LB&SCR A1 Class
Encyclopedia
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
(LB&SCR) A1 Class is an English
class of 0-6-0
T steam locomotive
. Designed by William Stroudley
, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works
. The class have received several nicknames, initially being known as "Rooters" by their south London crews. However, the engines were more famously known as "Terriers" on account of the distinctive 'bark' of the exhaust beat. Later in their careers, some engines were known as "Hayling Billy" on account of their work on the Hayling Island branch line. A pub of this name on the island was briefly home to the engine which is now No.W8 Freshwater.
After displacement from their original workings out of London Bridge and London Victoria by more powerful locomotives from the D class
and the early stages of the LB&SCR overhead electrification scheme, some representatives of the class were sold to other operators, while the majority of the remainder were put to work on branch lines in Sussex
and on non-revenue earning work such as shunting.
With these new uses being found, the class remained in use on the system, surviving to be taken into ownership by the Southern Railway
from 1923 and by British Railways from 1948. Although the number of engines dwindled following the Second World War as the work they were used for was either dieselised or lost to rail through the closure of branch lines and yards, a number continued in operation through into the 1960s, most famously on the Hayling Island line in Hampshire
. The withdrawal of the final members of the class finally came in 1963, the line to Hayling having closed in November 1963.
Eight members of the class went on to be purchased privately for preservation, with two other examples being donated by British Railways to the Canadian Railway Museum
and the National Railway Museum
. One of these engines, No.55 Stepney, is best known as being the first locomotive to arrive at the Bluebell Railway
, which was itself the first preserved standard gauge steam-operated passenger railway in the world when it opened in August 1960, and also for appearing in Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine, one of the books in the original Railway Series written by the Reverend W. Awdry which also gave birth to Thomas the Tank Engine
.
to both East
and West Croydon
, London Victoria to Sutton and the line from Victoria to London Bridge via. Peckham Rye
and Denmark Hill
, as well as operating on the East London Railway under the Thames through the Thames Tunnel
designed by Marc Isambard Brunel
. Six locomotives were built for these services during 1872, and were successful due to their high acceleration between the closely spaced station stops and ability to haul reasonably heavy trains. A further 44 were thus built between June 1874 and September 1880 to complement the original six.
The locomotives were finished in the livery known as "Stroudley's Improved Engine Green", which was actually an ochre
colour, not green. This is historically attributed to colour-blindness, an affliction from which Stroudley reportedly suffered. The actual shade of the livery has been much disputed, with opinions ranging from the more yellow type of livery as worn by the preserved No.55 Stepney to a livery closer to brown, as worn by the model named Como in the Brighton Toy and Model Museum
.
Shortly after construction, No.40 Brighton was chosen by William Stroudley
to represent the LB&SCR
at the Paris Exhibition of 1878, and won a gold medal for workmanship. On a run from Dieppe
to Paris, arranged to persuade the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
that the company's boat trains that met the LB&SCR ferries from Newhaven could make better time to the capital, Brighton maintained a speed of nearly fifty mph, previously unheard of on that line.
During the last two decades of the 19th century, London was expanding outwards as suburbs became more built up and were absorbed into the built-up area of London itself. Towns such as Croydon, Sutton and Norwood, which had previously been commuter towns separate from London, grew to form one large area of housing. Much of this was because of the success of the 'Terriers' themselves, as they had speeded up suburban passenger services, encouraging people to move out of the centre of London. Trains became progressively heavier while the need for shorter journey times remained the same. As a result, the engines gradually became largely unsuited for their original purpose, and they were replaced by the larger D class
tank engines. However the 'Terriers' were so reliable that they were put on other work, often finding use on branch line passenger and freight workings and as shunting engines.
Twenty-three members of the class were withdrawn between 1898 and 1905 but the majority of these were sold in working order rather than scrapped. Purchasers of these locomotives included the Newhaven Harbour Company
, the Isle of Wight Central Railway
(four locomotives), Pauling & Co.
(five locomotives), the Kent and East Sussex Railway
(two locomotives), the London and South Western Railway
(two locomotives), and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
. Others were transferred from capital to departmental
(non-revenue earning) stock as pilots at Brighton locomotive works
and Lancing carriage works
. It is likely that the remainder of the class would have been withdrawn over the next few years if the railway had not adopted push-pull
or 'motor-train' working on many lightly used branch line services. The "A1" class (as the locomotives were designated after 1905) were found ideally suited to conversion to this form of working.
Between 1911 and 1913 twelve survivors were re-boilered under the instruction Douglas Earle Marsh
, Stroudley's successor as CME of the LB&SCR, with another four so treated after the Great War; these engines formed the A1X Class with an increased weight of 28.2 long tons (28.7 t). The engines were repainted during this time in 'Marsh Umber' livery.
on 1 January 1923, but this figure was increased to 24 by the inclusion of those which had previously been sold to other constituent railways. Several examples were withdrawn over the next few years, and two were sold to the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway
in 1925 and 1937. As with the withdrawals under the LB&SCR, the engines were not withdrawn en masse, but instead over a long period of time. The first A1X to be withdrawn by the Southern Railway was No.42 Tulse Hill in 1925, and among the engines withdrawn was the now-famous No.55 Stepney, which only escaped being scrapped by virtue of the need for lighter engines on Hayling Island.
Many of the locomotives remained in traffic, both departmental and in regular stock. They lasted longer than most classes of pre-grouping tank engine under the Southern Railway, primarily due to the presence of several light railway
s which came under the Southern Railway's jurisdiction at the grouping, such as the lines from Tenterden and Hayling Island, as well as on the Isle of Wight
. Most of these lines needed small engines such as the 'Terrier' class due to severe weight restrictions. Among the engines sold into departmental use was the former No.82 Boxhill, which was restored to original condition, painted in the yellow ochre livery of Stroudley and used as a shunter at Brighton Works, being numbered 380S and named after the works itself. This engine was replaced by 377S, formerly No.35 Morden, in 1948. Although much photographed toward the end of steam, this locomotive was not preserved but was scrapped at Eastleigh in 1963.
