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	An early picture showing the junction where the Great Western Railway joined the Metropolitan Railway at Praed Street, Paddington.


	The London Underground first opened as the Metropolitan Line between Bishop’s Road, Paddington and Farringdon Street in January 1863. With the interest in the line by the Great Western Railway, the first tracks were dual gauge; i.e. 4’ 8 1/2” (the standard gauge) and 7’ 0 1/4” (the GWR ‘broad gauge’.) Thus it was that some of the earliest locomotives were ‘condensing’ tank engines designed by the Great Western. This design concept had the exhaust steam effectively recycled through large pipes to the tops of the condensing tanks. Early experiments were also tried to rid the tunnels of smoke and fumes, perhaps the most famous, and yet unsuccessful being an engine built by Robert Stevenson & Co. in 1861 nicknamed ‘Fowlers Ghost’.


	‘Fowler’s Ghost’ near Edgeware road in 1862

			‘B’ class 4-4-0 Metropolitan Railway tank loco near Aldgate junction.


		Whilst the first locomotives to be used were Great Western in origin, a disagreement between the two companies in 1863 meant that the Metropolitan Railway had to order it’s own fleet. These first engines called the ‘A’ type, were originally bright green in colour with polished copper and brasswork. After 1885 the colour was changed to maroon. An example of the class ‘B’ locomotive (that was essentially an improved class ‘A’ ) is shown on the right.


	Disrtict Railway 4-4-0 tank No. 4 at East Ham circa 1905


		No.55 was one of a class of 32 4-4-0 tank locomotives built by Beyer Peacock&co. between 1879 and 1885. The whole class were withdrawn in 1919


	An example of a ‘G’ class 0-6-4 tank locomotive bought by the Metropolitan Railway in 1915. No. 95 depicted above, along with it’s three sister engines were transferred to LNER ownership in 1937.


	‘K’ class 2-6-4 locomotive No. 113. this was the last class of locomotive to be built for the Metropolitan Railway in 1925. These powerful engines were primarily purchased for freight haulage, but were often seen working passenger stock.


	One of a pair of Peckett saddle tanks bought by the Metropolitan Railway in 1897 and 1899 for freight work, shown here shunting at Neasden in 1957. L53 (formerly No. 101) was finally withdrawn from service in 1960


	In 1956, London Transport purchased two ex. GWR pannier tank locomotives to replace two ‘F’ class engines in need of extensive overhauls. The use of steam engines was in preference to diesels because of the small number of hours run per day. Battery locomotives were already being used for certain duties, but their load hauling capabilities were limited. In the next seven years, a further eleven pannier tank engines were purchased, but by the beginning of February 1970, only three of these remained, London Transport numbers: L90, L94 and L95. The trio survived until 1971 when they were withdrawn and replaced by diesels.


	EX GREAT WESTERN PANNIER TANK LOCOMOTIVES

LT No.

L89

L90(1)

L90(2)

L91(1)

L91(2)

L92

L93

L94

L95

L96

L97

L98

L99

WR No.

5775

7711

7760

5752

5757

5786

7779

7752

5764

7741

7749

7739

7715


	EMAIL ME

BUILT

1929

1930

1930

1929

1929

1929

1930

1930

1929

1930

1930

1930

1930

BOUGHT LT

1963

1956

1961

1957

1960

1958

1958

1959

1961

1961

1962

1962

1963

WITHDRAWN

1970

1961

1971

1960

1967

1969

1967

1971

1971

1966

1968

1968

1970



	Ex. GWR 57xx 0-6-0 Pannier Tank loco No. 7760, as LT No. L90 working an engineers train near Watford.


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