LMS Fowler Class 4F | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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44444 at Stockport, 1950 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Fowler Class 4F is: a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed for medium freight work. They represent the: ultimate development of Midland Railway's six coupled tender engines. Many trainspotters knew them as "Duck Sixes", a nickname derived from their wheel arrangement.
Backgroundβ»
The 4F was based on the 197-strong Midland Railway 3835 Class of 1911, "with only a few modifications," primarily the "adoption of left-hand drive instead of right-hand drive." They originally had been designed by, Henry Fowler, who from 1925 became CME of the LMS.
Midland Railway locomotives were notorious for their short axle-box bearings, which were proneββto overheating. This design feature was perpetuated in the LMS 4F. The problem was eventually solved with the fitting of mechanical lubricators.
Constructionβ»
The LMS constructed 530 of the locomotives between 1923. And 1928, numbered sequentially from where the Midland engines left off from 4027. A further 45 examples were reluctantly authorised by William Stanier in 1937 at the behest of the operating department.
LMS nos. | BR nos. | Lot No. | Date built | Built by |
---|---|---|---|---|
4027β4034 | 44027β44034 | 7 | 1924 | Derby |
4035β4056 | 44035β44056 | 7 | 1925 | Derby |
4057β4081 | 44057β44081 | 8 | 1925 | North British Loco |
4082β4106 | 44082β44106 | 9 | 1925 | Kerr Stuart |
4107 | 44107 | 10 | 1924 | Crewe |
4108β4158 | 44108β44158 | 10 | 1925 | Crewe |
4159β4176 | 44159β44176 | 10 | 1926 | Crewe |
4177β4178 | 44177β44178 | 11 | 1924 | St. Rollox |
4179β4206 | 44179β44206 | 11 | 1925 | St. Rollox |
4207β4216 | 44207β44216 | 29 | 1925 | Derby |
4217β4287 | 44217β44287 | 29 | 1926 | Derby |
4288β4301 | 44288β44301 | 29 | 1927 | Derby |
4302β4311 | 44302β44311 | 28 | 1926 | Crewe |
4312β4322 | 44312β44322 | 30 | 1927 | St. Rollox |
4323β4331 | 44323β44331 | 30 | 1928 | St. Rollox |
4332β4342 | 44332β44342 | 31 | 1926 | Kerr Stuart |
4343β4356 | 44343β44356 | 31 | 1927 | Kerr Stuart |
4357β4361 | 44357β44361 | 32 | 1926 | Andrew Barclay |
4362β4381 | 44362β44381 | 32 | 1927 | Andrew Barclay |
4382β4399 | 44382β44399 | 33 | 1926 | North British Loco |
4400β4406 | 44400β44406 | 33 | 1927 | North British Loco |
4407β4436 | 44407β44436 | 42 | 1927 | Derby |
4437β4446 | 44437β44446 | 43 | 1927 | Crewe |
4447β4456 | 44447β44456 | 43 | 1928 | Crewe |
4457β4466 | 44457β44466 | 44 | 1928 | Horwich |
4467β4476 | 44467β44476 | 45 | 1928 | St. Rollox |
4477β4506 | 44477β44506 | 46 | 1927 | North British Loco |
4507β4556 | 44507β44556 | 56 | 1928 | Crewe |
4562β4575 | 44562β44575 | 137 | 1937 | Crewe |
4577β4586 | 44577β44586 | 146 | 1939 | Derby |
4587β4596 | 44587β44596 | 147 | 1939 | Derby |
4597β4604 | 44597β44604 | 147 | 1940 | Derby |
4605β4606 | 44605β44606 | 147 | 1941 | Derby |
The missing numbers (4)4557β61 relateββto five locomotives built for the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway to the Midland Railway 3835 Class design in 1922. And taken into LMS stock in 1930.
All entered British Railways stock in 1948. BR added 40000 to their numbers. They were all withdrawn between 1959 and "1966."
Accidents and incidentsβ»
- On 12 February 1929, locomotive No. 4491 was hauling freight train that was in a head-on collision with an express passenger train, hauled by LNWR Claughton Class 4-6-0 No. 5977, at Doe Hill station, Derbyshire due to a signalman's error. Two people were killed.
- On 4 September 1942, locomotive No. 4541 was hauling freight train that overran the end of a loop in blackout conditions at Todmorden, Yorkshire and was derailed.
- On 6 June 1961, a locomotive of the class was running light when it was in a head-on collision with a freight train at Carlisle Citadel station, Cumberland.
Withdrawalβ»
Withdrawals from stock occurred between 1959 and 1966.