With the Southern Railway concentrating on the design of larger locomotives for the increasingly heavy express passenger traffic on the South Eastern and South Western sections, with designs such as the King Arthur
, Schools and Lord Nelson
classes, and later the Bulleid Pacifics
, as well as the expansion of the electrified third rail system from suburban roles (a system which had replaced the LB&SCR overhead electrification, which in turn had replaced the role of the D class tanks on suburban traffic from around 1910), the company was not concerned about replacing the veteran tank engines on branch line workings, especially as many of the smaller branch lines were not economically viable for electrification, or were isolated from the rest of the electrified network. As a result, the Southern Railway felt that perseverance with the older locomotives such as the A1X on rural routes was the most economically viable option.
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At nationalisation in 1948, one "A1" and 14 "A1X" locomotives entered British Railways stock. All but one of these locomotives were based on the former Southern Railway, which became the Southern Region under British Railways, with the other based on the Western Region, having been inherited by the Great Western Railway
from the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway. BR gave the locomotives the power classification 0P, indicating that the locomotives were primarily passenger locomotives, but were among the least powerful on the system.
The locomotives remained employed much as they had been under Southern Railway ownership, with roles centred on working over the lightly laid and weight restricted branches. However, the class were becoming increasingly expensive to maintain through physical wear and increased age of components. The future of the class was thrown into doubt with the publication of the Modernisation Plan, which made provision to close many of the routes still operated by the class. The main two routes still retaining 'Terrier' operations were the Kent & East Sussex Railway and the Hayling Island branch. The former closed due to being unprofitable in 1961.
The line to Hayling Island remained profitable, however, primarily due to the heavy traffic in summer. The condition of the bridge over Langstone Harbour
was, however, deteriorating, and the Southern Region designated the bridge as being beyond economic repair. The final scheduled services over the line were run on 3 November 1963, and a special 'topped and tailed' by 32636 and 32670 the following day. The final scheduled train was notable for being one of the last steam hauled mixed trains. With the closure of this line, BR decided to withdraw the last remaining members of the class from traffic. At the time of her withdrawal following the closure of the line, No.32636 (formerly 72 Fenchurch) was the oldest working steam engine in British Railways ownership. The final operational A1X with BR was No.32678, which remained in service from Brighton shed until 10 August 1963.
itself, such as Kemp Town
. However, there were exceptions, such as No.82 which was, in fact, named after Box Hill
, a peak of the North Downs
in Surrey, just outside Dorking
.
From 1900, the two-digit numbers were prefixed with a 6 and their names were replaced with the inscription LBSC on their side tanks (for example, No.55 Stepney became No.655). This was fairly standard LB&SCR practice; as engines got old, they were given higher numbers so that newer engines could have lower numbers.
Further renumbering took place under Southern Railway
ownership. Initially, the ex-LBSC number was prefixed with a letter which related to the depot the locomotive was based at (engine No.654 based at Brighton would become B654). The exceptions to this rule were the engines based on the Isle of Wight, which were given a "W" prefix. These new numbers were replaced soon afterwards when the class were renumbered with a 2 prefix (for example, No.B661 became No.2661). This was the standard prefix for engines inherited from the LB&SCR by the Southern Railway, with former SE&CR engines receiving a 1 prefix, while those engines inherited from the LSWR retained their original numbers.
A final renumbering in British Railways ownership saw the remaining members of the class gain a number 3 at the start of their number (2678 becoming 32678, for instance), the 3 being the standard prefix for former Southern Railway locomotives inherited by the Southern Region of British Railways.
The famous Brighton Works shunting engine, by this stage the only member of the class not in revenue earning service, was given dispensation to retain the number given to it by the Southern Railway, DS377 (the "DS" standing for Departmental, Southern region), rather than carry the number officially assigned to it by the Southern Region.
As of April 2011, five Terriers are in operation. In the UK, steam locomotives may only be run for 10 years at a time between major overhauls (boiler certificates), and as such only engines which have been returned to traffic within the last ten years are classed as "operational". These engines are 'Martello (able to run until 2012), 'Stepney (certified to run until 2015 but will not be used extensively), Bodiam (able to run until 2016), Knowle (able to run until 2019), Freshwater (able to run until 2019) . 72 Fenchurch's boiler certificate expired in February 2011. Two members of the class are being restored. These are Whitechapel/Sutton, which is being restored at the Spa Valley Railway and Newport, at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
No.55 Stepney (as no. 32655) was the first engine to arrive at the first standard gauge preserved line in the UK, the Bluebell Railway
on 17 May 1960, effectively making it the doyen of the current heritage railway movement. Following purchase by the fledgling society the locomotive was run under its own steam from Brighton shed to Horsted Keynes
hauling the two carriages the society also now owned. The locomotive then went on to haul the reopening train in August of that year.
No.72 Fenchurch was the second locomotive to enter service on the Bluebell after being purchased by the society in 1964. After much initial use, the locomotive was retired for overhaul in 1970, and returned to traffic in 1972, and after some extensive firebox repairs remained in traffic until 1980. However, some severe damage to one wheel and significant boiler work meant the locomotive was not returned to traffic until 2001.
An equally famous member of the class to No.55, arguably, is No.82 Boxhill. The engine was restored by the Southern Railway to original condition and used at exhibitions, before being moved into the original British Transport Museum in Clapham
. It was subsequently moved to the museum at York where it still resides.
Also preserved in a national museum, No.54 Waddon was donated by British Rail to the Canadian railway museum in 1963 and was shipped on 23 August that year. After a number of years stored in the open, British ex-pats living in Canada
formed a group to work on the locomotive and restore it to pristine condition, along with an A4 pacific
, No. 60010 Dominion of Canada, which is also based at the museum.
