The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Stanier Class 8F is a class of steam locomotives designed for hauling heavy freight. 852 were built between 1935 and 1946 (not all to LMS order), as a freight version of William Stanier's successful Black Five, and the class saw extensive service overseas during and after the Second World War.

LMS freight traction suffered from the adoption of the Midland Railway's small engine policy which had left it with trains double-headed by underpowered 0-6-0s supplemented by disappointing Garratts and Fowler 7F 0-8-0s.

The 8F design incorporated the two-cylinder arrangement of the Black Fives. They were initially classified 7F, but this was later changed to the more familiar 8F.^[2]

On the outbreak of the World War II, the design was chosen to become the country's standard freight design, reprising the role the GCR Class 8K had in the First World War. The War Department had 208 8Fs built by Beyer Peacock and North British Locomotive Company and requisitioned 51 more.

Stanier 8F production for the WD continued until 1943 when the cheaper WD Austerity 2-8-0 was introduced. Production for British domestic use continued until 1946.

LMS nos. 8012–6/8–25/8/30–2/4/8–49/51/2/8/9/61/6/8/9/71/2/7–80/5–8/91/3/4 were requisitioned by the War Department in 1941 and renumbered 572–622 (not in order).^[7][8] These 51 locomotives were intended for service in Persia, but twelve never got there: four (former nos. 8066/8/71/87) were lost in the Irish Sea whilst being shipped in 1941 and eight more were damaged in transit, repaired and returned to LMS stock in 1943 (on loan from 1942), resuming their former LMS numbers 8024/69/78–80/5/8/93.^[9] After the war, ten were bought from the WD by British Railways in 1949, and were given BR numbers 48012/6/8/20/39/45/6/61/77/94, being their original numbers increased by 40000. One final locomotive, originally LMS 8025, was bought by BR in 1957 and renumbered 48775.^[10] Thus 299 former LMS locomotives were eventually in BR stock.^[11]

Not all were required immediately by the War Department, and so beginning in August 1940, 53 were loaned to the LMS and given temporary LMS numbers as shown. 25 of these were subsequently transferred to the GWR, still on loan from the WD, but retained their LMS numbers. No. 407, then on loan to the GWR and running as LMS 8293, was damaged in an accident at Dolphin Junction, Slough; after repair it was bought by the LMS in 1943, retaining number 8293. The remainder were returned to the WD during 1941 and resumed their original WD numbers. Others were loaned to the LMS but initially retained their WD numbers; in 1943, 22 of these (WD 549–551, 553, 555–571 and 623) were bought by the LMS and renumbered 8264–85.^[12] In 1948–49, 29 more (original WD numbers 300/1, 311/4/8, 332, 363, 376/8, 384, 394, 321, 398, 504, 518, 544, 373, 506, 401–3, 413, 438, 440/2/3/6/7/9) were bought by British Railways and renumbered 48246–63, 48286–92, 48294–7 without regard to any LMS numbers previously carried.^[13] Two more, originally WD nos. 307 and 320, were bought by BR in 1957 and renumbered 48773/4.^[14] 54 of the 208 locomotives ordered by the WD were eventually in BR stock.^[11]

Although none of these was built by the LMS, all were considered to be LMS property; those built by the GWR and LNER were loaned to the railways which built them, being returned to the LMS during 1946–47. All 245 entered BR stock at the start of 1948 and subsequently had their LMS numbers increased by 40000.^[15]

The War Department originally ordered 8Fs for service in support of the British Expeditionary Force, but they were not delivered until after the Fall of France. However, most of them did see wartime military service overseas in Egypt, Palestine, Iran and Italy. Many of these locomotives were later sold to the local railways in these countries, and some were also sold to Turkey and Iraq.^{[16][page needed]}

With their intended role in France having ceased to exist, early WD 8Fs were loaned to British railway companies in 1940-42, being given temporary numbers in the LMS series. However, by late 1941 the need for locomotives in Iran and Egypt was such that all of the WD locomotives which had been completed up to that point were recalled for military service, and 50 more locomotives were requisitioned from the LMS. Locomotive WD 407 (LMS 8293) had been damaged in an accident whilst on loan to the Great Western Railway, so a 51st LMS engine was requisitioned as a replacement.^{[16][page needed]}

By 1942 the need for locomotives overseas had been satisfied, and the final 24 new WD 8Fs remained in the UK on loan to LMS. Also remaining in the UK were nine damaged locomotives (WD 407 and 8 requisitioned locomotives whose voyage to Iran had been aborted after the SS Pentridge Hill suffered severe storm damage – 4 other locomotives had had to be jettisoned into the sea to save the ship). Two locomotives were sold to Turkey in 1944, and the other 31 were sold to the LMS in 1943.

In 1952 five WD 8Fs returned to the UK from the MEF in poor condition. These were refurbished for WD use at the Longmoor Military Railway (LMR). Three of these were sold to British Railways in 1957 becoming Nos. 48773-75. The other two were transferred to the Cairnryan Military Railway and were scrapped in 1959, ending the WD's use of 8F locomotives.

