LMS Fowler 2-6-4T on:
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125 examples of the class were built. The last 30 numbered 2395 to 2424 were fitted with side-windows and doors to their cabs.Ian Allan abc British Railways Locomotives 1960 The LMS classified them 4P, BR 4MT. They were the basis for a family of subsequent LMS/BR Class 4 2-6-4T locomotives. The Irish Northern Counties Committee (NCC) Class W
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with London and North Eastern Railway, LNER, Great Western Railway, GWR and Southern Railway (UK), SR. The London, Midland an ...
(LMS) Fowler 2-6-4T was a class of steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...
passenger tank engine
A tank locomotive is a steam locomotive which carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locomotive a tender h ...
designed by Henry Fowler Henry Fowler may refer to:
* Henry the Fowler (861–936), Duke of Saxony and King of the Germans
* Henry Fowler (hymn writer) (1779–1838), English hymn writer
* Henry Fowler (American politician) (1799–?), American farmer and politician in M ...
.
Construction
125 examples of the class were built. The last 30 numbered 2395 to 2424 were fitted with side-windows and doors to their cabs.Ian Allan abc British Railways Locomotives 1960 The LMS classified them 4P, BR 4MT. They were the basis for a family of subsequent LMS/BR Class 4 2-6-4T locomotives. The Irish Northern Counties Committee (NCC) Class W 2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. T ...
moguls were also strongly influenced by this class, albeit the driving wheel diameter was three inches greater to match the NCC practice.
The cylinder and piston valve design and the setting of the Walschaerts valve gear
The Walschaerts valve gear is a type of valve gear used to regulate the flow of steam to the pistons in steam locomotives, invented by Belgium, Belgian railway mechanical engineering, engineer Egide Walschaerts in 1844.
The gear is sometimes name ...
, allowing a maximum travel of in full gear, was believed by O. S. Nock to subsequently lead to the "outstanding success" of the class.
Operational use
Most of the class were used on longer-distance commuter trains from stations in London, Manchester and other large towns. A number were allocated toTebay
Tebay is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, within the Historic counties of England, historic borders of Westmorland. It lies in the upper River Lune, Lune Valley, at the head of the Lune Gorge. The parish had a population of 728 ...
Motive Power Depot
A motive power depot (MPD) or locomotive depot, or traction maintenance depot (TMD), is where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds" or just "sheds". Facilit ...
and were used to bank heavy passenger and goods trains up the steep incline to Shap
Shap is a village and civil parish located among fells and isolated dales in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. The village is in the historic county of Westmorland. The parish had a population of 1,221 in 2001, increasing slightly to ...
on the LMS West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
. Some operated on the long trip from Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
to Swansea (Victoria). The last two surviving locos were withdrawn from service in 1966.
42389 was hauling the Tring to Euston commuter train that was hit in the rear at Harrow and Wealdstone on 8 October 1952 by a Perth to Euston express, causing the death of 112 people. 42389 was undamaged.
Despite having relatively small driving wheels, the class was noted to reach speeds over on outer suburban services to and from Euston.
Numbering
The LMS numbered the class 2300–2424, BR adding 40000 to their numbers to make them 42300–424.Preservation and revival
No locos were preserved, but the January 2013 edition of ''The Railway Magazine
''The Railway Magazine'' is a monthly United Kingdom, British railway magazine, aimed at the Railfan, railway enthusiast market, that has been published in London since July 1897. it was, for three years running, the railway magazine with the ...
'' reported that a new-build project to recreate a Fowler 2-6-4T was at an initial research stage.
In May 2015, the LMS-Patriot Project announced that after the completion of Patriot Class No. 45551 ''The Unknown Warrior'', it would begin construction on a new-build Fowler 2-6-4T. Similar to the Patriot, it will carry the number of the last member of the class, No. 42424, and be built to main line running standards, though it will only primarily be used on heritage lines.
One of the NCC Class WT
The NCC Class WT is a class of 2-6-4T steam locomotives built by the Northern Counties Committee's parent company, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway for service in Northern Ireland.
History
18 Class WT locomotives were built at Derby W ...
locos (No. 4), which drew heavily from the Fowler design and were the last steam locomotives withdrawn in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, is preserved by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) is a railway preservation group founded in 1964 and operating throughout Ireland. Mainline steam train railtours are operated from Dublin, while short train rides are operated up and down th ...
. In 2024 No. 4 was out of service and being dismantled before overhaul at the RPSI's Whitehead Railway Museum.
References
* David Hunt,Bob Essery
Robert John "Bob" Essery (22 November 1930 – 23 November 2021) was a British railway modeller and historian with a particular interest in the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and one of its principal constituents, the Midland Railway ...
Fred James (2002) ''LMS Locomotive Profiles No. 3: The Parallel Boiler 2-6-4 Tank Engines''
*
Further reading
* {{LMS Locomotives 2-6-4T locomotives 1′C2′ h2t locomotives 4 Fowler 2-6-4T Railway locomotives introduced in 1927 Scrapped locomotives Standard-gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain Passenger locomotives