The Metropolitan Railway, a substantial part of which now forms the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground, once had a fleet of steam locomotives. The steam classes saw most use on surface lines, although trips underground were part of the daily routine for most types.

No. 1 is the only survivor of a class of seven engines designed by the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Met, Mr T. F. Clark, for use on the Baker Street to Verney Junction service. (Verney Junction was the Met's furthest outpost, where it joined the LNWR Oxford to Bletchley line). No. 1, built in 1898, was the last locomotive constructed at Neasden Works.  It was built as a replacement for "A" class 4-4-0T No. 1, which was broken up after an accident at Baker Street.  Two identical locomotives, Nos. 77 and 78 were also built at Neasden, with a further four built by R & W Hawthorn Leslie of Newcastle in 1900-1. It seems likely that the class, designated "E", was to have been larger, as a gap was left in the list of locomotive numbers, the next number used being 90. 

No. 1 and its classmates proved very successful and were more than capable of the work asked of them.  However the completion of the Met electrification programme made more engines of the same type unnecessary and also led to the removal of the condensing apparatus which had been fitted for working in the underground tunnels.  For over twenty years these locomotives were the mainstay of the Metropolitan services to Aylesbury, and still appeared after the introduction of larger engines, such as the "H" class tanks, in the 1920s.

From about this time the class was gradually used for less strenuous work on branch lines and freight and engineering workings, although all survived to be taken into London Transport stock when the Metropolitan was taken over by the London Passenger Transport Board on 13th April 1933.  Met No. 1 became London Transport L.44; the duties of the class at this time included passenger services on the Chesham Branch, pilot engine at Rickmansworth, and goods transfer and engineering trains around Neasden.  Nos. 78, 79 and 82 were withdrawn in 1935, and No. 80 (L47) in 1941, while the remaining three survived until 1963-4, when Nos. 77 and 81 (L46 and L48) were scrapped.  No. 1 survived to work the last steam-hauled passenger train on LT in 1961. But it was another two years before the locomotive was withdrawn, after a final moment of glory when in took part in the Metropolitan Centenary parade at Neasden on 23rd May 1963, where it hauled four bogie coaches and a milk van.

Other notable events in No. 1's career included haulage of the first passenger train over the Uxbridge line on 4th July 1904, the last steam train on the Chesham Branch in July 1960.

Following this, L44 was purchased by the Society and delivered in steam on 26th March 1964 to the LRPS's temporary store at Skimpot Lane, Luton.  The locomotive was subsequently moved to Aylesbury, where she was stored for two years.  Transfer by rail to Quainton followed in September 1970, with a track slew from the mainline into the downyard.  L44 has been extensively overhauled, the first overhaul starting in August 1975 with the removal of the tanks and cab, followed by a boiler lifted in February 1976.

Met No.1 was maintained to the standard required of British Rail mainline running, and was periodically used for special steam trains organised by London Underground, over the old Metropolitan lines from its original birthplace at Neasden.  Met 1 has also visited a number of other preserved railways, including the Keighley and Worth Valley in April 1994 where it operated with the K&WVR's Dreadnought vintage coaches, and the Bluebell in July 2007, where it operated with their Chesham rake of vintage coaches.

Met 1's last heavy overhaul was completed in 2001, with much of the work completed at Bill Parker's Flour Mill restoration base, with its boiler certificate expiring in April 2011.  Recent maintenance work has included:
- Fitting of new springs
- Water Tank Repairs
- Steam Brake Refurbishment
- Replacement Ash pan
- Injector overhaul

During 2007 Met1 was loaned to the Bluebell Railway as part of the celebration of the completion of their rake of four Metropolitan coaches, and in August 2008 visited the Barrow Hill for their Rail Power 2008 event.  This is due to be followed by a trip to the Llangollen Railway for their suburban weekend in October 2008.