• On 21 January 1941, Locomotive No. 8247 of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway was derailed at Wallneuk Junction, Paisley, Renfrewshire. Three cranes were needed to recover it.^[29]
• On 2 July 1941, locomotive WD 407 (LMS 8293) was hauling a freight train which was in a head-on collision with an express passenger train, hauled by GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 No. 4091 Dudley Castle, at Slough, Berkshire. Five people were killed and 21 were injured.^{[16][page needed][30]} Despite suffering a buckled main frame, fractured pony truck, and crushed cab, the locomotive – on loan to the Great Western Railway from the War Department – was repaired at the GWR's Swindon Works and returned to the LMS in October 1941.^[31]
• On 8 May 1954, locomotive No. 48462 of British Railways was hauling a freight train that became divided and was derailed at Plumpton, Cumberland.^[32]
• On 9 February 1957, locomotive No 48188 was hauling a freight train that ran away due to the failure of the steam brake pipe in the cab. It collided with a preceding freight train and a diesel multiple unit at Chapel-en-le-Frith station, Derbyshire. Staff there had enough warning to be able to evacuate the passenger train before the collision. Driver John Axon had remained with the runaway freight and was killed, as was guard Creamer of the preceding freight train. Axon was awarded a posthumous George Cross.^[33]
• In 1959, locomotive No. 48193 ran into the turntable pit at Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.^[34]
• On 17 June 1960, locomotive No. 48616 collided with some empty coaches and eventually derailed and rolled down an embankment. Nobody was hurt and the locomotive was withdrawn and scrapped a few days later.^[35]
• On 12 November 1961, locomotive No. 48674 was derailed by catch points between Four Oaks and Sutton Coldfield.^[36]
• On 16 December 1962, locomotive No. 48263 was derailed by trap points at Spon End, Warwickshire.^[34]
• On 14 August 1964, locomotive No. 48734 collided with a train of oil tankers at Didcot, Oxfordshire. Eleven tankers were derailed and caught fire, severely damaging the locomotive. It was declared a write-off and was scrapped at Crewe Works in November 1964.^[37]

Fourteen 8Fs are known to have survived with six LMS/BR locomotives being preserved in the UK; a seventh was used a spares donor for other preserved 8Fs as well as a number of new build projects. None of the pre-war 8Fs survived into preservation. Of the six LMS/BR locomotives that exist, only 48773 was purchased directly from BR for preservation following withdrawal from Rose Grove in July 1968; the remaining five - including 48518 which would later be used as a donor engine - were all rescued from Barry Scrapyard. Three members of the class have over the years been repatriated to the UK from Turkey, with one later sent to a museum in Israel. Two of the Turkish based 8F's which were to be repatriated to the UK, no's 45166 & 45170 made an appearance on the Channel 5 TV programme Monster Moves,^[40] this episode showed the two engines being moved 850 miles by rail across Turkey from Sivas to İzmir. 45166 would later end up in Israel as a static exhibit while 45170 is presently under restoration at Bo'ness. In addition, two Turkish Railway (TCDD) locomotives have been preserved in Turkey, and some more remain there in a derelict state. One locomotive has even survived in Iraq.^[41] The complete list is shown below. Two more are also visible underwater on the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm.

Of the fourteen engines known to have survived into preservation, all the British located examples except 48173 & 45170 “Sir William McAlpine” have run in preservation (both are undergoing restoration). Two of the British-based engines have even seen main line operation: Nos. 48151 and 48773. These have been regular main line performers in recent years with 48773 being withdrawn from operation in 2000. As of 2023 none of the class is operational on the main line.

Some of the preserved examples have stars on their cabsides indicating that they have specially balanced wheelsets/motion. This practice began under the auspices of British Railways, to denote that locomotives thus treated were able to work fast, vacuum-braked goods services.^[42] Other members of the class have a yellow stripe on the cab meaning that they were not permitted to run south of Crewe as the WCML south of Crewe had been electrified with overhead wires. Another difference between the British engines and the locos that were exported from Britain is the position of the driver's controls. The British based engines like all LMS engines were left hand drive, the locos exported to Turkey and other countries were right-hand drive.

Loco numbers in bold mean their current number.

No 48518, formerly LMS 8518, built in 1944, was the only surviving LNER-built example. Formerly part of the 'Barry Ten', 48518 was used as a parts donor for 1014 County of Glamorgan and 45551 The Unknown Warrior. It was consequently dismantled and the frames were scrapped at Bury in mid-2013.

• 48392 and 48216 at Water Orton
• 48101
• 48730 at Lostock Hall MPD in 1968
• 48538 sat outside Saltley Shed during the running down of steam in 1967
• 48324 sat at Birds scrapyard awaiting its fate
• A recently repatriated 8F from Turkey, 2011
• Preserved 8274 on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway
• Preserved 8274
• Preserved 8624 on the Great Central Railway
• 48151 at Llandudno Junction with The Welsh Mountaineer in 2014
• 48773 at Bridgnorth shed on the Severn Valley Railway
• 48624 running around its train at Leicester North on the Great Central Railway
• 48173 awaiting restoration at Bitton on the Avon Valley Railway
• 48151 & 45690 Leander shunting empty coaches at Blaenau Ffestiniog in Aug 2019.
• 48305 running round its train at Loughborough on the GCR, 9 August 2022

• SS Thistlegorm