Three members of the class were sold by British Rail to holiday camps for use as display items. No.40 Brighton (now Newport) was sold to a Butlin's holiday camp
at Pwllheli
in 1964 and initially loaned to the Isle of Wight steam railway in 1972. It was sold to them four years later for a price of £35,000. A lengthy restoration was completed in 1989, and Newport continued to run until 2002 when withdrawn for overhaul. The locomotive's boiler was found to be life-expired, and it was found cheaper to order a new boiler made (for £70,000) in 2007. In October 2010, the new boiler was delivered.
No.62 Martello was sold to a holiday camp in Ayr in 1963, before being purchased by a private owner and bought to the museum at Bressingham. The locomotive remained there for several years in a shed before removal and full restoration, which commenced in the late 1990s. In her Marsh Umber livery numbered 662 with LBSC on her tanks, she has visited several heritage railways in the UK since being returned to traffic. In May 2011 she was repainted in BR black as 32662 with the late BR logo, at Loughborough on the Great Central in readiness to join 32670 and 32678 on the K&ESR for the Last Train Commemoration that took place on 11 June 2011.
No.78 Knowle was sold to Butlin's holiday camp at Minehead and was displayed alongside 46229 Duchess of Hamilton
before being purchased by the K&ESR in 1975. This locomotive is now owned by The Terrier Trust.
Also owned by this society is No.70 Poplar (usually running as K&ESR No.3 Bodiam), which was initially purchased by the Wheels brothers of Brighton in 1964 from BR, and was used in the early years of operation on the original Kent and East Sussex Light Railway as well as on the same restored heritage railway. Following withdrawal in 1985, the engine remained out of use for a decade before the K&ESR and The Terrier Trust bought the locomotive and agreed a restoration plan. She returned to traffic in May 2006 at the All Terriers Great and Small Gala in her original Rother Valley Railway livery of Oxford Blue, then in April 2011 was repainted BR black as 32670 with the late BR logo, to feature at the Last Train Commemoration that took place on 11 June 2011. Both of the Terriers continue to be regular performers on the K&ESR; the short trains and light loading gauge making them ideally suited to operating on the line.
No. 50 Whitechapel was purchased by London Borough of Sutton and Merton
in 1963 (after the originally intended purchase, No.61 Sutton, had been cut up). The intention was to display the engine outside the new Civic Centre, and the engine was offered a home on the K&ESR until the work was completed. The engine was restored and used to haul the opening train on the preserved K&ESR in 1974. After slipping down the overhaul queue at Rolvenden, the engine was moved to the Spa Valley Railway by the owners (the engine still being owned by Sutton Borough Council) and restoration work commenced.
No.46 Newington has perhaps the most unusual history. Following withdrawal in 1963, the locomotive was sold to the Sadler Rail Coach company based at Droxford, Hampshire on the disused Meon Valley Railway
. It was used on occasion between the Droxford and Wickham stations on that line. Subsequently it was sold to the Portsmouth-based Brickwoods brewery in the Spring of 1966. The brewery wanted to purchase it for use outside a new public house to be opened on Hayling Island named The Hayling Billy. The engine was displayed there for a number of years, becoming locally famous, before being donated to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in 1979.
Prior to the end of steam and the banning of steam engines from the national network in 1968, No.55 Stepney worked two special trains over the metals of the Southern Region. The first trip ran on 21 October 1962 and saw No.55 doublehead with LSWR Adams radial tank
No.488 on the Haywards Heath
to Horsted Keynes
and return section of a rail tour from London Victoria to the Bluebell Railway
. The second train ran from Brighton
to Horsted Keynes on 27 October 1963 for members of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society, which saw the locomotive double-head with another former LB&SCR locomotive, E4
No.473 Birch Grove, and was run to mark the closure of the line from Haywards Heath to Horsted Keynes.
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No.55 returned to Brighton station in 1991 to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the London and Brighton Railway
to Brighton. The locomotive was left 'cold' (i.e. not in steam) and was coupled to another ex-LB&SCR locomotive, Gladstone
, and stabled during the day on the eastern-most platform (number 9). The engines were the centre-piece of an exhibition which also included, among others, former Southern Railway 'King Arthur' No.777 Sir Lamiel, Britannia class
No.70000 Britannia and BR Standard 4MT
No.80072, a class of locomotive built at Brighton.
In August 1975, No.72 Fenchurch represented the LB&SCR and the Bluebell Railway at the Rail 150 Steam Cavalcade held at Shildon
in County Durham
, an event held to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, which featured the engine running over a section of the BR network, although the line was subject to special restrictions at the time. Additionally, the engine also ran a number of shuttles into the wagon works complex from the railway station, top-and-tailing the workings with NER Class P3
No.65894 from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
.
If future plans to extend the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
from Smallbrook Junction
to Ryde St. John's
are successful, this may see members of that railways fleet, including their two A1X engines, running over Network Rail
metals between the two locations.
of children's books
written by the Rev. W. Awdry. Boxhill was referred to in a later book in the series: Thomas & the Great Railway Show.
The 1975 Ken Russell
film Lisztomania includes a sequence shot on the Bluebell Railway which features No.72 Fenchurch smashing a grand piano left on the line while running at speed (actually filmed with the engine running at 25 mph, the speed limit of the line, with the film speeded up for impact).
A 1961 film version of Anna Karenina, parts of which were filmed on 'The Bluebell Railway', included No.55 Stepney disguised as a Russian locomotive.
Eight locomotives were built by local Australian builders for the New South Wales Government Railways
, Australia
– to the LB&SCR's general arrangement and drawings – and entered traffic at about the same time as the A1X class in England. They were essentially identical engines, except for a simpler cab, larger bunker, larger sandboxes and other detail differences. They became redundant from about 1890 after the introduction of larger and more powerful tank locomotives and many were fitted with small cranes in place of the bunker. Some saw service with other groups into the 1930s. They were less successful than their English cousins due to different operating conditions and all were scrapped before the start of the preservation era.
