LMS Fowler Class 3F explained

Powertype:Steam
LMS Fowler Class 3F
Designer:Henry Fowler
Builddate:1924–1931
Totalproduction:422
Uicclass:C n2t
Driverdiameter:4feet
Length:31feet
Wheelbase:16feet
Locoweight:49.5LT
Fueltype:Coal
Fuelcap:2.25LT
Watercap:1200impgal
Boiler:LMS type G5
Boilerpressure:160lbf/in2
Firearea:16square feet
Tubearea:967square feet
Fireboxarea:97square feet
Superheatertype:None
Cylindercount:Two, inside
Cylindersize:18x
Valvegear:Stephenson link motion, slide valves
Tractiveeffort:20835lbf
Powerclass:3F
Axleloadclass:BR: Route Availability 5
Nicknames:Jinty
Locale:London Midland Region
Withdrawndate:1945 (2), 1948 (5), 1959–1967
Disposition:9 preserved, remainder scrapped

The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Fowler 3F is a class of steam locomotives, often known as Jinty. They represent the ultimate development of the Midland Railway's six-coupled tank engines. They could reach speeds of up to 60 mph (97 km/h).[1]

Introduction

Design of this class was based on rebuilds by Henry Fowler of the Midland Railway 2441 Class introduced in 1899 by Samuel Waite Johnson. These rebuilds featured a Belpaire firebox and improved cab. 422 Jinties were built between 1924 and 1931; this class was just one of the Midland designs used on an ongoing basis by the LMS. The locomotives were built by the ex-L&YR Horwich Works and the private firms Bagnall's, Beardmores, Hunslet, North British and the Vulcan Foundry.

Details

NumbersLot
No.
Date
built
Built byNotes
Original1934
7100–71197260–7279121924Vulcan Foundry 3717–3736
7120–71347280–7294131924North British 23121–23135
7135–71417295–7301141924Hunslet 1460–1466
7142–71497302–7309141925Hunslet 1467–1474
7150–71567310–73161929W. G. Bagnall 2358–2364SDJR 19–25
16400–164597317–7376341926North British 23396–23455
16460–165097377–7426351926Vulcan Foundry 3948–3997
16510–165187427–7435361926Hunslet 1511–1519
16519–165347436–7451361927Hunslet 1520–1535
16535–165437452–7460371926W. G. Bagnall 2288–2296
16544–165497461–7466371926W. G. Bagnall 2297–2302
16550–165547467–7471501928Vulcan Foundry 4175–4179
16555–165607472–7477501927Vulcan Foundry 4169–4174
16561–165997478–7516501928Vulcan Foundry 4180–4218
16600–166247517–7541511928Beardmore 325–349
16625–166327542–7549521927Hunslet 1558–1565
16633–166497550–7566521928Hunslet 1566–78/82/80/81/79
16650–166697567–7586581928Hunslet 1591–1610
16670–166747587–7591581929Hunslet 1611–1615
16675–166847592–7601591928W. G. Bagnall 2343–2352
16685–167237602–7640601928Beardmore 350–388
16724–167497641–7666601929Beardmore 389–414
16750–167647667–7681821931
When new, they were numbered 7100–7149, 16400–16764. Numbers 7150–7156 were added when the LMS absorbed the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway locomotives in 1930. In the 1934 LMS renumbering scheme, the locomotives were assigned the series 7260–7681. On the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 they were initially chosen as the standard shunting locomotive for the War Department, but later the more modern Hunslet "Austerity" was chosen in preference. Nevertheless, eight were dispatched to France before its fall in 1940, and only five returned in 1948. Two, 7456 and 7553, were converted to the Irish broad gauge in 1944 and 1945 for use on Northern Counties Committee lines in Northern Ireland, becoming the NCC Class Y, and numbered 18 and 19. A total of 412 thus entered British Railways stock in 1948, rising to 417 by the end of the year.

