The first underground railway in the world opened on 10th January 1863 between Bishops Road, Paddington and Farringdon – The Metropolitan Railway (MetR). Following collaborations with the Great Western and Great Northern Railways, the MetR had an adequate number of its own locomotives and coaches to operate the service, without assistance, by July 1864.
Specially designed steam locomotives built by Beyer Peacock in Manchester were purchased by the MetR for working in tunnels. The engines were fitted with specially designed apparatus to condense exhaust steam and reduce the smoke released in the tunnels. Between 1864 and 1885 the ‘A’ class (44 built) and later ‘B’ class (22 built) locomotives were of the 4-4-0 tank engine type and they became the standard for both the Metropolitan and District Railways (1871). Note: these class numbers fluctuate a little according to which Internet source you access. The locomotives were originally painted olive green but this changed in 1885 to the familiar dark red or 'Midcared'. The locomotives continued as the standard type for surface and underground lines until electrification in 1905.
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A small puzzle in my collection is the COMPANION puzzle, a Vintage series example of 260 pieces, titled Class A 4-4-0 1903. The jigsaw picture is a photograph of the preserved MetR ‘A’ class locomotive No.23. The photograph was taken in the London Transport Museum, Clapham, where it is on display.
Photograph number two shows the ABYDOS 145-piece jigsaw titled Charles : The Steam Locomotive. The original, narrow gauge Penrhyn Railway of 1798 was constructed to transport slate from the Bethesda slate quarries to Port Penrhyn at Bangor, North Wales. The 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotive, Charles, was one of three locomotives purchased from the Hunslet Engine Company of Leeds in 1882, quickly followed by Blanche and Linda a year later. They replaced three, unique locomotives built in 1876 by the DeWinton Company of Caernarvon. Charles worked until the 1950's and was restored later. The engine, with others, is preserved and on show in the Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum.
