LMS Stanier Class 8F
Encyclopedia
The London Midland and Scottish Railway's 8F class 2-8-0
heavy freight locomotive is a class of steam locomotive
designed for hauling heavy freight. 852 were built between 1935 and 1946 (not all to LMS order), as a freight version of William Stanier
's successful Black Five
, and the class saw service overseas during the Second World War.
's small engine policy which had left it with trains double-headed by underpowered 0-6-0s supplemented by inadequate Garratts
and Fowler 7F
0-8-0
s.
The 8F design incorporated the two-cylinder arrangement of the Black Fives. They were initially classified 7F, but this was later changed to the more familiar 8F.
On the outbreak of the Second World War, the design was chosen to become the country's standard freight design, reprising the role the GCR Class 8K
had in the First World War
.
and requisitioned 51 more. Stanier 8F production continued until 1943, when the cheaper WD Austerity 2-8-0
was introduced.
Many Stanier 8Fs saw service outside the UK in Egypt
, Palestine, Iran
(Iranian Railways class 41), Iraq
(Iraqi State Railways class TD), Italy
(FS Class 737
) and Turkey
(TCDD 45151 Class
). 24 8Fs entered Palestine Railways stock; 23 of which were taken over by Israel Railways
in 1948. The Israeli War of Independence stranded the one 8F, 70372, (NBL works no. 24680) on a small section of the main line near Tulkarm
on the West Bank side of the 1949 Armistice line
. It remained there, increasingly derelict, until after the 1967 Israeli invasion
of the West Bank, until Israelis finally removed and scrapped it in about 1973.
During the war the London and North Eastern Railway
ordered 68 Stanier 8Fs for its own use, classifying them O6
. 39 returned from overseas service to Britain at the end of the War. At nationalisation
in 1948, 663 8Fs entered British Rail
ways stock, with three further examples (48773-5, previously AD500-2) being purchased from the Longmoor Military Railway
in 1957, bringing the total to 666.
8F No. 48600 was used in the 1953 Glenn Ford
film Time Bomb
, also called Terror on a Train.
2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
heavy freight locomotive is a class of steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
designed for hauling heavy freight. 852 were built between 1935 and 1946 (not all to LMS order), as a freight version of William Stanier
William Stanier
Sir William Arthur Stanier, FRS was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.- Biography :...
's successful Black Five
LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0
The London Midland and Scottish Railway's Class 5 4-6-0, almost universally known as the Black Five, is a class of steam locomotive. It was introduced by William Stanier in 1934 and 842 were built between then and 1951...
, and the class saw service overseas during the Second World War.
Background
LMS freight traction suffered from the adoption of the Midland RailwayMidland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
's small engine policy which had left it with trains double-headed by underpowered 0-6-0s supplemented by inadequate Garratts
LMS Garratt
The London Midland and Scottish Railway Garratt was a class of Garratt 2-6-0+0-6-2 steam locomotive designed for heavy freight. A total of 33 were built from 1927, making them the most numerous class of Garratt in Britain.-Overview:...
and Fowler 7F
LMS Class 7F 0-8-0
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Fowler Class 7F steam locomotive was an update of the London and North Western Railway G2 Class 0-8-0...
0-8-0
0-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
s.
The 8F design incorporated the two-cylinder arrangement of the Black Fives. They were initially classified 7F, but this was later changed to the more familiar 8F.
On the outbreak of the Second World War, the design was chosen to become the country's standard freight design, reprising the role the GCR Class 8K
GCR Class 8K
The Great Central Railway Class 8K 2-8-0 is a class of steam locomotive designed for heavy freight. Introduced in 1911, and designed by John G. Robinson, 126 were built for the GCR prior to the First World War...
