In 1923, at Grouping, all of the individual railway companies except the mighty Great Western Railway lost their identities, the Highland Railway becoming part of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway. At that point in time the Highland Railway possessed 173 locomotives, but only 150 were taken over by the LMS.
The first new arrival on former Highland territory was ex-Glasgow & South Western Railway (G&SWR) Smellie class ‘218’ 0-4-0ST No 658 (LMS No 16040), still in that company’s livery; it was brought in to work the Inverness Harbour branch. For that branch, the Canal Basin and shunting around Inverness and its motive power depot, several ‘Pug’ engines, mostly ex-Caledonian Railway, made their appearance over the years, among them Drummond ‘264’ class 0-4-0ST No 16011 from the Dawsholm sub-shed at…