I'm not sure if the soubriquet of 'Austin Sevens' that railwaymen nicknamed the ex-LMS Fowler '7F' 0-8-0s was complimentary or derogatory! Certainly they seemed a pointless exercise in design when more of the latest versions of the tried and trusted L&NWR 'G2A' 0-8-0s could have been built (and probably at far less cost) because the parts were already designed, probably in stock or at least easily made available by Crewe Works. In June 1956, 49552 stands in the yard at Sowerby Bridge MPD in the Calder Valley.

© Ken Widd. Steve Armitage Collection