Power Classification	4F reclassified 4MT in 1948
Introduced	1947 – 1952
Designer	Ivatt
Company	LMS
Weight – Loco	59t 2cwt
Tender	40t 6cwt
Driving Wheels	5ft 3ins
Boiler Pressure	225psi superheated
Cylinders	Outside – 17.5in x 28in
Tractive Effort	24,170lbf
Valve Gear	Walschaert (piston valves)

These engines were designed by Ivatt in 1947 and although originally classed as 4F they were essential mixed traffic engines. Only the first three came out as LMS locomotives in December 1947, the other 158 being built after the formation of BR.

The engines had three cylinders, motion and pipe-work well exposed and they were fitted with extremely high running plates. Together with the double chimneys originally fitted, these features made the engines just about the ugliest ever to appear on the LMS.

The double chimneys did nothing to help the engines’ steaming capacity. After much testing the engines were fitted with single blast-pipes and single chimneys which more than doubled the steam production of the boilers. The later engines were built new with single blast-pipes and chimneys.

Riddles’ BR standard 76000 class was based closely on this design.

Ivatt LMS Design Riddle BR Standard 76000 class

Interestingly the 43000 class outlasted the 76000 class as the last of the Standard engines was withdrawn in 1967 and six of the 43000 class remained in service until withdrawn during 1968. These six were the last 2-6-0 locomotives working on BR.

43000-43049 were originally fitted with double chimneys but later rebuilt as single chimney engines.

43027 was used for experiments with single chimneys including a stove-pipe chimney fitted from 1950 to 1955.

Construction was divided between different locations, 75 were completed at Horwich Works, 50 at Doncaster Works and 37 at Darlington Works. The class was also sometimes called mucky ducks or doodle-bugs and Flying Pigs. The latter is now commonly used to identify the preserved example of the class 43106.

In BR days they were used extensively across the system, being prevalent on the London Midland region. They were based in Eastern Region territory in the north east of England as well as further south in the midlands and East Anglia. A small number of the last batch built at Doncaster were employed in Scotland but these had moved south by 1963.They were also used for a short period on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, but were quickly transferred elsewhere, never to return, because of poor steaming on the line’s long and steep gradients – this was before modifications were made to the design which improved steaming notably.

Number in Service.

	Built		Withdrawals	No. in Service
	BR Numbers	Quantity
1947	43000-2	3		3
1948	43003-22	20		23
1949	43023-49	27		50
1950	43050-96	47		97
1951	43097-135 & 43137-55	58		155
1952	43136 & 43156-61	7		162
1953-62				162
1963			6	156
1964			15	141
1965			42	99
1966			34	65
1967			59	6
1968			6	0

• 43000-49 and 43112-36 were built at Horwich
• 43050-69, 43107-11 and 43137-61 were built at Doncaster
• 43070-106 were built at Darlington

Allocation of locomotives in service as at 1st of January.

	1954	1958	1962	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968
London Midland Region	49	47	54	54	59	55	37	6
Eastern Region	62	58	56	56	40
North Eastern Region	41	47	43	46	42	44	28
Scottish Region	10	10	9
	162	162	162	156	141	99	65	6

Although there are no allocations shown above to the Southern Region 43011 spent two years whilst at Bath Green Park as part of the Southern Region stock. This followed the transfer of Bath Green park depot from the London Midland Region to the Southern Region in January 1950.

	1954	1958	1962	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968
London Midland Region
Bescot				3	2	1
Bletchley					2
Bristol Barrow Road	1
Carnforth					8	5	6
Carlisle Canal			2
Carlisle Kingmoor			4	8	7	9	6
Carlisle Upperby			4	1
Crewe South				7	9	9	3
Cricklewood	5	5	6
Derby	4	4
Devons Road	6	3
Heaton Mersey				13	13	7
Kettering		3	2
Lancaster	2		6
Leeds Holbeck	3
Leicester Midland	2	2
Lostock Hall							4	3
Lower Darwen						5
Nottingham	3	1
Nuneaton	5	7	8
Saltley	5	7	11	3
Skipton	2	2
St Albans		1
Stoke				6	7	7	8
Stourton	2
Sutton Oak	4
Tebay		4	3	3	3	3	2
Trafford Park				4	2
Watford				3	3
Wellingborough			1
Woodford Halse			2
Workington	5	8	5	3	3	9	8	3
	49	47	54	54	59	55	37	6

• The last six in service were all withdrawn from Lostock Hall in 1968 with the last being 43106 in June of that year. Three of these six were only transferred to Lostock Hall from Workington in January 1968 when Workington shed closed and two (43006 and 43008) of these three had been based at Workington since 1948. Three of six withdrawn in 1968 had entered service in 1948, two in 1949 and 43106 in 1951.
• Leeds Holbeck and its sub depots (Stourton, Royston, Normanton, Wakefield, Goole, Sowerby Bridge, Low Moor, Ardseley, Copley Hill) were transferred from the London Midland Region to the North Eastern Region in September 1956. A number of these depots had allocations of 43000 class locomotives.
• Carlisle Kingmoor was part of the Scottish Region until February 1958 when it and Carlisle Canal were transferred to the London Midland Region. Carlisle Canal had become part of the Scottish Region in October 1951.
• Woodford Halse was reallocated to the London Midland Region from the Eastern Region in February 1958.

