Metropolitan Railway K Class

Metropolitan Railway K Class

Company type	Steam locomotive class
Industry	Railway transport
Predecessor	South Eastern and Chatham Railway SECR N class
Founded	1925
Founder	George Hally (designer)
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Products	2-6-4T steam locomotives
Number of employees	6 (units built) (1925)
Parent	Metropolitan Railway, later London and North Eastern Railway (LNER)

Template:Infobox locomotive

The Metropolitan Railway K Class comprised a group of six 2-6-4T steam locomotives, assigned numbers 111 through 116.

Construction

Manufactured in 1925 by Armstrong Whitworth, these locomotives incorporated components produced at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Their design was derived from the South Eastern and Chatham Railway's SECR N class 2-6-0 engines, part of a broader series of approximately 200 "mogul" type locomotives engineered by Richard Maunsell. The final design was overseen by George Hally of the Metropolitan Railway. Boilers were supplied by Robert Stephenson and Company based in Darlington. Notable design features included footsteps positioned beneath the buffer beam and elegantly curved handrails flanking the smokebox at the front.

Service

The K Class locomotives operated primarily on heavy freight services along the mainline of London's Metropolitan Railway, notably transporting coal to the Neasden power station, although they occasionally handled passenger trains. In 1937, all six units were reassigned to the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and stationed at the Neasden (LNER) Shed. Upon transfer, the LNER assigned them numbers 6158–6163 and designated them as the L2 Class. Briefly, in 1938 and again in 1942, these locomotives were deployed for passenger duties when the H2 4-4-4T engines were either undergoing maintenance or had been relocated elsewhere.

Withdrawal

Between 1943 and 1948, the entire class was retired from service and dismantled.