LMS Route: Nuneaton to Birmingham New Street

LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Tamworth

Saltley Shed: mrsalt1242

British Railways built 2MT 2-6-0 No 46454 stands outside No 3 roundhouse in a very dirty condition. Built by Crewe works in April 1950 No 46454 was to remain in service until October 1966 when it was withdrawn from 2E Saltley shed. This class of steam locomotives had been designed for light mixed traffic in order to replace elderly 0-6-0s which formed the backbone of the low-powered motive power within the LMS fleet. It had long been the practice on most railways, based on economic grounds, that once prestigious classes of locomotives were cascaded and deployed on secondary lines. Rising labour costs and post-war manpower shortages meant that modern low-powered locomotives were as important as the larger engines that had been the focus of Stanier's designs since the early 1930s. A total of 128 were built between 1946 and 1953, mostly at Crewe with the first twenty being built by LMS and numbered No 6400 to No 6419. When the LMS was nationalisation in 1948, they were renumbered by British Railways by adding 40000 to their numbers to become No 46400 to No 46419. The remaining 108 locomotives of the class received their numbers, No 46420 to No 46527 from new. Commencing with No 46465 built at Darlington in 1951, the class were given an increase in cylinder diameter of ½ inch which yielded a tractive effort of 18,510 lb, 1,100 lb greater than the original design.

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