had in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Construction
| Order | Builder | Delivered | Quantity | Original Numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London, Midland & Scottish Railway | LMS Crewe Works | 1935–44 | 137 | LMS 8000–8026, 8096–8175, 8301–8330 | 13 requisitioned by War Department |
| London, Midland & Scottish Railway | Vulcan Foundry | 1936–37 | 69 | LMS 8027–8095 | 38 requisitioned by War Department |
| London, Midland & Scottish Railway | North British Locomotive Co. | 1942 | 50 | LMS 8176–8225 | |
| London, Midland & Scottish Railway | LMS Horwich Works | 1943–45 | 75 | LMS 8331–8399, 8490–8495 | |
| War Department | North British Locomotive Co. | 1940–42 | 158 | WD 300–399, 500–524, 540–571, 623 | some delivered as LMS 8226–8282, on loan from WD |
| War Department | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1940–42 | 50 | WD 400–449 | |
| Railway Executive Committee | GWR Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838... Swindon Works |
1943–45 | 80 | LMS 8400–8479 | |
| Railway Executive Committee | LNER Darlington Works | 1944–45 | 30 | LMS 8500–8509, 8540–8559 | |
| Railway Executive Committee | LNER Doncaster Works | 1944–45 | 30 | LMS 8510–8539 | |
| Railway Executive Committee order | SR Southern Railway (Great Britain) The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent... Eastleigh Works |
1943–44 | 23 | LMS 8600–8609, 8650–8662 | |
| Railway Executive Committee order | SR Southern Railway (Great Britain) The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent... Ashford Works |
1943–44 | 14 | LMS 8610–8612, 8618–8624, 8671–8674 | |
| Railway Executive Committee order | SR Southern Railway (Great Britain) The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent... Brighton Works |
1943–44 | 68 | LMS 8613–8617, 8625–8649, 8663–8670, 8675–8704 | |
| London & North Eastern Railway (Class O6) LNER Class O6 The London and North Eastern Railway Class O6 was a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotives of the Stanier Class 8F type.- Background :The LMS Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0 had been chosen by the War Department to be its standard heavy freight locomotive . As a result, 60 were built by the LNER to Railway... |
SR Southern Railway (Great Britain) The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent... Brighton Works |
1944 | 25 | LNER 7651–7675 | renumbered LNER 3100–3124, then LNER 3500–3524, then LMS 8705–8729 |
| London & North Eastern Railway (Class O6) LNER Class O6 The London and North Eastern Railway Class O6 was a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotives of the Stanier Class 8F type.- Background :The LMS Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0 had been chosen by the War Department to be its standard heavy freight locomotive . As a result, 60 were built by the LNER to Railway... |
LNER Darlington Works | 1945–46 | 23 | LNER 3125–3147 | renumbered LNER 3525–3547, then LMS 8730–8752 |
| London & North Eastern Railway (Class O6) LNER Class O6 The London and North Eastern Railway Class O6 was a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotives of the Stanier Class 8F type.- Background :The LMS Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0 had been chosen by the War Department to be its standard heavy freight locomotive . As a result, 60 were built by the LNER to Railway... |
LNER Doncaster Works | 1945–46 | 20 | LNER 3148–3167 | renumbered LNER 3548–3567, then LMS/(BR) (4)8753–8772 |
| Total | 852 | ||||
Service
The War Department had 208 8Fs built by Beyer Peacock and North British Locomotive CompanyNorth British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
and requisitioned 51 more. Stanier 8F production continued until 1943, when the cheaper WD Austerity 2-8-0
WD Austerity 2-8-0
The War Department "Austerity" 2-8-0 is a type of heavy freight steam locomotive that was introduced in 1943 for war service. A total of 935 were built.- Overview :...
was introduced.
Many Stanier 8Fs saw service outside the UK in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Palestine, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
(Iranian Railways class 41), Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
(Iraqi State Railways class TD), Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(FS Class 737
FS Class 737
The Ferrovie dello Stato Class 737 consisted of 15 ex-British War Department locomotives of the Stanier Class 8F type purchased in 1946....
) and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
(TCDD 45151 Class
TCDD 45151 Class
The TCDD 45151 Class is a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotives which were acquired from the British War Department to the LMS Stanier Class 8F design.- Background :...
). 24 8Fs entered Palestine Railways stock; 23 of which were taken over by Israel Railways
Israel Railways
Israel Railways is the principal passenger railway operating company in Israel, and is responsible for all inter-city and suburban rail way passenger and freight traffic in the country. All its lines are standard gauge. The network is centered in Israel's densely populated coastal plain, from...
in 1948. The Israeli War of Independence stranded the one 8F, 70372, (NBL works no. 24680) on a small section of the main line near Tulkarm
Tulkarm
Tulkarem or Tulkarm is a Palestinian city in the northern Samarian mountain range in the Tulkarm Governorate in the extreme northwestern West Bank adjacent to the Netanya and Haifa districts to the west, the Nablus and Jenin Districts to the east...
on the West Bank side of the 1949 Armistice line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
. It remained there, increasingly derelict, until after the 1967 Israeli invasion
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
of the West Bank, until Israelis finally removed and scrapped it in about 1973.
