LMS Garratt
The LMS Garratt was a class of heavy freight steam locomotives built for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) by Beyer, Peacock & Co. A total of 33 engines were produced: three in 1927 and 30 in 1930. They used the Garratt wheel arrangement (a single boiler section between two engine units) to haul very large coal trains on Britain’s railways.
Designed for power, the locomotives were intended to haul trains around 1,450 long tons at about 25 mph. The first three were numbered 4997–4999 and the remainder 4967–4996. Later, to make way for new locomotives, they were renumbered 7967–7999, and after nationalization British Railways added 40000 to their numbers.
Although powerful, the Garratts were heavy on coal and maintenance. LMS engineers fitted standard LMS axleboxes, which tended to overheat on these large engines. From 1931, the 1930 batch received revolving coal bunkers to cut coal dust and help self-trim, but drivers often disliked operating bunker-first.
The engines were mainly used for heavy coal duties, especially on routes like Toton to Brent, and later served various other tasks. They remained in service until withdrawals began in 1955 and ended by 1958, with none preserved.
They were the most numerous Garratt class in Britain, but the design age and wartime wear reduced their usefulness, and they were eventually superseded by BR Standard Class 9F locomotives.
In the model world, the LMS Garratt has appeared as kits and ready-made models since the 1960s, including Kitmaster and Airfix versions and later OO gauge models by Heljan for Hattons.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:00 (CET).