Midland Railway 3835 Class

Midland Railway 3835 Class
“Class 4 Goods”

No. 43965 at work on the ex-Midland Melton Mowbray - Peterborough line

Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Henry Fowler Builder Derby Works (142) Armstrong Whitworth (55) Serial number AW: 416–465 (MR 3937–3986) AW: 468–472 (S&DJR 57–61) Build date 1911, 1917–1922 Total produced 197

Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0  • UIC C h2 Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 63 in (1,600 mm) Wheelbase Loco: 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m) + 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) Loco weight 48 long tons 15 cwt (109,200 lb or 49.5 t) Fuel type Coal Boiler G7S Boiler pressure 175 lbf/in2 (1.21 MPa) superheated Superheater Schmidt Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size 20 in × 26 in (508 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Piston valves

Performance figures Tractive effort 24,555 lbf (109.23 kN)

Career Operators MR, SDJR, LMS, BR Class MR: 3835 Power class MR: 4 LMS: 4F Number in class MR: 192 SDJR: 5 Retired 1954–1965 Disposition One preserved, remainder scrapped

The Midland Railway (MR) 3835 Class is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed for freight work. The first two were introduced in 1911 by Henry Fowler. After the grouping in 1923 they continued to be built up to 1941 by the LMS as the LMS Fowler 4F.

A total of 197 engines were built. 192 of them were sequentially numbered 3835–4026 for the Midland Railway. After nationalisation in 1948 British Railways added 40000 to their numbers so they became 43835–44026. Five engines were constructed by Armstrong Whitworth for the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway in 1922, numbered 57–61. They were absorbed into LMS stock in 1930, becoming 4557–4561.

The 197 engines in this class were withdrawn between 1954 and 1965 as follows:

One Midland-built 4Fs, (4)3924 is preserved on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, the first locomotive to leave Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales. Three LMS-built 4Fs have also been preserved.