During the war the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
ordered 68 Stanier 8Fs for its own use, classifying them O6
LNER Class O6
The London and North Eastern Railway Class O6 was a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotives of the Stanier Class 8F type.- Background :The LMS Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0 had been chosen by the War Department to be its standard heavy freight locomotive . As a result, 60 were built by the LNER to Railway...
. 39 returned from overseas service to Britain at the end of the War. At nationalisation
Transport Act 1947
The Transport Act 1947 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Under it the railways, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport were acquired by the state and handed over to a new British Transport Commission for operation...
in 1948, 663 8Fs entered British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways stock, with three further examples (48773-5, previously AD500-2) being purchased from the Longmoor Military Railway
Longmoor Military Railway
The Longmoor Military Railway was a British military railway in Hampshire, built by the Royal Engineers from 1903 in order to train soldiers on railway construction and operations.-Route:...
in 1957, bringing the total to 666.
8F No. 48600 was used in the 1953 Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
film Time Bomb
Time Bomb (1953 film)
Time Bomb is a 1953 British-made MGM post-war thriller film written by Kem Bennett and directed by Ted Tetzlaff. It starred Glenn Ford and Anne Vernon.-Plot:...
, also called Terror on a Train.
Withdrawal
The 666 locomotives in British Railways service were withdrawn from stock between 1960 and 1968. The first to go in 1960 was 48616, followed two years later by 48009. 48773–48775 were also withdrawn in 1962 but retaken into stock in 1963. The remaining 664 were withdrawn between 1964 and 1968, with 150 surviving to the last year of steam on BR. Some of the 8Fs in Turkey continued in service until the 1980s.| Year | Quantity in service at start of year | Quantity withdrawn |
Locomotive number(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 666 | 1 | 48616 |
| 1961 | 665 | 0 | — |
| 1962 | 665 | 4 | 48009/773–775 |
| 1963 | 661 | -3 | (48773–775 reinstated) |
| 1964 | 664 | 26 | etc |
| 1965 | 638 | 95 | etc |
| 1966 | 543 | 162 | etc |
| 1967 | 381 | 231 | etc |
| 1968 | 150 | 150 | 48010/2/26/33/6/45/6/56/60/2/3/77/81/90 48107/11/5/7/24/32/51/3/67/8/70/82/91–3/7 48200/1/6/12/24/47/52/3/7/67/72/8/82/92/4 48304/5/7/8/17/9/21–3/5/7/9/34/5/8/40/4/5/8/51/6/65/8/9/73/4/80/4/90/2/3 48400/10/21/3/4/33/7/41/2/5/8/51/3/65/7/8/71/6/91–3 48503/4/7/10/29/32/3/44/6/9/51/3/9 48609/12/4/7/20/6/31/2/9/46/52/65/6/77/8/83/4/7/92 48700/2/15/20/2/3/7/30/40/4–6/9/50/2/63/5/73/5 |
Preservation
Seven LMS/BR locomotives have been preserved in the UK, and three more of the class have been repatriated to the UK from Turkey. In addition, two Turkish Railway (TCCD) locomotives have been preserved in Turkey, and some more remain there in a derelict state. At least one locomotive may have survived in Iraq. The complete list is shown below. Two more are also visible underwater on the wreck of the .| Number | Location | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMS | BR | WD | TCCD | ||
| 8151 | 48151 | - | - | West Coast Railway Company West Coast Railway Company West Coast Railways, also known as West Coast Railway Company, is a railway spot-hire company and charter train operator, based at Carnforth in Lancashire, on the site of the old Steamtown heritage depot... (Carnforth) |
Operational. Certified for mainline use. |
| 8173 | 48173 | - | - | Churnet Valley Railway Churnet Valley Railway The Churnet Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway to the east of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. The CVR has two main operational headquarters - Cheddleton station, where the motive power department is based and where the first trains ran, and Kingsley and Froghall station, where... |
Awaiting Restoration. Loco is in ex-Barry scrapyard condition. |
| 8233 LMS Stanier Class 8F 8233 LMS Stanier Class 8F No. 8233, War Department Nos. 307, and later 70307, Iranian State Railways No. 41-109, British Railways No. 48773, is a preserved British steam locomotive. Its owners claim that it is " possibly Britain's most travelled preserved locomotive".... |
48773 LMS Stanier Class 8F 8233 LMS Stanier Class 8F No. 8233, War Department Nos. 307, and later 70307, Iranian State Railways No. 41-109, British Railways No. 48773, is a preserved British steam locomotive. Its owners claim that it is " possibly Britain's most travelled preserved locomotive".... |
307 LMS Stanier Class 8F 8233 LMS Stanier Class 8F No. 8233, War Department Nos. 307, and later 70307, Iranian State Railways No. 41-109, British Railways No. 48773, is a preserved British steam locomotive. Its owners claim that it is " possibly Britain's most travelled preserved locomotive".... |
