War Department Austerity 2-8-0

The Austerity 2-8-0 was a freight locomotive designed by Robert Riddles for service in World War II. It was based on Stanier's LMS 8F, but was modified to save both costs and time in manufacturing and maintenance. The main change was a parallel boiler with round-topped steel firebox instead of the tapered boiler of the 8F with copper Belpaire firebox. The cab was simplified with only one window on each side. In general, many castings and fittings were also simplified. Additionally, provisions were made to quickly convert the locomotives from coal to oil burning.

In the result, the manufacturing of one locomotive now only required 27,000 instead of 33,000 man-hours and the costs were greatly reduced. Between 1943 and 1945, two manufacturers completed 935 locomotives. North British contributed the major part, which were 545 which had been built in their Queen's Park and Hyde Park works in Glasgow. The other 390 had been built by Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows.

They played a major role in the liberation of Europe and all but three were operated on the European mainland after D-Day. After the war, only three had been lost and only two stayed in service with the War Department. These came to the Longmoor Military Railway. The remainder of 930 soon came to different railway companies.

200 of these were immediately sold to the LNER after the war ended and 533 more came to British Railways when they were founded in 1948. Later, half of the 733 BR locomotives always operated on the ex-LNER territory. They were almost exclusively operated in freight service and withdrawals in larger numbers commenced in 1962. In 1967, the last one was gone.

Another large customer was the Dutch NS. After the war, they bought 184 locomotives which became series 4300. Two of these were again sold to Sweden and became the SJ G11. Twelve were sold to the Kowloon-Canton Railway in Hong Kong and one to the US Army Transportation Corps. One of the two Swedish locomotives later returned to the UK and came to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. There, it is in working condition again since 2007.