RailPictures.Net Photo: 62712 Morayshire London and North Eastern Railway Ex-LNER D49/1 class 4-4-0 at Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway, Falkirk, Scotland, United Kingdom by Steve Armitage
The British 4-4-0 had a long and fascinating history. In spite of the growing evidence that 4-6-0s were a better 'all-rounder', three of the 'big four' persevered with new build 4-4-0s. The final examples of this type emerged between 1928 and 1935 from Eastleigh (Maunsell's Southern Railway 'Schools' class), Crewe and Derby (Fowler's LMS '2P' class) and Darlington (Gresley's LNER D49 class). The fortunate survival of D49 'Morayshire' is owed to her retention in secondary use as a stationery boiler, allowing a very early example (1962) of a privately purchased locomotive. Viewers may be interested to see her cab layout, offering all the dubious comforts of a 'modern' steam locomotive of 1928 vintage! The D49s gave excellent service for 30 years but they had a reputation for rough riding and were generally not popular with engine crews.
