LMS Class 7F 0-8-0
Encyclopedia
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Fowler
Class 7F steam locomotive
was an update of the London and North Western Railway
(LNWR) G2 Class
0-8-0
. The class were sometimes known as 'Baby Austins', or Austin 7
s, after a motor car that was becoming popular at the time.
and increased boiler pressure over its predecessor but had the same power rating of 7F. Unfortunately the design had been done at the old Midlands
's Derby Works
and the drawing office staff insisted on using Midland practice. Among other things this meant that the axle
bearings
were too small for the loads they had to carry. E.S Cox, writing in a series of articles in Trains Illustrated c. 1957, suggests that they had a sufficiently modern and effective front end that, for steady slogging, some drivers preferred them to an LMS Stanier Class 8F
. However, this also meant that, with bearings comparable to an LMS Fowler Class 4F
and already inadequate for the lower powered engine, the bearings broke up rapidly.
s when built but these were removed during World War II
. After the war, five were briefly converted to oil burning
.
were all withdrawn between 1949 and 1962, some time before the G2s which lasted until 1964.
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
Fowler
Henry Fowler (engineer)
Sir Henry Fowler, KBE was a Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway and subsequently the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.- Biography :...
Class 7F steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
was an update of the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
(LNWR) G2 Class
LNWR G Class
The London and North Western Railway G Class along with modifications that made them into G1, G2 and G2a classes, is a class of 0-8-0 steam locomotives designed for heavy freight work. They are known to railway enthusiasts as "Super Ds". This is because a large number of G1 class engines were...
0-8-0
0-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
. The class were sometimes known as 'Baby Austins', or Austin 7
Austin 7
The Austin 7 was a car produced from 1922 through to 1939 in the United Kingdom by the Austin Motor Company. Nicknamed the "Baby Austin", it was one of the most popular cars ever produced for the British market, and sold well abroad...
s, after a motor car that was becoming popular at the time.
Overview
It featured a Belpaire fireboxBelpaire firebox
The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...
and increased boiler pressure over its predecessor but had the same power rating of 7F. Unfortunately the design had been done at the old Midlands
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
's Derby Works
Derby Works
The Midland Railway Locomotive Works, known locally as "the loco" comprised a number of British manufacturing facilities in Derby building locomotives and, initially, rolling stock in Derby, UK.-Early days:...
and the drawing office staff insisted on using Midland practice. Among other things this meant that the axle
Axle
An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to its surroundings, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle...
bearings
Bearing (mechanical)
A bearing is a device to allow constrained relative motion between two or more parts, typically rotation or linear movement. Bearings may be classified broadly according to the motions they allow and according to their principle of operation as well as by the directions of applied loads they can...
were too small for the loads they had to carry. E.S Cox, writing in a series of articles in Trains Illustrated c. 1957, suggests that they had a sufficiently modern and effective front end that, for steady slogging, some drivers preferred them to an LMS Stanier Class 8F
LMS Stanier Class 8F
The London Midland and Scottish Railway's 8F class 2-8-0 heavy freight locomotive is a class of steam locomotive designed for hauling heavy freight...
. However, this also meant that, with bearings comparable to an LMS Fowler Class 4F
LMS Fowler Class 4F
The London Midland and Scottish Railway Fowler 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.- Background :...
and already inadequate for the lower powered engine, the bearings broke up rapidly.
Numbering
| Number | Lot Number |
Date built |
Crewe Works serial Nos. |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMS | BR | |||
| 9500–99 | 49500–99 | |
|
|
| 9600–02 | 49600–02 | |
|
|
| 9603–19 | 49603–19 | |
|
|
| 9620–32 | 49620–32 | |
|
|
| 9633 | 49633 | |
|
|
| 9634/35 | 49634/35 | |
|
|
| 9636–59 | 49636–59 | |
|
|
| 9660–74 | 49660–74 | |
|
|
Equipment
Numbers 9672–4 were fitted with ACFI feedwater heaterFeedwater heater
A feedwater heater is a power plant component used to pre-heat water delivered to a steam generating boiler. Preheating the feedwater reduces the irreversibilities involved in steam generation and therefore improves the thermodynamic efficiency of the system...
s when built but these were removed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, five were briefly converted to oil burning
Oil burner (engine)
An oil burner engine is a steam engine that uses oil as its fuel. The term is often used with reference to a locomotive or ship engine that burns oil, to heat water, to produce steam which drives the pistons, or turbines, from which the power is derived. Some engines of this form were originally...
.
British Railways
They all survived to pass into British Railways ownership but there were only 19 left by the end of January 1959. They had a fairly short life andwere all withdrawn between 1949 and 1962, some time before the G2s which lasted until 1964.