Sir Henry Fowler

Born	29 July 1870
Died	16 October 1938
Nationality	English
Employer	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, Horwich (apprentice 1885); Midland Railway, Derby (Gas Engineer 1900; Works Manager 1907; Chief Mechanical Engineer 1909–1922); London, Midland and Scottish Railway (Chief Mechanical Engineer 1925–1931)

Sir Henry Fowler (1870–1938) was a British locomotive engineer who served as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway from 1909 to the 1923 Grouping and of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway from 1925 to 1931 — tenures that placed him at the centre of the Midland 'small engine policy' controversy that dominated LMS locomotive politics in its formative years and that ended with the appointment of William Stanier to transform the LMS fleet.

Born at Evesham, Worcestershire on 29 July 1870 and educated at Mason Science College Birmingham, Fowler was apprenticed at Horwich Works under John Aspinall in 1885 and joined the Midland Railway in 1900 as Gas Engineer at Derby — an unusual entry point for a future CME, reflecting Fowler's expertise in gas lighting and heating systems as much as in locomotive engineering. He rose to Works Manager in 1907 and CME in 1909 on Deeley's resignation.

The Midland's tradition of running relatively small locomotives in multiples rather than investing in larger types was a policy Fowler inherited and perpetuated, producing the 4F 0-6-0 mineral engine (of which 772 were eventually built — one of the most numerous British steam classes) and various tank engine types rather than the large express engines that the Midland's Anglo-Scottish traffic increasingly demanded. At the new LMS from 1925 this small-engine inheritance proved inadequate for the company's long-distance express requirements, and the Royal Scot 4-6-0 class of 1927 — rapidly designed by the North British Locomotive Company — was effectively an acknowledgement that Fowler's office could not meet the LMS's need for a modern express locomotive from its own resources. Fowler was knighted in 1918 for wartime work at the Ministry of Munitions. He retired in 1933 and died at Spondon, Derbyshire on 16 October 1938.

Biography

Sir Henry Fowler (1870–1938) was a British locomotive engineer best known for two long tenures: as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway from 1909 to the 1923 Grouping, and of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway from 1925 to 1931. The Midland's small-engine policy, which carried over uneasily into the early LMS, is associated with his name, and he is also credited with the Royal Scot Class three-cylinder 4-6-0 of 1927.

Fowler was born at Evesham, Worcestershire on 29 July 1870 and educated at Mason Science College, Birmingham. He served his apprenticeship at Horwich Works under John Aspinall from 1885 and joined the Midland in 1900 as Gas Engineer at Derby, rising to Works Manager (1907) and CME (1909). His most numerous Midland design was the 4F 0-6-0 mineral engine, of which 772 were eventually built between 1911 and 1941.

At the Grouping the LMS ranked Fowler below George Hughes (formerly of the L&YR) but Hughes retired in 1925 and Fowler became LMS CME. The Royal Scot was rapidly designed by the North British Locomotive Company in 1927 to a Midland-flavoured outline; the parallel-boiler Jubilee precursor and the 'crab' Hughes-Fowler 2-6-0 mixed-traffic engine also bear his stamp. He was knighted in 1918 for his wartime work as Director of Production at the Ministry of Munitions.

Fowler stepped down as CME in 1931 to become Assistant to the Vice-President for Works and Ancillary Undertakings, and retired finally in 1933. He was elected President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1927. He died at Spondon, Derbyshire on 16 October 1938.

Locomotives designed

LMS 2P Class — Fowler's 1928 LMS 2P class 4-4-0 — LMS standard 4-4-0 derived from MR Johnson 4-4-0 design. 138 built. None preserved.
LMS 4P Compound — Reference to Midland Compound — the LMS Standard Compound 4-4-0 was a direct continuation of the MR design. 195 LMS-built Standard Compounds. See Midland Railway 1000 class.
LMS Crab Class — The Hughes-Fowler 2-6-0 mixed-traffic engine, universally known as the "Crab" for its distinctive raised running plate giving the appearance of a crustacean. 245 were built at Crewe and Horwich between 1926 and 1932, designed under George Hughes (the LMS's first CME) and continued under Henry Fowler. The class became the LMS's standard cross-country and fitted-freight engine and lasted in BR service to 1967. Two are preserved at the National Railway Museum.
LMS Fowler — Fowler's 1927 LMS 2-6-4T "Fowler tank" — first of the LMS 2-6-4T family. 125 built. The class evolved into Stanier's larger 2-6-4Ts. Several preserved.
LMS Fowler Class 3F "Jinty" — Sir Henry Fowler's standard LMS shunting and short-haul tank engine, universally known as the "Jinty". Four hundred and twenty-two engines were built between 1924 and 1931 across the LMS workshops and contracted private builders. The Jinty was the LMS's universal small tank engine for stations, goods yards, dock work, and short-haul mineral traffic. Ten are preserved.
LMS Fowler Class 4F — The LMS's standard heavy goods 0-6-0, derived from Sir Henry Fowler's 1911 Midland Railway Class 4 design and built in massive numbers under both Midland Railway and LMS ownership. By 1941 some 772 engines had been built across the MR and LMS works and contracted private builders. The 4F was the workhorse of LMS goods traffic throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Four are preserved.
LMS Patriot Class — A three-cylinder express 4-6-0 introduced 1930 for the LMS, nominally Henry Fowler's design but built mainly under Stanier and Ivatt. Often called the "Baby Scots" because they were nominally rebuilds of withdrawn LNWR Claughtons but were effectively new engines. 52 were built at Crewe and Derby between 1930 and 1934. From 1946 Stanier rebuilt 18 with taper boilers (the "Rebuilt Patriot" sub-class). All withdrawn 1960–1965; none preserved. A new-build engine, No. 5551 The Unknown Warrior, is under construction.
LMS Royal Scot Class — Three-cylinder express 4-6-0 designed for the LMS in 1927 by Sir Henry Fowler with North British Locomotive Company collaboration, a rapid response to the urgent post-Grouping need for heavier West Coast main-line motive power. Seventy-one engines were built in 1927–1930. Most were progressively rebuilt by H. G. Ivatt from 1943 onwards with new tapered Stanier-pattern boilers, double chimneys, and smoke deflectors, a reconstruction so thorough that the rebuilt engines became effectively a different class. Two are preserved.
Midland Railway 2441 Class — Fowler's 1899 MR 2441 class 0-6-0T — Midland Railway shunting tank, evolved into the LMS Class 3F "Jinties".
Midland Railway 3835 Class — Fowler's 1911 Midland Railway 3835 class 0-6-0 (LMS 4F class) — the MR's standard heavy goods 0-6-0, 192 built between 1911 and 1922; the LMS continued construction (as Standard 4F) and 580 had been built by 1941. The standard British Class 4F goods engine. Two preserved: 4027 (working at the Midland Railway, Butterley) and 43924 (Keighley & Worth Valley Railway).