costs in the 1930s, it was the first serious attempt to compare running costs between steam and diesel power on Britain’s railways.

Shunting was the process of making up and reconfiguring goods trains in thousands of yards and sidings across the UK. It was an expensive and time-consuming process and LMS 7050 was designed to cut these costs.

In 1935 the experiment was deemed a success, and the LMS ordered more diesel shunters to replace the old steam locomotives working its goods yards.

Locomotive inventory number