| LMS 7F 0-8-0 | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder | LMS Crewe Works |
| Build date | 1929–1932 |
| Total produced | 175 |
| Configuration | 0-8-0 |
| UIC classification | D h2 |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Driver diameter | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Wheelbase | loco: 18 ft 3 in (5.56 m) |
| Length | 56 ft 1 in (17.09 m) |
| Locomotive weight | 60.75 long tons (61.7 t) |
| Locomotive & tender combined weight |
101.95 long tons (103.6 t) |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Fuel capacity | 4 long tons (4.1 t) |
| Water capacity | 3,500 imp gal (16,000 l) |
| Boiler | LMS type G7¾S |
| Boiler pressure | 200 psi (1.38 MPa) |
| Firegrate area | 23.5 sq ft (2.18 m2) |
| Heating surface: Tubes |
1,434 sq ft (133.2 m2) later 1,402 sq ft (130.3 m2) |
| Heating surface: Firebox |
150 sq ft (14 m2) |
| Superheater area | 353 sq ft (32.8 m2) to 338 sq ft (31.4 m2) |
| Cylinders | Two |
| Cylinder size | 19½×26 in (495×660 mm) |
| Valve gear | Walschaerts, piston valves |
| Tractive effort | 29,745 lbf (132.31 kN) |
| Class | 7F |
| Number | LMS: 9500–9674 BR: 49500–49674 |
| Nicknames | Baby Austins Austin Sevens |
| Retired | 1949–1962 |
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 7s, after a motor car that was becoming popular at the time.
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It featured a Belpaire firebox 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.
| Number | Lot Number |
Date built |
Crewe Works serial Nos. |
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| LMS | BR | |||
| 9500–99 | 49500–99 |
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| 9600–02 | 49600–02 |
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| 9603–19 | 49603–19 |
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| 9620–32 | 49620–32 |
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| 9633 | 49633 |
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| 9634/35 | 49634/35 |
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| 9636–59 | 49636–59 |
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| 9660–74 | 49660–74 |
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Numbers 9672–4 were fitted with ACFI feedwater heaters when built but these were removed during World War II. After the war, five were briefly converted to oil burning.
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 and
were all withdrawn between 1949 and 1962, some time before the G2s which lasted until 1964.
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