	1954	1958	1962	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968
Eastern Region
Ardsley				4	4
Boston		8	24	8
Cambridge		1	3
Canklow	1	1			4
Colwick			6	15	7
Grantham	1
Kings Lynn		1
Lincoln			3	5
Melton Constable	12	12
Millhouses	1	1	1
Neasden	9
New England	14	9	12	6	7
Retford			2
Sheffield Grimesthorpe	4
South Lynn	15	17
Spital Bridge	1	1
Staveley			2
Staveley Barrow Hill			3	18	18
Woodford Halse		2
Yarmouth Beach	4	5
	62	58	56	56	40

• Spital Bridge was transferred to the Eastern Region from the London Midland Region in August 1950.
• Woodford Halse was reallocated to the London Midland Region from the Eastern Region in February 1958.

	1954	1958	1962	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968
North Eastern Region
Alston	2
Darlington	4	2	6	6	6	4
Goole			3	2	2
Heaton	6
Hull Dairycoates	15	11	7	5	5
Leeds Holbeck		8	5	5	4	4	1
Leeds Neville Hill			2	1	2	1
Low Moor		1			2
Manningham		2	2	4	5	5	5
Middlesborough	8	7
Normanton		2	3	1	2	6	5
North Byth					1	2	11
Royston						4	2
Selby	5	6
Sowerby Bridge		1
Stourton		4	2	4	2	7	1
Thornaby			4	2
Wakefield		1		4	1	2	1
West Hartlepool	1	2	5	8	4	4	2
York			4	4	6	5
	41	47	43	46	42	44	28

• Leeds Holbeck and its sub depots (Stourton, Royston, Normanton, Wakefield, Goole, Sowerby Bridge, Low Moor, Ardseley, Copley Hill) were transferred from the London Midland Region to the North Eastern Region in September 1956. A number of these depots had allocations of 43000 class locomotives.

	1954	1958	1962	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968
Scottish Region
Bathgate		1
Carlisle Canal	1	1
Dawsholm			3
Eastfield	7	3
Grangemouth			1
Hawick			1
Kipps		3	3
Polmadie			1
Polmont	2	2
	10	10	9

• Carlisle Kingmoor was part of the Scottish Region until February 1958 when it and Carlisle Canal were transferred to the London Midland Region. Carlisle Canal had become part of the Scottish Region in October 1951.

Accidents and Incidents

• On 18 January 1960, locomotive 43048 was hauling the Kettering to Leicester slow local train when it was derailed by an empty wagon train travelling on the up slow line which had come of the rails just north of Kettering. 43048 ended up on its side and the driver and fireman spent some time in hospital as a result of their injuries.
• In September 1964, locomotive 43074 ended up on its side between Keighley and Crossflatts. It was reversing through trap points when it happened. The engine had only been out of Swindon Works for a few weeks at the time and after the accident it was repaired and returned to service. The fireman was thrown through the cabside window but no information on the driver is available.
• On 12 November 1964, locomotive 43072 was working a train of twenty-one empty wagons from Ardsley. The driver lost control and ran into Adolphus St. Goods Yard in Bradford at an estimated speed of 50 mph. Before demolishing the buffers the crew jumped clear and the train crashed through a wall to fall 30ft into Dryden Street below. The 14 year old locomotive was considered beyond economic repair was cut up in the road 4 days later.
• In April 1968, locomotive 43106 was derailed at Colne whilst shunting after working an early morning parcels train. At a pair of points the locomotive and tender took different routes resulting in the derailment of the locomotive.
• On 28 September 2009, the tender of locomotive 43106 became derailed as it approached Hampton Loade station with a passenger train. There were no injuries. The causal factors were that a spring had been replaced on the tender with one which was not of the correct type and the track had become distorted without the track maintenance staff being aware of the problem.

	43004 at Carlisle-August 1965. It was withdrawn from service at Lostock Hall in September 1967 and scrapped in April 1968. 43004 spent thirteen years based at Workington before moving to Carlisle.
	43070 at Wakefield-May 1966.43070 spent all of its working life based on the North Eastern Region until withdrawn in September 1967 whilst based at North Blyth
	43044 at Stourton where it was based-May 1966. It was withdrawn from service at Leeds Holbeck in September 1967 and scrapped in April 1968.
	43011 & 43073 climb from Whitehaven to Moor Row with a train of empty iron ore wagons-June 1966. Both were based at Workington at the time. 43011 was withdrawn in February 1967 and 43073 in August 1967. I had an early morning bike ride to take this photograph.
	43051 at York on the site of what is now the National Railway Museum-July 1966. 43051 spent all of its working life based at North eastern Region depots. It was withdrawn from Manningham in January 1967 and scrapped in April 1967.
	43130 next to 42394 in Leeds Holbeck shed-July 1966. 43130 was based at Leeds Holbeck for nearly ten years. It was withdrawn from there in June 1967 and scrapped in February 1968.
	43000 on Carlisle Kingmoor shed-July 1966. 43000 was on of the three members of the class built in 1947. It was withdrawn from service whilst based at North Blyth in September 1967 and scrapped in November 1967.

Preservation

• 43106

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