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
(LB&SCR) A1 Class is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
class of 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
T steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
. Designed by William Stroudley
William Stroudley
William Stroudley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers of the nineteenth century, working principally for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works
Brighton railway works
Brighton railway works was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England, and thus pre-dating the more famous railway works at Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon...
. The class have received several nicknames, initially being known as "Rooters" by their south London crews. However, the engines were more famously known as "Terriers" on account of the distinctive 'bark' of the exhaust beat. Later in their careers, some engines were known as "Hayling Billy" on account of their work on the Hayling Island branch line. A pub of this name on the island was briefly home to the engine which is now No.W8 Freshwater.
After displacement from their original workings out of London Bridge and London Victoria by more powerful locomotives from the D class
LB&SCR D1 class
The LB&SCR D1 class were powerful 0-4-2 suburban passenger tank locomotives, designed by William Stroudley of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1873. They were originally known as "D-tanks" but later reclassified as class D1...
and the early stages of the LB&SCR overhead electrification scheme, some representatives of the class were sold to other operators, while the majority of the remainder were put to work on branch lines in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and on non-revenue earning work such as shunting.
With these new uses being found, the class remained in use on the system, surviving to be taken into ownership by the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
from 1923 and by British Railways from 1948. Although the number of engines dwindled following the Second World War as the work they were used for was either dieselised or lost to rail through the closure of branch lines and yards, a number continued in operation through into the 1960s, most famously on the Hayling Island line in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. The withdrawal of the final members of the class finally came in 1963, the line to Hayling having closed in November 1963.
Eight members of the class went on to be purchased privately for preservation, with two other examples being donated by British Railways to the Canadian Railway Museum
Canadian Railway Museum
The Canadian Railway Museum Musée Ferrovaire Canadien) is a rail transport museum in Delson/Saint-Constant, Quebec south of Montreal.-Collection:...
and the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
. One of these engines, No.55 Stepney, is best known as being the first locomotive to arrive at the Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
, which was itself the first preserved standard gauge steam-operated passenger railway in the world when it opened in August 1960, and also for appearing in Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine, one of the books in the original Railway Series written by the Reverend W. Awdry which also gave birth to Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
.
London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (1872-1923)
Originally known as "A" class, these diminutive tank locomotives were designed in 1870 to haul commuter trains on the heavily congested lines in South and South-East London. These included routes from London BridgeLondon Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
to both East
East Croydon station
East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...
and West Croydon
West Croydon station
West Croydon station is a transport interchange for National Rail and Tramlink services, as well as London Buses. It is in the London Borough of Croydon and Travelcard Zone 5...
, London Victoria to Sutton and the line from Victoria to London Bridge via. Peckham Rye
Peckham Rye railway station
Peckham Rye railway station is a station on Rye Lane in the centre of the shopping district of Peckham in South London. It opened on 1 December 1865 for LC&DR trains and on 13 August 1886 for LB&SCR trains...
and Denmark Hill
Denmark Hill railway station
Denmark Hill railway station is a railway station in the London Borough of Southwark in London, England, on the Inner South London Line. The station is managed by Southeastern and is served by trains of that company and Southern. It is in Travelcard Zone 2. It is located on Champion Park in the...
, as well as operating on the East London Railway under the Thames through the Thames Tunnel
Thames Tunnel
The Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel, built beneath the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping. It measures 35 feet wide by 20 feet high and is 1,300 feet long, running at a depth of 75 feet below the river's surface...
designed by Marc Isambard Brunel
Marc Isambard Brunel
Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, FRS FRSE was a French-born engineer who settled in England. He preferred the name Isambard, but is generally known to history as Marc to avoid confusion with his more famous son Isambard Kingdom Brunel...
. Six locomotives were built for these services during 1872, and were successful due to their high acceleration between the closely spaced station stops and ability to haul reasonably heavy trains. A further 44 were thus built between June 1874 and September 1880 to complement the original six.
The locomotives were finished in the livery known as "Stroudley's Improved Engine Green", which was actually an ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
colour, not green. This is historically attributed to colour-blindness, an affliction from which Stroudley reportedly suffered. The actual shade of the livery has been much disputed, with opinions ranging from the more yellow type of livery as worn by the preserved No.55 Stepney to a livery closer to brown, as worn by the model named Como in the Brighton Toy and Model Museum
Brighton Toy And Model Museum
The Brighton Toy and Model Museum is one of the world's finest toy museums, located in Brighton, East Sussex. Its collection of toys and models extends over four thousand square feet of floorspace, through four of the early Victorian arches supporting the forecourt of Brighton railway station...
.
Shortly after construction, No.40 Brighton was chosen by William Stroudley
William Stroudley
William Stroudley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers of the nineteenth century, working principally for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
to represent the LB&SCR
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
at the Paris Exhibition of 1878, and won a gold medal for workmanship. On a run from Dieppe
Gare Maritime de Dieppe
Gare Maritime de Dieppe was a railway station in the town of Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France and was built by CF de l'Ouest in 1874. The station was the station for passengers from Paris to Newhaven, by steamers and then ferries....
to Paris, arranged to persuade the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest , often referred to simply as L'Ouest or Ouest, was an early French railway company.- Birth of the company :...
that the company's boat trains that met the LB&SCR ferries from Newhaven could make better time to the capital, Brighton maintained a speed of nearly fifty mph, previously unheard of on that line.
