Metropolitan Railway H Class

The Metropolitan Railway H Class consisted of eight 4-4-4T steam locomotives, numbered 103 to 110.[1] They were built by Kerr, Stuart & Co of Stoke on Trent in 1920 at a cost of £11,575 each.[2] A "notable addition" to the Metropolitan Railway,[3] these locomotives were purchased for the express passenger trains on the mainline between Harrow (later Rickmansworth)—the change point from electric locomotives—and Aylesbury or Verney Junction.

Metropolitan Railway H Class
LNER Class H2
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerCharles Jones
BuilderKerr Stuart
Build date1920–1921
Total produced8
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-4-4T
 • UIC2'B2'ht
Gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Leading dia.36 in (914 mm)
Driver dia.69 in (1,753 mm)
Trailing dia.36 in (914 mm)
Wheelbase33.5 ft (10.2 m)
Length41 ft 10 1⁄2 in (12.764 m)
Loco weight78.25 long tons (79.51 t; 87.64 short tons)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity4.00 long tons (4.06 t; 4.48 short tons)
Water cap2,000 imp gal (9,100 l; 2,400 US gal)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		21.4 sq ft (1.99 m2)
Boiler pressure160 psi (1.1 MPa)
Heating surface:
 • Tubes		744 sq ft (69.1 m2)
 • Flues281 sq ft (26.1 m2)
 • Firebox132 sq ft (12.3 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • Heating area164 sq ft (15.2 m2)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size19 in × 26 in (483 mm × 660 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort18,500 lbf (82 kN)
Career
OperatorsMetropolitan Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
ClassMET: H
LNER: H2
NumbersMET: 103–110
LNER: 6415–6422
DispositionAll scrapped

Overview

They were designed by The Met's Locomotive & Chief Electrical Engineer, Charles Jones.[4] Delivered between October 1920 and June 1921, they allowed for the retirement of a like number of 0-4-4T C Class and 2-4-0T D Class locomotives. The H Class were considered to be good engines well-suited to the express trains they worked, allowing for a reduction in running times of up to six minutes. They were designed with a hauling capacity of 250 long tons (250 t; 280 short tons) and could negotiate curves of 300 feet (91 m) radius.[2]

Transfer to LNER

When the steam-hauled services were transferred from London Transport to the London and North Eastern Railway in 1937, all eight H Class locomotives were included to continue working the same trains. The LNER numbered them 6415–6422 and classified them as H2 Class. In the 1940s, they were moved from Neasden (LNER) shed to the Nottingham area and worked over other parts of the former Great Central Railway system.[1]

Withdrawal

All were withdrawn and scrapped between 1942 and 1947.[1]

References
  1. Casserley, H.C. (1977). The Later Years of Metropolitan Steam. Truro: D.Bradford Barton. pp. 7, 22–28. ISBN 0-85153-327-2.
  2. Jackson, Alan A. (1986). London's Metropolitan Railways. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 282. ISBN 0-7153-8839-8.
  3. "The Metropolitan Railway". The Engineer. London. 7 January 1921.
  4. "Metropolitan Railway Four-Coupled Tank Engines". The Engineer. London. 4 February 1921.


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