LMS Class 7F 0-8-0

The Fowler Class 7F was a class of 0-8-0 steam locomotives built for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway as a Midlandised version of the London and North Western Railway Class G2 and G2A 0-8-0s. Designed at the old Midland Railway works at Derby, it had a Belpaire firebox and higher boiler pressure than its predecessor but the same 7F power rating. Derby practice gave it axle bearings that were too small for the loads, so they broke up rapidly, although some drivers preferred them to a Stanier 8F for steady slogging because of their effective front end. They were nicknamed Baby Austins or Austin 7s. All entered British Railways ownership in 1948, 122 having already been withdrawn by the end of 1951, and all were withdrawn and scrapped between 1949 and 1962.