During the last two decades of the 19th century, London was expanding outwards as suburbs became more built up and were absorbed into the built-up area of London itself. Towns such as Croydon, Sutton and Norwood, which had previously been commuter towns separate from London, grew to form one large area of housing. Much of this was because of the success of the 'Terriers' themselves, as they had speeded up suburban passenger services, encouraging people to move out of the centre of London. Trains became progressively heavier while the need for shorter journey times remained the same. As a result, the engines gradually became largely unsuited for their original purpose, and they were replaced by the larger D class
LB&SCR D1 class
The LB&SCR D1 class were powerful 0-4-2 suburban passenger tank locomotives, designed by William Stroudley of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1873. They were originally known as "D-tanks" but later reclassified as class D1...
tank engines. However the 'Terriers' were so reliable that they were put on other work, often finding use on branch line passenger and freight workings and as shunting engines.
Twenty-three members of the class were withdrawn between 1898 and 1905 but the majority of these were sold in working order rather than scrapped. Purchasers of these locomotives included the Newhaven Harbour Company
Newhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...
, the Isle of Wight Central Railway
Isle of Wight Central Railway
The Isle of Wight Central Railway was a railway company on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. At its peak the company owned 21½ miles of railway line, and it also operated trains on some additional lines it did not own. Trains were first run on what became its lines in 1862, although the company...
(four locomotives), Pauling & Co.
Pauling & Co.
Pauling & Co. was a major British civil engineering contractor renowned chiefly for building the railways of Southern Africa. .-History:Pauling & Co. was founded by George Craig Sanders Pauling in 1894...
(five locomotives), the Kent and East Sussex Railway
Kent and East Sussex Railway
The Kent & East Sussex Railway refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.-Historical Company:-Background:...
(two locomotives), the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(two locomotives), and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between...
. Others were transferred from capital to departmental
SR departmental locomotives
The Southern Railway numbered its departmental stock, both locomotives and carriages in a series commencing at 1S. The series was retained by the Southern Region of British Rail, but amended so that the numbers carried a 'DS' prefix instead of an 'S' suffix. This page lists the locomotives...
(non-revenue earning) stock as pilots at Brighton locomotive works
Brighton railway works
Brighton railway works was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England, and thus pre-dating the more famous railway works at Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon...
and Lancing carriage works
Lancing Carriage Works
Lancing carriage and wagon works was a railway carriage and wagon building and maintenance facility in the village of Lancing in the county of West Sussex in England from 1911 until 1965.-History under the LB&SCR:...
. It is likely that the remainder of the class would have been withdrawn over the next few years if the railway had not adopted push-pull
Push-pull train
Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...
or 'motor-train' working on many lightly used branch line services. The "A1" class (as the locomotives were designated after 1905) were found ideally suited to conversion to this form of working.
Between 1911 and 1913 twelve survivors were re-boilered under the instruction Douglas Earle Marsh
D. E. Marsh
Douglas Earle Marsh was the Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from November 1904 until his early retirement on health grounds in July 1911.-Early career:...
, Stroudley's successor as CME of the LB&SCR, with another four so treated after the Great War; these engines formed the A1X Class with an increased weight of 28.2 long tons (28.7 t). The engines were repainted during this time in 'Marsh Umber' livery.
Southern Railway (1923-1948)
Fifteen of the class remained in LB&SCR stock at the formation of the Southern RailwaySouthern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
on 1 January 1923, but this figure was increased to 24 by the inclusion of those which had previously been sold to other constituent railways. Several examples were withdrawn over the next few years, and two were sold to the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway
Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway
The Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway was conceived and built initially as a tramway to link the three small North Somerset coastal towns of Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon and Portishead in the 1880s.-Overview:...
in 1925 and 1937. As with the withdrawals under the LB&SCR, the engines were not withdrawn en masse, but instead over a long period of time. The first A1X to be withdrawn by the Southern Railway was No.42 Tulse Hill in 1925, and among the engines withdrawn was the now-famous No.55 Stepney, which only escaped being scrapped by virtue of the need for lighter engines on Hayling Island.
Many of the locomotives remained in traffic, both departmental and in regular stock. They lasted longer than most classes of pre-grouping tank engine under the Southern Railway, primarily due to the presence of several light railway
Light railway
Light railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs...
s which came under the Southern Railway's jurisdiction at the grouping, such as the lines from Tenterden and Hayling Island, as well as on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. Most of these lines needed small engines such as the 'Terrier' class due to severe weight restrictions. Among the engines sold into departmental use was the former No.82 Boxhill, which was restored to original condition, painted in the yellow ochre livery of Stroudley and used as a shunter at Brighton Works, being numbered 380S and named after the works itself. This engine was replaced by 377S, formerly No.35 Morden, in 1948. Although much photographed toward the end of steam, this locomotive was not preserved but was scrapped at Eastleigh in 1963.
With the Southern Railway concentrating on the design of larger locomotives for the increasingly heavy express passenger traffic on the South Eastern and South Western sections, with designs such as the King Arthur
LSWR N15 Class
The LSWR N15 class was a British 2–cylinder 4-6-0 express passenger steam locomotive designed by Robert W. Urie. The class has a complex build history spanning three sub-classes and eight years of construction from 1919 to 1926...
, Schools and Lord Nelson
SR Lord Nelson Class
The SR class LN or Lord Nelson class is a type of 4-cylinder 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed for the Southern Railway by Richard Maunsell in 1926. They were intended for Continental boat trains between London and Dover harbour, but were also later used for express passenger work to the South-West...
classes, and later the Bulleid Pacifics
SR Merchant Navy class
The SR Merchant Navy class , was a class of air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway of the United Kingdom by Oliver Bulleid...
, as well as the expansion of the electrified third rail system from suburban roles (a system which had replaced the LB&SCR overhead electrification, which in turn had replaced the role of the D class tanks on suburban traffic from around 1910), the company was not concerned about replacing the veteran tank engines on branch line workings, especially as many of the smaller branch lines were not economically viable for electrification, or were isolated from the rest of the electrified network. As a result, the Southern Railway felt that perseverance with the older locomotives such as the A1X on rural routes was the most economically viable option.