- | Severn Valley Railway Severn Valley Railway The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route... |
Persian Railways no. 41.109. Static display. Currently in the Engine House awaiting overhaul. |
| 8305 | 48305 | - | - | Great Central Railway Great Central Railway (preserved) The Great Central Railway is a heritage railway split into two adjacent sections, one in Leicestershire and the other Nottinghamshire.The Leicestershire section is currently Britain's only double track mainline heritage railway, with of working double track, period signalling, locomotives and... |
Operational. Owned by Roger Hibbert, due for overhaul 2016 |
| 8431 | 48431 | - | - | Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Keighley and Worth Valley Railway The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a long branch line that served mills and villages in the Worth Valley and is now a heritage railway line in West Yorkshire, England. It runs from Keighley to Oxenhope. It connects to the national rail network line at Keighley railway station... |
Static display. Only surviving Swindon-built example. |
| 8518 | 48518 | - | - | Llangollen Railway Llangollen Railway The Llangollen Railway is a volunteer-run preserved railway in Denbighshire, Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Carrog; at long, it is the longest preserved standard gauge line in Wales and operates daily in Summer as well as weekends throughout the Winter months using a wide variety of... |
Only surviving LNER-built example. Being used as a kit of parts. Boiler was removed in January 2008 and transported to the Didcot Railway Centre for re-use and modification with 1014 'County of Glamorgan'. Other parts to be used by the LMS Patriot Project. Highly unlikely to be restored in its own right. |
| 8624 | 48624 | - | - | Great Central Railway Great Central Railway (preserved) The Great Central Railway is a heritage railway split into two adjacent sections, one in Leicestershire and the other Nottinghamshire.The Leicestershire section is currently Britain's only double track mainline heritage railway, with of working double track, period signalling, locomotives and... |
Only surviving Southern-built example, restoration completed spring 2009, carrying fictional LMS Crimson Lake livery as 8624. Overhauled at Peak Rail Peak Rail Peak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales.... . NOT being sold as previously reported. |
| 8274 | - | 348 | 45160 | Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway on the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire/Warwickshire Borders that has reopened the closed railway line between Laverton Halt and Cheltenham Racecourse railway stations in Gloucestershire/Worcestershire., it currently... |
Exported as a kit of parts to Turkey in 1940. Returned to UK in 1989. Operational. Currently carrying TCDD livery as 45160. Ran as LMS 8476 (a Swindon-built example of the class) during GWR 175. |
| - | - | 522 | 45161 | Preserved in Turkey | On display in Camlik museum |
| 8279 | - | 353 | 45165 | Turkey | Dumped in Alasehir, Photographed in 2008 |
| - | - | 341 | 45166 | Barry in South Wales | Recovered from Sivas, Turkey, December 2010. Owned by the Churchill 8F group. |
| - | - | 340 | 45168 | Preserved in Turkey | Static display in Izmit old railway station Pictures from 2009 |
| - | - | 554 | 45170 | National Railway Museum National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001... |
Recovered from Sivas, Turkey, December 2010. Privately owned, but on display at the National Railway Museum works in Shildon until summer 2011, then for restoration at Storey Engineering in Hepscott, Northumberland. |
| - | - | 547 | - | Iraqi Republic Railways Iraqi Republic Railways Iraqi Republic Railways Company ' is the national railway operator in Iraq.-Network:... (IRR), Baghdad |
IRR no. 1429. Currently disused - abandoned in field near IRR |
In Popular Culture
- 8F No. 8431 has been featured in Pink Floyd The WallPink Floyd The Wall (film)Pink Floyd—The Wall is a 1982 British live-action/animated musical film directed by Alan Parker based on the 1979 Pink Floyd album The Wall. The screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters. The film is highly metaphorical and is rich in symbolic imagery and sound...
, prominently during the song VeraVera (song)"Vera" is a song by Pink Floyd which appears on their 1979 album, The Wall. The title is a reference to Vera Lynn, a British singer who came to prominence during World War II with her popular song "We'll Meet Again". The reference is ironic, as Roger Waters would not meet his father, lost in the war...
and Bring the Boys Back HomeBring the Boys Back Home"Bring the Boys Back Home" is a song from the Pink Floyd album, The Wall. The song was released as a B-side on the single, "When the Tigers Broke Free".-Overview:...
.