Graham Farish 372-911 N Gauge LMS 10001 Black & Silver

The LMS 'Twins' Nos. 10000 and 10001 were the first mainline diesel locomotives built in Great Britain. A joint venture between the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) and English Electric, the pair were first conceived in 1946. The body and chassis design was undertaken by the LMS#s Chief Mechanical Engineer H. G. Ivatt, and English Electric provided the engine, electric systems and machinery. Construction of No. 10000 began at Derby Works in 1947 and the locomotive was outshopped in December of that year, days before Nationalisation of Britain#s railways.

Both locomotives entered traffic in an eye-catching black and silver livery, with large chrome numbers fitted at each end of the bodysides, below the cab windows. The letters LMS were also applied in chrome to No. 10000, however No. 10001 did not enter service until mid-1948, with British Railways completing its construction, and so it entered traffic with neither LMS nor BR markings.

The locomotives worked both singularly and as a pair on the Midland Main Line and West Coast Main Line, hauling named expresses and lower key services, and venturing north of the border into Scotland. Interconnecting doors were fitted within the noses of each engine, allowing crew and personnel to move between the two in motion, but this feature was seldom used.

In 1953 the Twins were sent to the Southern Region, being fitted with an additional pair of marker lights and lamp brackets beforehand which made them compatible with the SR#s practice of using headcodes to denote both train types and routes. During a two year period on the Southern Region the Twins worked alongside the Southern's own diesel prototypes before returning to the Midland Region in 1955.

As prototypes, changes and modifications were made to the locomotives during the years and this included the fitting of water scoops to allow water for the steam heat boiler to be collected from troughs located between the rails 'on the move'. Ironically, in common with many early diesels, the performance of the steam heat boilers was woeful, and in colder months the pair were often relegated to freight workings where steam heat provision was not required.

By the late-1950s new, production series diesel locomotives were arriving en-masse and whilst their time in service had been highly educational and helped to shape the BR diesel fleet, the writing was on the wall for this pair on non-standard prototypes. No. 10000 was officially withdrawn in December 1963, whilst No. 10001 lasted to March 1966, kept going with components salvaged from its Twin. Sadly, neither was saved and both were subsequently scrapped, but their legacy carried on in the Class 40s, 50s and 56s which all used versions of the English Electric 16SVT engine and today, works is ongoing to build a replica of No. 10000.