Max

"'That's one strange tank locomotive. He hasn't got the rear of his cab, or was he built that way?'""'He's a Midland 1F or 'half cab', which were common until 1965.' Billinton and Darren, One elderly locomotive"Max is a Midland Railway 1377 or "1F" class side tank preserved on the South Western Heritage Railway. He is of the "half cab" version of the class and the oldest locomotive preserved on the railway.

Bio
Max was built at Derby works in 1883 to the design of Samuel Johnson's 1377 0-6-0 side tank for the Midland Railway of 1878. Receiving the number '216' at first, he was renumbered '1724' in 1907 (under Richard Deeley) and even became his LMS number until 1948. In BR days, he was numbered '41724' under the BR numbering scheme for ex-LMS locomotives. He was built for shunting duties due his small bunker and cab roof, earning him and is other classmates with the nickname "half cabs".

Max was officially withdrawn in 1958 by BR and sold for scrap but, he was put into storage in an abandoned shed, in an attempt to save him from the cutters torch. In 1993, he was discovered by Mr Davis and his wife during a trip in the former Western Region, along routes in Cambria. The shed was rotting away due to its age but it had preserved Max's BR number and livery. The Davis's found the shed and Mr Davis decided to have him as a part of the South Western Heritage Railway's collection of pre-WWI locomotives, which he was the oldest (built in 1883 compared to Billinton's build year of 1916). He arrived on the SWHR for full restoration and overhaul in 1994 after getting permission to transport him by road to Newsbourgh, terminus of the heritage railway.

In 1998, two years after the death of Mr Davis, the man who bought him to the railway, Max was restored to full Midland Railway Crimson Lake livery with his second MR number of 1724 and officially entered traffic in 1999 on passenger services, a duty he was not designed for. Until the end of Billinton's final boiler ticket before becoming pithed outside Newsbourgh station, Max was normally seen banking trains up to Enlightin, recreating the days of banking in steam days. As of 2018, Max is still operational, with a boiler ticket that won't expire until 2025.

Basis/real locomotive
The real No: 41724 was built in 1883 as MR (pre-1907) No: '216' until renumbered '1724' in 1907 by Richard Deeley, successor of Samuel Johnson and succeeded by Henry Fowler. In 1958, No: 41724 was withdrawn and later scrapped. Only the number plate from the smokebox door and Derby builders plates survive today.

Trivia
Max is the oldest steam locomotive on the railway but not the oldest working for the SWHR or the series, those honers go to Billinton, Judy (been part of the fleet since 1983) and 'Surrey'/'Mendelevium' (built in 1876).

The real 41724 was never seen in Cambria in service days.

The nickname "half cab" refers to his class being built without a rear to the cab and having a cab roof that only covered half the entire cab, hence the nickname.

In 1998, Ginvera "Ginny" Davis (successor of her father Mr Davis once did a charity photoshoot in the cab of Max, as a "calendar girl" (meaning that she was naked in his cab).

Max once had someone hijack him in LMS days during WWII. He still believes that it was a German spy/soldier how tried to destroy or capture him. Like many 1Fs after 1900, Max is fitted with a Belpaire firebox (G5-type boiler) instead of the original round-top firebox (A-type boiler) he was built with.Max's CGI model was first used as an Eastleigh scrap locomotive beside the "Terrier", but later reskinned in BR with Late Crests + some rust and MR Crimson Lake (1907-1923).

Max isn't really his name. His real name is "Maximus", but he likes being called "Max" for short.

Liveries
When discovered, Max was wearing BR plain black with Late Crests with little evidence of rust, due to him being undercover of so long. After restoration, Max was in Midland Railway Crimson Lake with the number '1724; written largely on his water tanks.

CGI model
As mentioned, Max's CGI model started out as scrap model of a Midland Railway 1F 0-6-0T (possibly No: 41804, withdrawn 1965 and built at Derby in 1890 as No: 990 originally). which has been reskinned. This model was created using measurements from Bachmann Branchline's OO gauge model of this locomotive (based off sole survivor BR No: 41708, which is one of a few later fitted with a full cab)