In our first look at Rapido’s all-new model of Liverpool and Manchester Railway 0-4-2 Lion, MIKE WILD discovers what it has to offer.
The Liverpool & Manchester Railway’s Todd, Kitson and Laird ‘Luggage Engine’ 0-4-2 is here from Rapido Trains offering a compelling choice for those looking to add this 1838-built locomotive to their collection.
Following construction Lion was used on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway for goods trains and was later taken into the stock of the Grand Junction Railway in 1845 before becoming London North Western Railway owned in 1846. It saw out its final years on ballast duties prior to being sold to Mersey Dock and Harbour Board in 1859 for internal use.
Above: New from Rapido Trains is its ‘OO’ gauge model of Todd, Kitson and Laird ‘Luggage Engine’ Lion in its 1980s’ condition.
After a period in steam it became a stationary boiler and was later rescued in the 1920s to begin a life in preservation. The locomotive was already significantly important for its place in railway history, but it gained fame as Thunderbolt in the 1953 comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt. More recently, Lion has been a static exhibit and is currently based at the Museum of Liverpool.
We covered the history of Lion and th…
