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 type Steam Designer Charles Jones Builder Kerr Stuart Build date 1920–1921 Total produced 8
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4-4T  • UIC 2'B2'ht Gauge 4 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) Wheelbase 33.5 ft (10.2 m) Length 41 ft 10+1⁄2 in (12.764 m) Loco weight 78.25 long tons (79.51 t; 87.64 short tons) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 4.00 long tons (4.06 t; 4.48 short tons) Water cap. 2,000 imp gal (9,100 L; 2,400 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 21.4 sq ft (1.99 m2) Boiler pressure 160 psi (1.1 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 132 sq ft (12.3 m2)  • Tubes 744 sq ft (69.1 m2)  • Flues 281 sq ft (26.1 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 164 sq ft (15.2 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 19 in × 26 in (483 mm × 660 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 18,500 lbf (82 kN)
Career Operators Metropolitan Railway London and North Eastern Railway Class MET: H LNER: H2 Numbers MET: 103–110 LNER: 6415–6422 Retired 1942–1947 Disposition All 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.

External links

• http://www.lner.info/locos/H/h2.shtml