In August 1942, the North British Locomotive Company received order No. L943 to build 350 locomotives. Four months later, in the darkest of dark days, January 1943, the first of Robert Riddles’ ‘Austerity’ 2-8-0s rolled off the production line – and nine more were built before the end of February. When the Second World War ended, a total of 935 2-8-0 Austerities had been built, along with 150 2-10-0s.
All of these locomotives were built by just two companies: the North British at its Hyde Park and Queens Park works in Glasgow, and Vulcan Foundries in Newton-le-Willows. Both firms continued to construct the War Department locomotives throughout the remaining years of the conflict, with the final 10 2-8-0s being outshopped in March 1945, by North British, and in May 1945, Vulcan Foundries completed the remaining fiveorder. The last of the 2-10-0s were turned out by North British in September 1945.
