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.

Career

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 at the Fall of France. Photographic evidence exists showing one such example at Berlin-Tempelhof station in 1953 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 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.BuilderSerial No.Date builtFate
76138—47613—William Beardmore & Co.3611928scrapped DR, Berlin, 1953/4
76119030.TW.04247611William Beardmore & Co.3591928Returned August 1948
760710030.TW.04347607William Beardmore & Co.3551928Returned September 1948
766011030.TW.04447660William Beardmore & Co.4081929Returned August 1948
765912030.TW.02647659William Beardmore & Co.4071929Returned September 1948
766313—47663—William Beardmore & Co.4111929Destroyed by 1945
758914030.TW.02747589Hunslet Engine Company16131929Returned September 1948
761715—47617—William Beardmore & Co.3651928Destroyed by 1945

Of these WD No. 9 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.BuilderSerial No.Date built
762023William Beardmore & Co.3681928
762424William Beardmore & Co.3721928
762922William Beardmore & Co.3771928
763120William Beardmore & Co.3791928
763819William Beardmore & Co.3861928
764321William Beardmore & Co.3911929

The five that returned were withdrawn between 1961 and 1966 and none were preserved.