Railway vehicle; Metropolitan Railway A class 4-4-0T steam locomotive No. 23, 1866
Main details
| Reference number | 1981/535 |
|---|---|
| Description | This steam locomotive was built by Beyer Peacock in Manchester in 1866. It is one of the original Class 'A' 4-4- 0 locomotives purchased for the Metropolitan Railway Inner Circle services. They had condensing tank engines, designed to limit smoke emission in the tunnels. However, the atmospheric pollution was still terrible. The Circle line was electrified in 1905 and steam locomotives came out of service on the Underground. From 1935 to 1948, Number 23 was used for track maintenance duties. During this time it was Britain's oldest working steam locomotive. |
| Manufacturer | |
| Dates | 1866 |
| Collection | |
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| Location | |
| Topics | |
| Completeness | 100% |
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Physical description
Dimensions Attribute Value Height 3850mm12ft 8inLength 9940mm32ft 7inWidth 2600mm8ft 6in -
Build and type
Attribute Value In service 1866 - 1905Fleet number 23 -
People involved
Role Person(s) involved Manufacturer Beyer Peacock, Manchester, 1866 -
Associated companies, people and places
Company Attribute Value Operated by Metropolitan Railway, 1866 - 1933London Transport, 1933 - 1948
More about steam locomotives
Our Metropolitan Railway steam locomotive dates from 1866. Read more about the only surviving steam locomotive from the early years of the world’s first Underground.
Rudi Newman, a Doctor of transport history and London Transport Museum volunteer, talks about one of the highlights in our collection, the Metropolitan Railway steam locomotive No. 23.
Read about some of the big transitions in London’s public transport over the last 200 years and their environmental impact.
