{"product_id":"9-12-inch-gauge-lbscr-mogul-stock-code-5410","title":"9 1\/2 inch gauge LB\u0026SCR Mogul","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eLawson Billinton was the locomotive superintendent of the  London, Brighton \u0026amp; South Coast Railway, succeeding\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eMarsh, just as his own father succeeded William Stroudley in 1890. A  popular man, he guided the company through the difficult times of the first war,  producing a range of well-regarded designs. Amongst these was the K-class Mogul,  an engine designed to eliminate the need for double-heading the increasingly  heavy freight trains which formed a good part of the railway's business. \u003co:p\u003e  \u003c\/o:p\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eSuccessful from the start, a total of 17 engines were built  between 1914 and 1921, regularly hauling 1000 ton trains in the early days  before a 900 ton limit was introduced after the war. Remarkably all survived  into British Railways days, the class was only withdrawn in the 1960s by when  the oldest has been in continuous service for almost fifty years. Despite one  being earmarked for preservation, a lack of funds at the time meant that all  were cut up for scrap.\u003co:p\u003e   \u003c\/o:p\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eBillinton himself, after serving with distinction in the  war as a colonel in the Royal Engineers, retired in 1922 at 40 years old – at  the grouping Richard Maunsell was to become CME of the newly-formed Southern  Railway. He retired to a large estate in Sussex to pursue the life of a  gentleman fruit farmer for the next twenty years, during which time, in a  workshop set up in the Victorian outbuildings on the farm, he set to work  building a one sixth replica of the engine he considered his finest design.\u003co:p\u003e   \u003c\/o:p\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eUsing a set of drawings for the Mogul which he kept from  his Brighton works days, Billinton built a very finely detailed model. He was,  by all accounts, a practical man, singularly capable of both designing and  building locomotives by his own hands. That said, given his popularity with the  workforce, his great contribution to the LB\u0026amp;SCR in difficult times and the  proximity of his house to the works (combined with his love of fast cars), I  could easily believe one or two parts benefitted from facilities at the old  company.\u003co:p\u003e   \u003c\/o:p\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThe model was completed some time in the 1940s – the  original intention had been to run it on a railway around the estate, a plan cut  short by the second war. It was exhibited at the 1950 Model Engineer Exhibition  and a picture of the builder with his engine appeared in the magazine at that  time, along with a short write up. Billinton died in 1954, when the trail goes  cold for a few years before the engine re-appeared for sale at auction in London  in the 1970s. After one or two changes of owner in a short period, it ended  up with Walter Harper in his extensive collection of fine models at Oakhill  Manor - one of the most important models in the collection, it was displayed in  the entrance hall. I think the lined umber Southern livery dates from that time.\u003co:p\u003e   \u003c\/o:p\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eOakhill Manor housed a rare collection of models, including  10 ¼ inch gauge locomotives by Keith Wilson (GWR 47xx), Ken Woodham (the  magnificent Wainwright “D” now at Fawley), David Curwen's Pacific “Robin  Hood” (recently and superbly restored by Joe \u0026amp; Dan Nemeth) and a highly  detailed Southern King Arthur. After the museum closed Walter Harper kept many  of the engines until, in his eighties, he started to sell the collection. The  Mogul went to a new owner in 2003, a prolific engineer who had recreated many of  Johnson's design for the Midland Railway in 7 ¼ inch gauge, a remarkable  collection in its own right.\u003co:p\u003e  \u003c\/o:p\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eJon, Sam and I went down to collect this one together –  whilst not of monstrous size (it's about ten feet long with tender and weighs  around 11cwt), the job was made more ticklish by a garage that had been built in  the years since it was installed in a conservatory, making access difficult. A  morning's work saw it safely in the van, back at the works a couple of days  serious cleaning saw it brought back to its Oakhill Manor condition - it now  brings a not insignificant presence to our somewhat smaller house.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" align=\"center\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Station Road Steam","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54020021616981,"sku":"5410","price":37500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1023\/0094\/2677\/files\/5410-1.webp?v=1779909709","url":"https:\/\/stationroadsteam.com\/products\/9-12-inch-gauge-lbscr-mogul-stock-code-5410","provider":"Station Road Steam","version":"1.0","type":"link"}