British Railways numbers were the LMS numbers prefixed with '4'. Numbers 47477, 47478, 47479, 47480, 47481, 47655 and 47681 were fitted for push-pull train working.

Withdrawal

The first withdrawals started in 1959 and by 1964 half had been withdrawn. The final five survived until 1967, with a further one, 47445 continuing with the National Coal Board.

Table of withdrawals! Year !! Quantity in
service at
start of year !! Quantity
withdrawn !! Locomotive numbers !! Notes
1940 422 8 align=left 7589, 7607/11/13/17/59–60/63. align=left to WD 8 to 15
1944 414 2 align=left 7456, 7553 align=left to NCC 18/19
1948 412 -5 align=left 47589, 47607/11/59–60. align=left Repatriated from SNCF
1959 417 25 align=left 47274/91/96/99,
47301/09/15/29/31/37/39/46/63–64/70/82/87/94,
47407/09/11/40/77/89,
47538.
align=left
1960 392 48 align=left 47260/62/65/71/82,
47303/11/23/35/47/52/74,
47401/36/43/46/63/86/98,
47509–10/23/25/27–28/37/41/60–61/63/67–69/73/75–76/85–86/91/95,
47600/35–36/39/50/52/70/72.
align=left
1961 344 34 align=left 47263/68/77,
47312/34/69/98,
47403/05/18/20–21/38/48/62/84,
47508/13/29/40/59/70–71/80,
47605/07/19–20/24–26/32/34/37.
align=left
1962 310 75 align=left 47261/69–70/75/90/92,
47302/04/10/16/19/28/32/40/42/48/51/53/58/66/76/81/92,
47402/04/14/17/22/24–26/31/33/55/57/66/70/73–75/79/83/88/91/97,
47504/14/16/22/26/36/42/45–46/48/52/54–56/62/72/74/88/93,
47601/04/08/10/21/30/33/42/44/78.
align=left
1963 235 40 align=left 47264/67/78/81/83/87/94,
47300/22/60/79/86,
47412–13/19/41/49/58–60/64/81/90/96,
47502/18/32/39/47/51/81–83/89.
47618/38/51/54/57/79.
align=left
1964 195 49 align=left 47284/88/97,
47306/08/20/33/43–45/49/54–55/65/68/72/75/80/85/90,
47430/34/61/67/69/76/78/92,
47501/03/11/15/17/24/49–50/57–58/79/84/87/94,
47609/22–23/28/40/48/53.
align=left
1965 146 63 align=left 47285–86/95,
47305/21/25/30/38/50/59/61–62/71/78/95/99,
47400/08/23/28–29/32/39/42/51–52/54/64/68/80/85/87/95/99,
47500/05/12/19–20/43–44/64/77–78/96–97,
47606/14/16/45–47/55–56/60/64–66/76–77/80–81.
align=left
1966 83 77 align=left 47266/72–73/76/79–80/93/98,
47307/14/17–18/24/26–27/36/41/57/67/73/77/84/88–89/91/93/96–97,
47406/10/15–16/27/35/37/44–45/47/50/53/71–72/82/93–94,
47503/07/21/30/33/35/65–66/90/92/98–99,
47602–03/11–12/15/27/31/41/43/49/58–59/61–62/67–68/71/73–75.
align=left 47445 to NCB
1967 6 6 align=left 47289, 47313/83, 47531/34, 47629. align=left

Preservation

Thanks to their large numbers, renowned performance and late withdrawals, nine of these engines have been preserved, along with a spare set of frames and a boiler (from 47564). Many were restored within a few years of leaving the scrap heap, and most have a further working life ahead of them. All have steamed in preservation, with the exception of 47445.