British Railways (1948-1963)
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
from the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway. BR gave the locomotives the power classification 0P, indicating that the locomotives were primarily passenger locomotives, but were among the least powerful on the system.
The locomotives remained employed much as they had been under Southern Railway ownership, with roles centred on working over the lightly laid and weight restricted branches. However, the class were becoming increasingly expensive to maintain through physical wear and increased age of components. The future of the class was thrown into doubt with the publication of the Modernisation Plan, which made provision to close many of the routes still operated by the class. The main two routes still retaining 'Terrier' operations were the Kent & East Sussex Railway and the Hayling Island branch. The former closed due to being unprofitable in 1961.
The line to Hayling Island remained profitable, however, primarily due to the heavy traffic in summer. The condition of the bridge over Langstone Harbour
Langstone Harbour
Langstone Harbour is an inlet of the English Channel in Hampshire, sandwiched between Portsea Island to the south and west, Hayling Island to the south and east, and Langstone to the north. Geographically it is a ria....
was, however, deteriorating, and the Southern Region designated the bridge as being beyond economic repair. The final scheduled services over the line were run on 3 November 1963, and a special 'topped and tailed' by 32636 and 32670 the following day. The final scheduled train was notable for being one of the last steam hauled mixed trains. With the closure of this line, BR decided to withdraw the last remaining members of the class from traffic. At the time of her withdrawal following the closure of the line, No.32636 (formerly 72 Fenchurch) was the oldest working steam engine in British Railways ownership. The final operational A1X with BR was No.32678, which remained in service from Brighton shed until 10 August 1963.
Numbering
The locomotives were originally numbered between 35 and 84, and most were given names of London boroughs or other areas of local importance which were served by the LB&SCR suburban trains they were built to operate (such as Whitechapel, Surrey and Thames), and indeed also after areas around BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
itself, such as Kemp Town
Kemp Town
Kemp Town is a 19th Century residential estate in the east of Brighton in East Sussex, England, UK. Kemp Town was conceived and financed by Thomas Read Kemp. It has given its name to the larger Kemptown region of Brighton....
. However, there were exceptions, such as No.82 which was, in fact, named after Box Hill
Box Hill, Surrey
Box Hill is a summit of the North Downs in Surrey, approximately south west of London. The hill takes its name from the ancient box woodland found on the steepest west-facing chalk slopes overlooking the River Mole. The western part of the hill is owned and managed by the National Trust, whilst...
, a peak of the North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
in Surrey, just outside Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
.
From 1900, the two-digit numbers were prefixed with a 6 and their names were replaced with the inscription LBSC on their side tanks (for example, No.55 Stepney became No.655). This was fairly standard LB&SCR practice; as engines got old, they were given higher numbers so that newer engines could have lower numbers.
Further renumbering took place under Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
ownership. Initially, the ex-LBSC number was prefixed with a letter which related to the depot the locomotive was based at (engine No.654 based at Brighton would become B654). The exceptions to this rule were the engines based on the Isle of Wight, which were given a "W" prefix. These new numbers were replaced soon afterwards when the class were renumbered with a 2 prefix (for example, No.B661 became No.2661). This was the standard prefix for engines inherited from the LB&SCR by the Southern Railway, with former SE&CR engines receiving a 1 prefix, while those engines inherited from the LSWR retained their original numbers.
A final renumbering in British Railways ownership saw the remaining members of the class gain a number 3 at the start of their number (2678 becoming 32678, for instance), the 3 being the standard prefix for former Southern Railway locomotives inherited by the Southern Region of British Railways.
The famous Brighton Works shunting engine, by this stage the only member of the class not in revenue earning service, was given dispensation to retain the number given to it by the Southern Railway, DS377 (the "DS" standing for Departmental, Southern region), rather than carry the number officially assigned to it by the Southern Region.
Preservation
Ten members of the class have been preserved, chiefly in the South of England. The engines are listed in order of their LB&SCR identity; the identity in bold is their current running identity as of January 2010.- 40 Brighton (preserved at the Isle of Wight Steam RailwayIsle of Wight Steam RailwayThe Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5½ miles of unspoiled countryside from to station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depot...
as W11 Newport ) - 46 Newington (preserved at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway as W8 Freshwater )
- 50 Whitechapel (preserved at the Spa Valley RailwaySpa Valley RailwayThe Spa Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway that runs between Tunbridge Wells, High Rocks, Groombridge, and Eridge railway station, where it links with the Oxted Line. En route it crosses the Kent and East Sussex border, a distance of 5 miles , along the former Three Bridges to...
as no. 32650 Sutton ) - 54 Waddon (preserved at the Canadian Railway MuseumCanadian Railway MuseumThe Canadian Railway Museum Musée Ferrovaire Canadien) is a rail transport museum in Delson/Saint-Constant, Quebec south of Montreal.-Collection:...
) - 55 Stepney (preserved at the Bluebell RailwayBluebell RailwayThe Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
) - 62 Martello (preserved at the Bressingham Steam Museum as 662 Martello ; as 32662 from May 2011)
- 70 Poplar (preserved at the Kent & East Sussex Railway as 3 Bodiam ; as 32670 from April 2011)
- 72 Fenchurch (preserved at the Bluebell RailwayBluebell RailwayThe Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
as 672 Fenchurch ) - 78 Knowle (preserved at the Kent & East Sussex Railway as 32678)
- 82 Boxhill (preserved at the National Railway MuseumNational Railway MuseumThe National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
).
