LMS Fairburn 2-6-4T

The Stanier 2-6-4T of 1934 had been a remarkably successful suburban tank design, 645 built across the LMS and continuing into BR construction. By the early 1940s, however, the class's 17 ft 0 in fixed wheelbase was found to be too long for some of the tighter curves of the LMS suburban network, particularly in industrial Lancashire and on the LT&S Tilbury route.

Charles Fairburn, who had become LMS CME on Stanier's departure for the Ministry of Production in 1942, oversaw a redesign that shortened the wheelbase to 16 ft 0 in. The shortened wheelbase was achieved by minor adjustments to the bogie pivots and the placement of certain ancillary equipment. Other changes included a sloping bunker rear (replacing the Stanier vertical pattern), revised cab fittings, and detail improvements in lubrication and steam circuits.

The result was effectively a Stanier 2-6-4T modified for the post-war era. The first engine, LMS No. 2066, was completed at Derby Works in October 1945. Production continued under the LMS to nationalisation in 1948, and under British Railways through to October 1951, by which point the class had reached 277 engines. The bulk were built at Derby; a notable batch of about 41 was built at Brighton Works in 1950–1951 for BR Southern Region service.

Fairburn died in 1945 and the class was completed under George Ivatt's LMS CME tenure (1945–1947) and afterwards under BR ownership. Despite the change of CME, the design remained essentially Fairburn's, Ivatt's contribution was minor detail improvements rather than a redesign. The class is therefore universally known as the Fairburn 2-6-4T.

The Fairburn was the standard heavy-suburban tank engine of post-war British Railways. The class worked the principal commuter routes in London (St Pancras suburban services, the LT&S Tilbury line, the Watford services), Birmingham (the Cross-City and Snow Hill suburban routes), Manchester (Newton Heath and Patricroft suburban work), Glasgow (the inner suburban services from Buchanan Street and St Enoch), and the Brighton-built batch for BR Southern Region's Tonbridge–Hastings line and other Kent secondary routes.

From the late 1950s the early diesel multiple-units and the BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T (which was based on the same Fairburn design with detail improvements for BR-era construction) began to displace the class. The BR Standard 4 2-6-4T was so closely related to the Fairburn that the two classes are often grouped together in operational discussions. Withdrawal of the Fairburns began in 1961 with the BR Southern Region examples (made redundant by the Kent Coast electrification of 1959–1962); the LM Region withdrawals followed through the early 1960s.

The last Fairburns in BR service were withdrawn in 1967, among the very last steam tank engines on the LM Region. The two preserved examples, 42073 and 42085, were both rescued in the late 1960s.

A side-tank 2-6-4T of distinctly LMS Stanier-derived appearance, distinguishable from the Stanier 2-6-4T predecessor by the shorter wheelbase (16 ft 0 in against 17 ft 0 in), revised bunker shape (sloping rear), and slightly different cab profile. The class wore standard LMS unlined black and BR mixed-traffic black through most of its life. The class was never named, it was a wholly utilitarian class, intended to be unspectacular and effective. Distinctively short for a 2-6-4 tank, with a tightly-packed appearance that suited it to the LMS and BR suburban routes for which it was built.

2066 (later 42066), first of class, completed at Derby in October 1945. Worked the Tilbury suburban services from new. Withdrawn 1965, scrapped.

42073, preserved at the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway in Cumbria. Built at Derby in 1950 (LMS lot completed under BR). Withdrawn from BR service in 1967, rescued for preservation, and currently a regular performer on heritage services on the Cumbrian line.

42085, preserved at the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway in Cumbria. Built at Brighton Works in 1951 as one of the BR Southern Region batch. Withdrawn from BR Southern Region in 1962 (an unusually early date for a Fairburn, reflecting the more rapid contraction of SR steam after the 1959 Kent Coast electrification). Currently a regular performer on heritage services.

42299, last of the original LMS-numbered batch.

LMS era (1945–1947): the first batch (LMS 2066–2095) was built at Derby in 1945–1946 and concentrated on heavy suburban services from St Pancras and Euston. Major early Fairburn allocations were at Derby, Saltley (Birmingham), Newton Heath (Manchester), Polmadie (Glasgow), and the LT&S sheds at Plaistow and Shoeburyness for the heavy Tilbury and Southend commuter trains.

BR LM Region (1948–1967): production continued at Derby through to 1951. The class was widely distributed across BR LM Region suburban networks. Major Fairburn allocations were at Plaistow, Shoeburyness, Watford, Bletchley, Crewe, and the Glasgow suburban sheds. The class lasted in service through to 1967.

BR Southern Region (1950–1962): a substantial batch of Brighton-built Fairburns was constructed in 1950–1951 specifically for SR Southern Region service. These engines were allocated to the Tonbridge–Hastings line and other Kent secondary routes where the Fairburn's capabilities and the LMS-derived design were considered superior to the available SR alternatives. The Brighton Fairburns lasted on the SR until withdrawal in the early 1960s.

LMS (1945–1947): standard LMS unlined black with simple "LMS" tender lettering, no lining or coat of arms.

British Railways early (1948–1956): BR mixed-traffic black with red, cream and grey lining; early lion-and-wheel emblem.

British Railways late (1956–1967): BR mixed-traffic black with the late BR crest, often plain unlined. The class spent the bulk of its BR career in this livery.

Preservation (42073, 42085): both preserved engines have been turned out in BR mixed-traffic black with the early lion-and-wheel emblem at the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway, representative of their typical mid-1950s appearance.