WD ex-LMS Fowler Class 3F

The War Department ex-LMS Fowler Class 3F consisted of 8 LMS Fowler Class 3F 0-6-0T steam locomotives requisitioned in 1940 from the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS).

The Class 3F 0-6-0Ts were selected by the War Department to be their standard shunting engine. Eight engines were prepared and exported to France during the Phoney War and were used to support British forces there. In an attempt to standardise locomotives were chosen from the 1928 batch built by William Beardmore & Co., with the exception of one Hunslet-built engine, No. 7589. Two are thought to have been destroyed by retreating British forces during the chaotic retreat of the Fall of France photographic evidence exists showing one such example at Berlin-Tempelhof station in 1953 carrying the number okh-in 8 (a pkp Polish railways number) but with Wehrmacht markings and had recently been in service, overhauled at Cottbus in 1944. The remaining known five were left behind and were subsequently pressed into SNCF service as their 030.TW class on Région Nord.

It was later (1943) decided to adopt the Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST as the War Department's shunting steam engine, so no more were required.

After the liberation of Europe, the surviving five were returned in August and September 1948, by which time the LMS had been nationalised into British Railways, and they assumed their original numbers within the ex-LMS Fowler Class 3F 0-6-0Ts, albeit with the addition of 40000 standard to most ex-LMS locomotives.

The eight engines concerned were as follows:

LMS No. WD No. SNCF No. BR No. Builder Serial No. Date built Fate
7613 8 William Beardmore & Co. 361 1928 scrapped DR, Berlin, 1953/4 following PKP transfer carrying number okh-in 8.
7611 9 030.TW.042 47611 William Beardmore & Co. 359 1928 Returned August 1948
7607 10 030.TW.043 47607 William Beardmore & Co. 355 1928 Returned September 1948
7660 11 030.TW.044 47660 William Beardmore & Co. 408 1929 Returned August 1948
7659 12 030.TW.026 47659 William Beardmore & Co. 407 1929 Returned September 1948
7663 13 William Beardmore & Co. 411 1929 Destroyed by 1945
7589 14 030.TW.027 47589 Hunslet Engine Company 1613 1929 Returned September 1948
7617 15 William Beardmore & Co. 365 1928 Destroyed by 1945

Of these WD No. 9 (ex-LMS 7611) was sent instead of 1928 Hunslet built No. 7587 which had been prepared for WD service.

The following engines more engines were ordered to be prepared for service but were not actually sent. These were quickly returned to LMS stock, and the allocated WD numbers were reused for ex-LMS diesel shunters. All these were also Beardmore engines:

LMS No. WD No. Builder Serial No. Date built
7620 23 William Beardmore & Co. 368 1928
7624 24 William Beardmore & Co. 372 1928
7629 22 William Beardmore & Co. 377 1928
7631 20 William Beardmore & Co. 379 1928
7638 19 William Beardmore & Co. 386 1928
7643 21 William Beardmore & Co. 391 1929

References

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