Steam Locomotives in UK Museums

The Puffing Billy Locomotive was designed and built by William Hedley (1779–1843) around 1814 and is one of the oldest surviving steam railway locomotives in the world. It hauled coal trains at walking pace along about five miles (8 km) between Wylam Colliery and the River Tyne. Before this, many believed locomotives needed toothed rack and pinion to move on rails. Through experiments, Hedley demonstrated that wheel–rail adhesion alone was sufficient for hauling trains. The engine was modified many times during nearly fifty years of service, so it is unclear which parts date from 1814.

Rocket was designed and built in 1829 by Robert Stephenson (1803–1859) for the Rainhill Trials, a public competition held by the Liverpool & Manchester Railway (L&MR). It is regarded as the first truly modern steam locomotive. At the time, the world’s first full-scale inter-city passenger and freight railway between Liverpool and Manchester was nearing completion, but existing steam locomotives were doubted for reliability and durability. The company debated whether to use locomotives or stationary engines with cable haulage, and thus staged the Trials to decide. Of four entries, Rocket alone completed the course, reaching 47 km/h and proving Stephenson’s engineering prowess. L&MR adopted steam locomotives, and Rocket’s design became the basis for later engines. Continuous improvements during service make it difficult to date individual components today.

Columbine is one of the locomotives built from 1845 to a standard design at the Grand Junction Railway’s Crewe Works. This standardisation helped bring unity to what had been disparate designs among companies. The year 1845 was pivotal: between 1844 and 1847 Parliament approved numerous railway bills, and by 1850 a nationwide trunk network was largely complete. The Grand Junction Railway opened the earliest main line in 1837, about 82 km from Birmingham (Curzon Street) to Warrington. Owing to gallery space constraints, the tender is not coupled in the museum display.

The Kew Bridge site was once a waterworks pumping from the Thames to supply London. Coal for the boilers was moved on a small in-plant railway, which is recreated today. The operating locomotive Thomas Wicksteed was built by the Hunslet Engine Company in 2009, a 610 mm-gauge B-arrangement saddle-tank. It is not historic but is maintained in working order. In the waterworks era, an underground tramway driven by a waterwheel using waste water from the pumping engines carried coal from river barges; steam locomotives were not used at that time.

Opened in 1863, the Metropolitan Railway was the world’s first underground railway. Steam traction was used at first; electrification followed in 1905, and in 1933 it was amalgamated with other companies to form London Passenger Transport Board. No. 23 is a 2-4-0T built in 1866 by Beyer, Peacock & Co. (standard gauge 1,435 mm). Designed small for tunnel use, it lacks a cab roof. After electrification it continued as a works locomotive until 1948. It was fitted with a condenser to return exhaust steam to water—this did not prevent smoke, but it reduced steam accumulation in tunnels.

The Liverpool & Manchester Railway (LMR), opened in 1830, was the world’s first passenger railway. Its No. 57 Lion was built in 1838 at Kitson’s of Leeds (then Todd, Kitson & Laird), a 0-2-2 tender locomotive. After some twenty years in revenue service it worked as a contractor’s engine, and in 1859 was sold to the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board for use on its private lines. Around 1874 it ceased work as a locomotive and was installed at Prince’s Dock as a stationary boiler powering pumps. Rediscovered in 1923, it was rescued in 1928 by members of the Liverpool Engineering Society and restored to locomotive condition at LMS Crewe Works. The missing tender was newly built using parts from a withdrawn Furness Railway tender (by Sharp, Stewart). Many other items—chimney, smokebox door, splashers, boiler cladding and tubes—were remade. It ran for the LMR centenary in 1930 and later appeared in several films. Although now a static exhibit, it remained in working order until 1988, making it the oldest operable locomotive at the time.

No. 46235 “City of Birmingham” is a Princess Coronation Class steam locomotive built in 1939 at LMS Crewe Works (4-6-2 “Pacific”). It appeared in streamlined form and is a powerful four-cylinder engine (with inside cylinders) for express trains. Railway companies fiercely competed on the London–Scotland route: timings fell from 10 h 30 m (1871) to 7 h 30 m (1889), and with this class to 6 h 30 m. After the war the shrouding was removed for ease of maintenance and it received British Railways standard green. Withdrawn in 1964, it is preserved at Thinktank.

