BUILDING new steam locomotives was not a priority when war broke out. Munitions were the order of the day, and factories and fitting shops around the country were adapted to the task from the outset of the war. By 1942, however, change was in the air.
There was to be a counter-invasion of Europe, to recapture ground from the Nazis, and for this it was clear that the railways would have an important part to play. It was decided that two types of engines were needed for the task - a strong main line goods engine and a heavy duty tankengine. The task of developing these plans fell to Robert Riddles.
Riddles was an LMS man through and through. He trained at Crewe under the LNWR and oversaw the reorganisations of both Crewe and Derby Works. By the time he moved to the Ministry of Defence, he had played an invaluable part in the modernisation of the railway, seeing it move away from a small engine policy to one where Duchesses and 8Fs ruled the rails.
When tasked with developing a design suitable for the war effort, he naturally turned to familiar ground. The two engines would be based on the LMS 8F and the LMS ‘Jinty,’ each adapted to suit the economies of wartime. Both had more than proven themselves in service, with no major mechanical flaws to speak of. But, with the potential counter-invasion of Europe looming, Riddles changed tack. The WD Austerity 2-8-0 followed the basic format of the 8F, but to simpler
