47324 (LMS 16407, LMS 7324 and BR 47324)

47324 was built at the North British Locomotive Company in Hyde Park Works, Glasgow in June 1926 as LMS 16407. It entered service at the former Caledonian Shed at Dawsholm (to the west of Glasgow). Here it was used extensively on shunting duties in the many private industrial yards and sidings in the area. In 1931 it was transferred to Ayr where it was used as a station pilot as well as working other passenger and shunting duties. In August 1933, 16407 was moved to Liverpool edge Hill and then on to Liverpool Speke junction.

16407 was renumbered 7324 under the new scheme introduced by the LMS in early 1934. By 1939, it had moved across the Mersey to Birkenhead, joining several other members of the class working on the busy docks and taking empty stock to and from Woodside station. Here it remained for the next 27 years until withdrawn from service in December 1966 as 47324 following renumbering on nationalisation of the railways in 1948.

Near the end of its career, 47324 could be found working away from Birkenhead shed at places like Chester as the station pilot.

Motive power depot allocations.

Date Arrived	Depot
June 1926	Dawsholm
February 1931	Ayr
August 1933	Edge Hill
October 1933	Speke Junction
April 1939	Birkenhead

It was withdrawn from service at Birkenhead in December 1966 although it was employed on a ballast train from Birkenhead in January 1967.

47324 was sold to Woodham Brothers at Barry for scrap and made its last trip to there with four other locomotives including three locomotives which have subsequently been preserved (42765, 42859 and 47406). It arrived at Barry in June 1967 and remained there until February 1978 following being purchased by the Fowler 3F Society (later The London Midland Society) in March 1977 and moved to the Mid Hants Railway for overhaul.

In 1986 the society transferred its activities including work on restoring 47324 to the Avon Valley Railway. This work was not completed here but at the East Lancs Railway following the purchase of the locomotive by them after a decision by the principal shareholder to sell his interest in the engine in the early 1990s. Much of the restoration cost was met from ELRPS funds.

47324 was restored to steam for the first time in preservation in the 2004 and ran on the East Lancs Railway until withdrawn for overhaul in 2014. During 2011 it operated on the Midland Railway at Butterley. In 2013 47324 ran as 47584 for a short while and before being withdrawn from traffic in 2014 was set out in LMS livery and ran as 16407.

47324 is currently being overhauled at Bury and during 2015 an agreement was reached to retain the locomotive on the East Lancs Railway.

The engine is expected to return to service in 2018 or 2019.

Towards the end of 2018 it was reported that the locomotive would be back in steam in 2019 as a result of having the boiler overhauled at the Baron Street works at Bury by a contractor.