The Garratt is an articulated locomotive type—effectively two engine units with a central boiler—devised and patented in 1907 by Herbert William Garratt (1864–1913). With Beyer, Peacock & Co.’s cooperation it entered production from 1909 to 1968; until the late 1920s the firm held a practical monopoly, after which other builders worldwide produced them. South African Railways GL-class No. 2352 (works no. 6639) was built in 1930 and worked from 1931 to 1972. Although much of South Africa’s main network uses 1,067 mm gauge like Japan, the GL is very large—27.4 m long and 217 t.

Isle of Man Railway No. 3 “Pender” was built in 1873 by Beyer, Peacock & Co. (works no. 1255), a 914 mm-gauge 2-2-0 tank locomotive. It first worked the Douglas–Peel line; a larger water tank was later fitted for Douglas–Port Erin duties. The exhibit is sectioned to reveal the internal workings of a steam locomotive.

Built in 1911 by the Vulcan Foundry (works no. 3064), this 1,676 mm-gauge 4-6-0 tender locomotive entered service with the North Western Railway (NWR) of British India as No. 3064 for medium- to long-distance mail expresses. After Partition in 1947 it became Pakistan Railways SPS (Scinde, Punjab & Sind) class No. 3157. Originally coal-fired, it was later converted to oil-firing when coal supplies from India ceased amid political tensions. Donated by the Government of Pakistan in 1971, it returned to Britain for display.

Glasgow & South Western Railway No. 9 was built in 1917 at the North British Locomotive Company’s Springburn Works in Glasgow, a C-arrangement tank locomotive. Only three were built, for sharply curving and steep freight routes. After the 1923 Grouping it passed to the LMS, but with so few engines it did not become a standard class. No. 9 was sold in 1934 to the Llay Main Colliery near Wrexham and worked until 1962. In 1963 British Railways purchased it for preservation and repainted it in G&SWR green for display at the former Glasgow Transport Museum; it is now exhibited at the Riverside Museum.

Highland Railway No. 103, built in 1894 by Sharp, Stewart in Glasgow, was Britain’s first 4-6-0 locomotive. With 1,790 mm driving wheels, overall length about 18 m, engine weight about 59 t, and boiler pressure 12.06 bar / 175 psi, it offered exceptional power for the time. The class nickname “Jones Goods” is the company’s designation honouring locomotive superintendent David Jones; “Goods” indicates freight focus at design, but the engines also hauled passenger trains, excelling on the gradients of northern Scotland. This is the only survivor of the class and a symbol of innovation in British railway history.

North British Railway No. 256 “Glen Douglas” is a 4-6-0 express passenger locomotive built by Neilson in 1895. With 1,829 mm drivers, approximately 50 t engine weight, and 13.14 bar / 191 psi boiler pressure, it hauled expresses on Scotland’s eastern main lines. The “Glen” class took names from Scottish glens; No. 256 is named for Glen Douglas between Loch Lomond and Loch Long. Preserved after withdrawal, it is the sole survivor of the class.

Caledonian Railway No. 123 was built in 1886 by Neilson of Glasgow for express passenger service. 4-2-2 “single-driver” with ~2.13 m driving wheel, it was suited to light, high-speed trains. It has two inside cylinders and boiler pressure of 11.08 bar / 161 psi, outstanding for its day. The Caledonian Railway (founded 1837) developed a network centred on the Glasgow–Carlisle main line, connecting with the LNWR to provide a principal route to London. No. 123 figured in the speed rivalry on the Anglo-Scottish routes and recorded average speeds over 80 km/h. Withdrawn in 1935 and preserved.

South African Railways 15F-class No. 3007 was built in 1945 at North British Locomotive Company’s Polmadie Works, Glasgow, a 4-8-2 “Mountain” type. With 1,524 mm drivers, engine weight about 124 t, and 15.49 bar / 225 psi boiler pressure, it hauled long passenger and freight trains with ease. The 15F was a principal SAR class introduced in large numbers; No. 3007 served on long high-plateau routes before withdrawal in the 1980s. Preserved locally for a time, it later “returned home” to Glasgow due to its Scottish build and is now displayed at the Riverside Museum—an emblem of heavy industry and international railway links.