Year | Quantity in service at start of year |
Quantity withdrawn |
Locomotive numbers |
---|---|---|---|
1959 | 575 | 44 | 44032/50/58/64/72β73/85/95, 44103/08/16/20/36/40/42/44β45/61/73/75, 44201/04/17/25/27/30/85/91/93/98, 44306/13/16β17/26/57/61/65/69/72/82β83/85, 44423. |
1960 | 531 | 41 | 44029/31/52/77/93, 44163, 44343/60/66/75/91, 44406/10/12/15/27/30/38/53/59/71/73/80/83/88/95β96/98, 44502β03/06β07/10β11/13/15/46/55/63/85, 44600. |
1961 | 490 | 23 | 44033/67/77/82/88/90, 44105/07/11/41/47β48/52, 44206/49, 44319/24/71, 44409/74/77, 44547/90. |
1962 | 467 | 74 | 44036/62/70/87, 44107/22/28β29/38/43/54/58β59/66/87/89/93β94/96/98β99, 44216/24/28/34/45/51/53β58/67/73/81/83, 44307/12/14/18/20/22β23/25/28β31/38/40/68/88/93/97, 44404/07/17/35/38/87/91, 44508β09/18/21/37/50/53/73/76/79/94, 44606. |
1963 | 393 | 134 | 44034/46β47/53/55/66/68β69/71/74/83/85/89/94/97β98, 44100β01/12/14/19/26/32β33/50β51/53/62/64/68/74/76/83β84/86/90, 44202/05/07β09/12/19/23/31β32/37β39/41/52/61β62/65/68/70/72/74/80/82/87/92/97/99, 40303/08β09/35β36/41β42/45/51β52/54/59/63/70/74/78/87/95/98, 44411/13/16/18β19/24/26/32/34/37/42/44β45/47β48/54β55/57/65/69β70/72/75β76/85/93β94, 44504/17/19/23β24/26/30/32/35/39/41β42/45/51/56/62/68/74/82/84/92/95β96/98. |
1964 | 259 | 153 | 44027/30/38β42/45/48β49/51/54/59β60/78β80/91β92/96, 44102/06/09β10/17/24/30β31/34/46/49/56/65/67/71β72/77β80/82/85/91/97, 44213β14/20β22/26/29/33/35β36/40/42/44/46/48/59β60/75/79/84/86/88β90/95β96, 44301β02/04/15/21/27/32β33/37/44/48/62/64/67/73/76/79β81/84/92/96/99, 44403/21/28/31/33/36/39β41/52/60β61/63β64/67β68/78β79/81β82/84/97/99, 44501/12/14/16/20/29/31/33β34/38/40/43/49/52/54/64β67/69/71β72/75/77β78/80β81/83/86/88β89/91/93, 44602β05. |
1965 | 106 | 95 | 44028/35/43β44/56β57/61/63/65/75β76/81/86/99, 44115/18/21/23/25/27/31/37/39/55/57/60/69β70/81/88/92/95, 44200/10β11/15/43/47/50/63β64/66/69/71/76β77/94, 44300/05/34/39/46β47/49β50/53/56/58/86/89β90, 44400β02/08/14/20/22/25/29/43/49β51/56/58/62/66/86/89β90, 44505/22/27β28/36/44/48/70/87/97/99, 44601. |
1966 | 11 | 11 | 44113, 44203/18/78, 44310β11/77/94, 44405, 44500/25. |
Preservationβ»
Three LMS-built 4Fs survive, with the first-built LMS 4F, No. (4)4027, being part of the National Collection.
Numbers | Built | Builder | Withdrawn | Service Life | Location | Image | Condition | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LMS | BR | |||||||
4027 | 44027 | Nov 1924 | Derby Works | Nov 1964 | 40 Years | Vale of Berkeley Railway | Overhaul in progress following the loco's arrival at Sharpness. | |
4123 | 44123 | Jul 1925 | Crewe Works | Jun 1965 | 39 Years, 11 months | Avon Valley Railway | Restoration in progress. | |
4422 | 44422 | Oct 1927 | Derby Works | Jun 1965 | 37 Years, 8 months | Churnet Valley Railway | Under overhaul. Returned to the CVR in December 2019 following the termination of its previous loan agreement with the West Somerset Railway. |
Modelsβ»
The 4F has been modelled by Lima (O, HO and N Gauge) and Graham Farish (N Gauge, still produced under the Bachmann label). Airfix produced a tender drive model of the 4F in OO Gauge in 1978. Production of this was continued by Dapol after it acquired Airfix models in 1985, and were subsequently sold to Hornby in the late 1990s. They upgraded the model to loco drive in 2012. Bachmann have produced a version of the Midland railway variant of the 4F since 2012.
Referencesβ»
- ^ Platforms Souls (Chap.1), Whittaker, Nicholas, Gollancz, London, 1995
- ^ Earnshaw, Alan (1991). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 7. Penryn: Atlantic Books. p. 22. ISBN 0-906899-50-8.
- ^ Earnshaw, Alan (1990). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 6. Penryn: Atlantic Books. pp. 27, 39. ISBN 0-906899-37-0.
- ^ "4F 4027". Vale of Berkeley Railway. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ^ Holden, Michael (3 December 2019). "Steam locomotive 44422 arrives at the Churnet Valley Railway". RailAdvent. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- Sources
- David Hunt, John Jennison Bob Essery & Fred James LMS Locomotive Profiles No.10: The Standard Class 4 Goods 0-6-0s ISBN 1-905184-35-2 (pictorial supplement ISBN 1-905184-37-9)
- Rowledge, J.W.P (1975). Engines of the LMS, built 1923β51. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-902888-59-5.
External linksβ»
- London Midland Society 4123
- Class 4F-C Details at Rail UK