As of April 2011, five Terriers are in operation. In the UK, steam locomotives may only be run for 10 years at a time between major overhauls (boiler certificates), and as such only engines which have been returned to traffic within the last ten years are classed as "operational". These engines are 'Martello (able to run until 2012), 'Stepney (certified to run until 2015 but will not be used extensively), Bodiam (able to run until 2016), Knowle (able to run until 2019), Freshwater (able to run until 2019) . 72 Fenchurch's boiler certificate expired in February 2011. Two members of the class are being restored. These are Whitechapel/Sutton, which is being restored at the Spa Valley Railway and Newport, at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
Preservation history
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
on 17 May 1960, effectively making it the doyen of the current heritage railway movement. Following purchase by the fledgling society the locomotive was run under its own steam from Brighton shed to Horsted Keynes
Horsted Keynes railway station
Horsted Keynes railway station is a railway station in Sussex. It was closed by British Railways Beeching Axe on 28 October 1963 with the cessation of trains from Seaford via Haywards Heath...
hauling the two carriages the society also now owned. The locomotive then went on to haul the reopening train in August of that year.
No.72 Fenchurch was the second locomotive to enter service on the Bluebell after being purchased by the society in 1964. After much initial use, the locomotive was retired for overhaul in 1970, and returned to traffic in 1972, and after some extensive firebox repairs remained in traffic until 1980. However, some severe damage to one wheel and significant boiler work meant the locomotive was not returned to traffic until 2001.
An equally famous member of the class to No.55, arguably, is No.82 Boxhill. The engine was restored by the Southern Railway to original condition and used at exhibitions, before being moved into the original British Transport Museum in Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
. It was subsequently moved to the museum at York where it still resides.
Also preserved in a national museum, No.54 Waddon was donated by British Rail to the Canadian railway museum in 1963 and was shipped on 23 August that year. After a number of years stored in the open, British ex-pats living in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
formed a group to work on the locomotive and restore it to pristine condition, along with an A4 pacific
LNER Class A4
The Class A4 is a class of streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotive, designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognizable, and one of the class, 4468 Mallard, still claims the...
, No. 60010 Dominion of Canada, which is also based at the museum.
Three members of the class were sold by British Rail to holiday camps for use as display items. No.40 Brighton (now Newport) was sold to a Butlin's holiday camp
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
at Pwllheli
Pwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
in 1964 and initially loaned to the Isle of Wight steam railway in 1972. It was sold to them four years later for a price of £35,000. A lengthy restoration was completed in 1989, and Newport continued to run until 2002 when withdrawn for overhaul. The locomotive's boiler was found to be life-expired, and it was found cheaper to order a new boiler made (for £70,000) in 2007. In October 2010, the new boiler was delivered.
No.62 Martello was sold to a holiday camp in Ayr in 1963, before being purchased by a private owner and bought to the museum at Bressingham. The locomotive remained there for several years in a shed before removal and full restoration, which commenced in the late 1990s. In her Marsh Umber livery numbered 662 with LBSC on her tanks, she has visited several heritage railways in the UK since being returned to traffic. In May 2011 she was repainted in BR black as 32662 with the late BR logo, at Loughborough on the Great Central in readiness to join 32670 and 32678 on the K&ESR for the Last Train Commemoration that took place on 11 June 2011.
No.78 Knowle was sold to Butlin's holiday camp at Minehead and was displayed alongside 46229 Duchess of Hamilton
LMS Princess Coronation Class 6229 Duchess of Hamilton
London Midland and Scottish Railway Princess Coronation Class 6229 Duchess of Hamilton is a preserved steam locomotive.- Service :...
before being purchased by the K&ESR in 1975. This locomotive is now owned by The Terrier Trust.
Also owned by this society is No.70 Poplar (usually running as K&ESR No.3 Bodiam), which was initially purchased by the Wheels brothers of Brighton in 1964 from BR, and was used in the early years of operation on the original Kent and East Sussex Light Railway as well as on the same restored heritage railway. Following withdrawal in 1985, the engine remained out of use for a decade before the K&ESR and The Terrier Trust bought the locomotive and agreed a restoration plan. She returned to traffic in May 2006 at the All Terriers Great and Small Gala in her original Rother Valley Railway livery of Oxford Blue, then in April 2011 was repainted BR black as 32670 with the late BR logo, to feature at the Last Train Commemoration that took place on 11 June 2011. Both of the Terriers continue to be regular performers on the K&ESR; the short trains and light loading gauge making them ideally suited to operating on the line.
No. 50 Whitechapel was purchased by London Borough of Sutton and Merton
London Borough of Sutton
The London Borough of Sutton is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It is one of the southernmost boroughs of London...
in 1963 (after the originally intended purchase, No.61 Sutton, had been cut up). The intention was to display the engine outside the new Civic Centre, and the engine was offered a home on the K&ESR until the work was completed. The engine was restored and used to haul the opening train on the preserved K&ESR in 1974. After slipping down the overhaul queue at Rolvenden, the engine was moved to the Spa Valley Railway by the owners (the engine still being owned by Sutton Borough Council) and restoration work commenced.
No.46 Newington has perhaps the most unusual history. Following withdrawal in 1963, the locomotive was sold to the Sadler Rail Coach company based at Droxford, Hampshire on the disused Meon Valley Railway
Meon Valley Railway
The Meon Valley Railway was a cross-country railway in Hampshire, England that ran for between Alton and Fareham, closely following the course of the River Meon. At its northern end, it joined with the Mid-Hants Railway to Winchester, the Alton Line to Brookwood and the Basingstoke and Alton...
. It was used on occasion between the Droxford and Wickham stations on that line. Subsequently it was sold to the Portsmouth-based Brickwoods brewery in the Spring of 1966. The brewery wanted to purchase it for use outside a new public house to be opened on Hayling Island named The Hayling Billy. The engine was displayed there for a number of years, becoming locally famous, before being donated to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in 1979.
