The Book of the Stanier 8F 2-8-0s Part 3 From Crewe to Swindon via Horwich 48301-48439

The latest in the 'Book Of' series, which will run to five parts to adequately cover the vast number of locomotives involved. In this third part are the locomotives that formed the first tranche of the 8Fs as a British 'War Locomotive' built at various works to Government edict. As the title indicates and as might be expected, they were built by the LMS but the first Swindon examples also began to emerge, from 8400 onwards. Part One detailed those 8Fs built by/for the LMS for its own use - 8000-8125 in the 1930s with no thought then of them becoming a British 'war locomotive' though indeed some did go abroad. Part Two concerns firstly those engines built by Crewe and North British for the LMS, 8126-8225 which never went abroad and secondly the locos built at Ministry of Supply/War Department behest and loaned to the LMS/GWR, 8226-8297. The life, times and adventures of each (sometimes quite exotic in the case of the latter) is recorded under the individual loco, as with previous 'Books Of' series.