One member of the class has operated on the main line in preservation. This was 7298/47298, which took part during the Rainhill celebrations in 1980 when it hauled a number of Steamport residents from the museum in Southport to Rainhill and also took part in the cavalcade. Owned by Ian Riley, in February 2017 it was undergoing its "ten-yearly overhaul"[2] and was expected to return to operation "in a couple of years".[2]

Locations and condition are shown below (current numbers in bold):

Original Number (S&D number)BR NumberBuiltBuilderWithdrawnBaseStatusNotes
711947279Aug 1924Vulcan FoundryDec 1966Keighley and Worth Valley RailwayStatic DisplayOn display inside the museum at Oxenhope.
713847298Oct 1924Hunslet Engine CompanyDec 1966Ian Riley EngineeringOperational
1640747324Jun 1926North British Locomotive CompanyDec 1966East Lancashire RailwayUndergoing Overhaul
16410(23)47327Jul 1926North British Locomotive CompanyDec 1966Midland RailwayStatic DisplayCurrently painted in S&DJR Prussian Blue. Appeared in the film Train of Events, as a London yard shunter.
1644047357Jul 1926North British Locomotive CompanyDec 1966Midland RailwayRunning InMade its first post overhaul moves in October 2023, to re-enter public service in December 2023.[3]
1646647383Oct 1926Vulcan FoundryOct 1967Severn Valley RailwayStatic Display, Awaiting OverhaulLast to be withdrawn. On display inside The Engine House at Highley.
1648947406Dec 1926Vulcan FoundryDec 1966Great Central RailwayStatic Display, Awaiting OverhaulCurrently on display inside Mountsorrel Railway's Museum.
1652847445May 1927Hunslet Engine CompanyApr 1966Midland RailwayUnder RestorationSold to NCB after withdrawal.
1657647493Feb 1928Vulcan FoundryDec 1966Spa Valley RailwayUndergoing OverhaulOnly example preserved with Screw Reverser, enhances performance[4]

In fiction

An engine of this class can be seen in the Rev. W. Awdry's The Railway Series book The Eight Famous Engines.[5] The character is named Jinty and comes from the "Other Railway" (a.k.a. British Railways) to help out when the main engines went on a journey to England.

In the video game Transport Tycoon by Chris Sawyer, the Jinty is offered as the cheapest and most basic engine in the game.[6]

Models

An OO gauge model of the Class 3F was first produced by Tri-ang in 1952 and production continued after the company became Hornby Railways in the 1970s. Hornby released a retooled version in 1978 with better detailing and continue to produce that model for their "Railroad" range.

In the 2000s Bachmann Branchline released a more detailed OO model. In N gauge Graham Farish produced a model as a "GP Tank" in various liveries including some of other railway companies before later tooling an accurate 'Jinty' model. In O gauge and Gauge 1 Bachmann Brassworks produce an example. In O gauge, Connoisseur Models produces an etched brass kit. In HO (3.5 mm) scale Firedrake Productions produced a small run of 20 kits.

Darstaed, a model train company in Great Britain, produced O gauge tintype models of the LMS Fowler Class 3F, affectionately referring to them by the nickname of Jinty [7]

Dapol has produced a Jinty for the O gauge market which was released in September 2017 [8]

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Black . Stuart . Loco Spotter's Guide . 23 February 2017 . Bloomsbury Publishing . London, United Kingdom . 978-1472820495 . 43 . 24 November 2020.
  2. https://www.pressreader.com/uk/steam-railway-uk/20170224/283111363754211 ELR Resident Locomotives
  3. 16440 makes first post overhaul moves . Steam Railway. 551 . November 2023 . 39.
  4. Web site: LMS Jinty No. 47493 « Spa Valley Railway . 2024-05-18 . www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk.
  5. Web site: Eight Famous Engines . Sodor Island . 10 January 2021.
  6. Web site: Chris Sawyer's Locomotion Part 14: Interlude: 'Jinty' Tank Engine (Paul.Power) . Let's Play Archive . 10 January 2021.
  7. Web site: Darstaed TP - Gauge '0' tin plate trains . Darstaed . 10 January 2021.
  8. Web site: Your scale modelling destination | Key Model World .