Midland Railway 3835 Class

Midland Railway 3835 Class

Company type	Steam locomotive class
Industry	Railway
Founded	1911
Founder	Henry Fowler (designer)
Defunct	1965 (withdrawal completed)
Fate	Withdrawn and mostly scrapped; one preserved
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom
Key people	Henry Fowler (designer)
Products	Freight steam locomotives
Parent	Midland Railway, later London, Midland and Scottish Railway, then British Railways

Template:Infobox Locomotive The Midland Railway (MR) 3835 Class represents a series of freight-oriented steam locomotives with a 0-6-0 wheel arrangement. The initial pair was introduced in 1911 under the design direction of Henry Fowler. Following the Railways Act 1921 grouping in 1923, the design underwent minor modifications and production persisted until 1941 under the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), where they were classified as the LMS Fowler Class 4F.

History

In total, production reached 197 units. Of these, 192 were numbered consecutively from 3835 to 4026 for the Midland Railway. Post-nationalisation in 1948, British Railways updated their numbering by adding 40000, resulting in numbers from 43835 to 44026. Additionally, five locomotives were built by Armstrong Whitworth in 1922 specifically for the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, carrying numbers 57 to 61. These units were incorporated into LMS stock in 1930 and renumbered as 4557 to 4561.

Accidents and incidents

• On 19 November 1926, locomotive No. 3980 was one of two engines pulling a freight train when a privately owned wagon broke apart, causing a derailment at Template:Rws, Yorkshire. The incident partially toppled a signal post, which then blocked a nearby track. An express passenger train’s carriages were severely damaged as the signal post tore through their sides. This accident resulted in eleven fatalities.
• On 6 March 1930, locomotive No. 4009 was operating a ballast train that collided with a passenger service at Template:Rws station, Cumberland. The passenger train, powered by Ex-LNWR Claughton Class 4-6-0 No. 5971, had left Template:Rws against signal indications. The collision caused two deaths and left four individuals with serious injuries.

Withdrawal

The withdrawal of all 197 locomotives in this class took place between 1954 and 1965 as detailed below:

Withdrawal summary

Year	Locomotives in service at year's start	Number withdrawn	Engine numbers
1954	197	1	43862
1955	196	5	43835/67/94, 43909, 44006
1956	191	8	43874–75/95, 43936/43/56/74, 44024
1957	183	19	43837–38/47/51–52/57/89/91/98, 43901/12/16/27/41/59/80/92–93, 44017
1958	164	4	43879/92, 43978, 44021
1959	160	36	43836/41–42/58/60/64/66/73/77–78/81/86/90/96, 43904/07/10/19/26/30/34/39/46/60–61/65–66/70/84/90/97–98, 44000/05/14/18
1960	124	8	43839–40/43/68/97, 43973/89, 44019
1961	116	15	43846/63/72/83–84, 43900/05/11/20–22/44/48/62, 44002
1962	101	22	43844/48–49/59/69/76/99, 43902/14/32–33/38/85/96, 44001/04/08/11/16/20, 44557/61
1963	79	23	43845/53/55/61/70/82, 43915/35/37/42/45/55/69/77/87/95, 44010/12–13/15/22/26, 44559
1964	56	34	43850/54/56/71/80//85//88, 43903//08//17//23//25//28–29//31//40//47//49//51//54//57–58//63//71–72//76//79//86//88, 44007//09//23//25, 44558
1965	22	22	43865//87//93, 43906//13//18//24//50//52–53//64//67–68//75//81–83//91//94//99, 44003, 44560

Preservation

File:British Railways Midland Region Class 4F 43924 Oxenhope.jpg

Locomotive No. 43924 displayed at Oxenhope on the KVWR

One Midland-built example of the Class 4F, number (4)3924, is preserved on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. It holds the distinction of being the first engine removed from the Woodham Brothers scrapyard located in Barry, South Wales in September of 1968.

Models

The Bachmann Branchline 3835 Class has been produced in OO gauge and subsequently adapted into an Graham Farish N gauge version.

Product Ref.	Number	Livery
31-880	3851	LMS unlined black with number displayed on the locomotive
31-882	43875	BR black featuring the early crest
31-883	3848	Midland Railway black
31-884	44044	BR black with the late crest

In 2022, Hornby released an OO gauge model of locomotive 3924 to commemorate the film "Return of the Railway Children," which showcased this engine. This model is presented in a variant of LMS unlined black.

References

• Template:Baxter-BritishLocoCat3A
• Template:Baxter-BritishLocoCat4
• Template:0-7110-0554-0

External links

• Class 4F-B Details at Rail UK