Midland Railway 3835 Class

The Midland Railway (MR) 3835 Class is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotives designed for freight work. The first two were introduced in 1911 by Henry Fowler. After the grouping in 1923, the designs were slightly modified and continued to be built up to 1941 by the LMS as the LMS Fowler Class 4F.^[1]

Midland Railway 3835 Class "Class 4 Goods"
No. 43965 at work on the ex-Midland Melton Mowbray - Peterborough line
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Henry Fowler Builder Derby Works (142) Armstrong Whitworth (55) Serial number AW: 416–465 (MR 3937–3986) AW: 468–472 (S&DJR 57–61) Build date 1911, 1917–1922 Total produced 197
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0  • UIC C h2g Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Wheelbase Loco: 8 ft 0 in (2,438 mm) + 8 ft 6 in (2,590 mm) Loco weight 48 long tons 15 cwt (109,200 lb or 49.5 t) Fuel type Coal Boiler G7S Boiler pressure 175 lbf/in2 (1.21 MPa) superheated Superheater Schmidt Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size 20 in × 26 in (508 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Piston valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 24,555 lbf (109.23 kN)
Career Operators MR, SDJR, LMS, BR Class MR: 3835 Power class MR: 4 LMS: 4F Number in class MR: 192 SDJR: 5 Numbers LMS: 3835–4026 BR: 43835–44026 Retired 1954–1965 Disposition One preserved, remainder scrapped

History

A total of 197 engines were built. 192 of them were sequentially numbered 3835–4026 for the Midland Railway. After nationalisation in 1948 British Railways added 40000 to their numbers so they became 43835–44026. Five engines were constructed by Armstrong Whitworth for the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway in 1922, numbered 57–61. They were absorbed into LMS stock in 1930, becoming 4557–4561.

Accidents and incidents

• On 19 November 1926, locomotive No. 3980 was one of two hauling a freight train. One of the private owner wagons disintegrated, derailing the train at Parkgate and Rawmarsh, Yorkshire. A signal post was partly brought down, obstructing an adjacent line. The carriages of an express passenger train had their sides ripped open by the signal post. Eleven people were killed.^[2]
• On 6 March 1930, locomotive No. 4009 was hauling a ballast train that was in collision with a passenger train, hauled by Ex-LNWR Claughton Class 4-6-0 No. 5971, at Langwathby station, Cumberland. The passenger train had departed from Culgaith against signals. Two people were killed and four were seriously injured.^[3]

Withdrawal

The 197 engines in this class were withdrawn between 1954 and 1965 as follows:

Table of withdrawals^[4]

Year	Quantity in service at start of year	Quantity withdrawn	Locomotive 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

43924 at Oxenhope, KVWR

One Midland-built 4F, (4)3924 is preserved on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, the first locomotive to leave Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales in September 1968.^[5][6]

Models

Bachmann Branchline 3835 Class in OO gauge, which was also adapted into Graham Farish N gauge model.

Product Ref.	No.	Livery
31-880	3851	LMS unlined black, number on loco.
31-882	43875	BR black, early crest
31-883	3848	Midland Railway black
31-884	44044	BR black, late crest

Hornby introduced a OO gauge model of 3924 in 2022 to celebrate the film "Return of the Railway Children" which featured this locomotive. The model is in a variation of LMS unlined black.