Main line operation
None of the preserved members of the class have been restored to full main line running condition. However, some consideration was given to doing so during the restoration of No.62 Martello in the early years of the 21st century, in order to facilitate the appearance of the engine at open days and exhibitions in an operational condition. However, the costs involved led to the idea being abandoned.Prior to the end of steam and the banning of steam engines from the national network in 1968, No.55 Stepney worked two special trains over the metals of the Southern Region. The first trip ran on 21 October 1962 and saw No.55 doublehead with LSWR Adams radial tank
LSWR 415 class
The LSWR 415 class is a steam tank locomotive of 4-4-2T wheel arrangement, with the trailing wheels forming the basis of its "Radial Tank" moniker. It was designed by William Adams and introduced in 1882 for service on the London and South Western Railway .Originally rostered for suburban traffic,...
No.488 on the Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath railway station
Haywards Heath railway station serves Haywards Heath in West Sussex, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink north of Brighton, and train services are primarily provided by Southern and First Capital Connect...
to Horsted Keynes
Horsted Keynes railway station
Horsted Keynes railway station is a railway station in Sussex. It was closed by British Railways Beeching Axe on 28 October 1963 with the cessation of trains from Seaford via Haywards Heath...
and return section of a rail tour from London Victoria to the Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
. The second train ran from Brighton
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
to Horsted Keynes on 27 October 1963 for members of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society, which saw the locomotive double-head with another former LB&SCR locomotive, E4
LB&SCR E4 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway E4 Class is a class of 0-6-2Tside tank steam locomotive designed by Robert Billinton. They were introduced in 1897 and were essentially a larger version of the E3 Class...
No.473 Birch Grove, and was run to mark the closure of the line from Haywards Heath to Horsted Keynes.
London and Brighton Railway
The London and Brighton Railway was a railway company in England which was incorporated in 1837 and survived until 1846. Its railway runs from a junction with the London & Croydon Railway at Norwood - which gives it access from London Bridge, just south of the River Thames in central London...
to Brighton. The locomotive was left 'cold' (i.e. not in steam) and was coupled to another ex-LB&SCR locomotive, Gladstone
LB&SCR B1 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway B1 Class is a class of 0-4-2 express passenger steam locomotives, known from the name of the first, No. 214, as the "Gladstones".-History:...
, and stabled during the day on the eastern-most platform (number 9). The engines were the centre-piece of an exhibition which also included, among others, former Southern Railway 'King Arthur' No.777 Sir Lamiel, Britannia class
BR standard class 7
The BR Standard Class 7, otherwise known as the Britannia Class, is a class of 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive designed by Robert Riddles for use by British Railways for mixed traffic duties. Fifty-five were constructed between 1951 and 1954. The design was a result of the 1948 locomotive exchanges...
No.70000 Britannia and BR Standard 4MT
BR standard class 4 tank
The British Railways Standard Class 4 tank was a class of steam locomotive, one of the BR standard classes built during the 1950s. They were used primarily on commuter and outer suburban services.- Background :...
No.80072, a class of locomotive built at Brighton.
In August 1975, No.72 Fenchurch represented the LB&SCR and the Bluebell Railway at the Rail 150 Steam Cavalcade held at Shildon
Shildon
Shildon is a town in County Durham, in England. It is situated 2 miles to the south east of Bishop Auckland and 11 miles north of Darlington. It is 13 miles away from Durham, 23 miles from Sunderland and 23 miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, an event held to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, which featured the engine running over a section of the BR network, although the line was subject to special restrictions at the time. Additionally, the engine also ran a number of shuttles into the wagon works complex from the railway station, top-and-tailing the workings with NER Class P3
NER Class P3
The North Eastern Railway Class P3, classified J27 by the LNER, is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive. The P3 Class was designed by Wilson Worsdell and was a relatively minor modification of the existing North Eastern Railway NER Class P2 . The most significant change was a deeper firebox with...
No.65894 from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport of Whitby. The line...
.
If future plans to extend the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5½ miles of unspoiled countryside from to station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depot...
from Smallbrook Junction
Smallbrook Junction railway station
Smallbrook Junction railway station is a railway station on the Isle of Wight, England. It is unusual because it has no public access but exists purely to provide a connection between two rail systems....
to Ryde St. John's
Ryde St John's Road railway station
Ryde St John's Road is a railway station on the Island Line, and serves the town of Ryde, Isle of Wight. The station is south of Ryde Pier Head—the Island Line's northern terminus. When the station opened in 1864, it was known as Ryde railway station, as it was the northern terminus of the...
are successful, this may see members of that railways fleet, including their two A1X engines, running over Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
metals between the two locations.
The A1 class in popular culture
An A1X class locomotive, Stepney appears in Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine, one of the books in The Railway SeriesThe Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
of children's books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
written by the Rev. W. Awdry. Boxhill was referred to in a later book in the series: Thomas & the Great Railway Show.
The 1975 Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
film Lisztomania includes a sequence shot on the Bluebell Railway which features No.72 Fenchurch smashing a grand piano left on the line while running at speed (actually filmed with the engine running at 25 mph, the speed limit of the line, with the film speeded up for impact).
A 1961 film version of Anna Karenina, parts of which were filmed on 'The Bluebell Railway', included No.55 Stepney disguised as a Russian locomotive.
The A1 class overseas
Two of the three locomotives sold to Pauling & Co. were exported to South America and one worked on the La Plata tramway in the 1920s.Eight locomotives were built by local Australian builders for the New South Wales Government Railways
New South Wales Government Railways
The New South Wales Government Railways was the government department that operated the New South Wales Government's railways until the establishment of the Public Transport Commission in 1972. Although later known officially as the Department of Railways, New South Wales, it was still generally...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
– to the LB&SCR's general arrangement and drawings – and entered traffic at about the same time as the A1X class in England. They were essentially identical engines, except for a simpler cab, larger bunker, larger sandboxes and other detail differences. They became redundant from about 1890 after the introduction of larger and more powerful tank locomotives and many were fitted with small cranes in place of the bunker. Some saw service with other groups into the 1930s. They were less successful than their English cousins due to different operating conditions and all were scrapped before the start of the preservation era.