LMS 2-8-0 Locomotives in Great_Britain

Class 8F (Locobase 3115)

Data from The Stanier 8F Locomotive Society Limited website at [], last accessed 16 October 2022; "LMS Stanier Class 8F" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 16 October 2022;

"LMS Stanier 8F steam locomotives - Class Information"

Updated Monday, 13 January, 2020 by [] on []. See also "LMS Stanier "8F" Class 2-8-0" on the BRDatabase at [], last accessed 16 October 2022.

Built at LMS's Crewe works (137 from 1935-1942) and Horwich works (75 in 1943-1945). Vulcan Foundry works numbers were in 1936-1937. North British Locomotive Company works numbers were 24744-27745, 24747-24748, 24807-24708, 24810-24816 in 1942.

William A. Stanier produced this freight design in response to a desparate need for greater power than was provided by the 0-6-0s and 0-8-0s then in use. As the entry points out: "[T]he Midland philosophy of lots of small engines hauling lots of light trains was not suitable for the other areas of the LMS, particularly on the London and North Western section with its tradition of huge loads."

The result followed the Stanier design line of tapered boiler with Belpaire firebox, small steam dome and shallow sand dome, straight steam pipes to the outside valves, and a capped stack. In the second boiler barrel ring, injectors sprayed water onto a series of water distributing trays. These trays, wrote Marsden, "de-aerated the water and helped the precipitation of scale solids."

RailPage's account summarizes the warm reception accorded this design: "Soon after introduction, the 8Fs soon showed footplate crews that they were capable machines. Apart from adapting how the engines performed (for example, less effective brakes than the 7Fs) and minor issues being addressed when withdrawn from traffic for repairs, no significant defects were found."

In addition to handling the goods trains, the 8Fs hauled passenger at speeds tp to 60 mph (96 kph), an ability, reported RailPage,"all down to the free-running developed in the front end design, despite their small coupled wheels."

In addition to well over 100 completed for the LMS, the British government adopted the design as its standard freight design when World War II began; see Locobase 1301. As a result, over 800 total were built. The 80 locomotives built by Great Western Railway's Swindon Works initially served on the builder's railway as did the 60 produced by LNER's Darlington (30) and Doncaster (30) works, but all of those were turned over to the LMS at the end of World War II. The LMS received another 104 from Southern Railways' s works at Eastleigh (23), Ashford (14), and Brighton (68).