METROPOLITAN RAILWAY ‘F’ 0-6-2T

Designer: .............................. Thomas Clark

Builder: ........ Yorkshire Engine Company

Driving wheel diameter: ............... 5ft 0in

Cylinders: ............................ 17¼in by 26in

Boiler pressure: .................... 160lbs/sq in

Tractive effort: ..................................... N/A

The saying ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ certainly applies to Clark’s next design for the Metropolitan for, at first glance, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between an ‘E’ and the subsequent ‘F’.

However, the ‘F’ was a goods locomotive and six-coupled, with smaller 5ft diameter driving wheels. Above the running plate, the two classes were virtually identical.

The ‘Fs’ were introduced at the turn of the 20th Century as goods traffic on the Metropolitan was developing at a similar rate to passenger traffic. They were perfect goods locomotives and could handle any load they were given.

All four passed into London Transport’s hands and, with the ‘Gs’ and ‘Ks’ able to handle the heavier trains, found themselves on lighter freight services and, increasingly, shunting duties. They were most common on the quadruple track section between Wembley Park and Harrow.

The 1930s brought a foretaste of things to come when the ‘Fs’ were used on construction trains on the new branch line from Wembley Park to Stanmore. All four ‘Fs’ joined the Departmental fleet where their freight-hauling capability made them perfect for all manner of ballast and infrastructure trains on both the former Metropolitan and former District lines.

It was the cost of providing a new boiler for No. L51 that first prompted LT management to assess the condition of their Victorian locomotives, starting the process that eventually led to the replacement of the ‘Es’ and ‘Fs’ with EX-GWR pannier tanks.

No. L52 was the last ‘F’ in service and was withdrawn in 1962 with a cracked frame. There was some hope of preservation – as already mentioned – and, suitably spruced up, No. L52 took part in the Met’s 1963 Centenary display but the locomotive was scrapped in 1964.

Can I see one? No.

Can I model them? South Eastern Finecast produces a 4mm:1ft scale kit (www.sefinecast.co.uk).