LSWR M7 Class
Encyclopedia
The LSWR M7 class is a class of 0-4-4
passenger tank locomotive
built between 1897 and 1911. The class was designed by Dugald Drummond
for use on the intensive London
network of the London and South Western Railway
(LSWR), and performed well in such tasks. Because of their utility, 105 were built and the class went through several modifications over five production batches. For this reason there were detail variations such as frame length. Many of the class were fitted with push-pull operation gear that enabled efficient use on branch line duties without the need to change to the other end of its train at the end of a journey.
Under LSWR and Southern Railway ownership they had been successful suburban passenger engines, although with the increased availability of newer, standard designs, many of the class were diagrammed to take on a new role as reliable branch line engines, especially in Southern England
.
Members of the class lasted in service until 1964, and two examples have survived into preservation: number 245 in the National Railway Museum
, and 53 (as BR 30053) on the Swanage Railway
.
' 0-4-4 T1 class of 1888. The Adams T1 design of 1888 with 5 in 7 in (1,701.8 mm) wheels had been developed to meet the LSWR's requirement for a compact and sure-footed suburban passenger locomotive to be utilised on the intensive commuter timetables around London. However, by the mid 1890s the suburban services around London
were growing at a rate which began to preclude the use of these and other older classes of locomotive.
, whilst he was works manager at Brighton
in the early 1870s, and his own 157 class of 1877, on the North British Railway
in Scotland. It was the heaviest 0-4-4 type ever to run in Britain.
The first 25 were constructed at Nine Elms Locomotive Works
between March and November 1897. Thereafter the M7 class had a long production run with five major sets of design variants. Between 1897 and 1899 the locomotives were constructed with a short overhang at the front, and sandboxes combined with the front splashers. Injectors and a lever-type reverser were also added, and a conical, as opposed to flat, smokebox door was implemented on numbers 252–256. In 1900 the design was modified to incorporate the sandboxes inside the smokebox; these were later relocated below the running plate.
After 1903, a 36 in 3 in (11.05 m) frame with a longer overhang at the front end was introduced and steam reversing gear fitted. Some sources record these locomotives as X14 class, and this designation was sometimes used to refer to the longer-framed versions, but for most purposes the two sub-classes were grouped together and known as M7. The 1904/05 construction batch moved the sandboxes back to the front splasher and new items were feed water heating, single ram pumps and balanced crank axles. For the remainder of construction from the outshopping of the 105th locomotive in 1911, duplex pumps were fitted.
Several of the most successful features of the class were used by Drummond on his other designs. Thus the boiler, cylinders and motion were identical and interchangeable with those used on his 700 class
0-6-0
freight locomotives of 1897 and the same boiler was used on his C8 4-4-0
passenger class.
states that the pressure was increased from 150 lbf/in2.
capabilities with the provision of a primitive cable and pulley
device. This was a modification that was designed to save time on country branch lines where the locomotive would usually have to run around its train in order to make a return journey. As a result it was possible for the driver to drive his train from a cab located at the front of a designated push-pull coach, leaving the fireman to tend the fire and operate the injectors on the locomotive footplate
.
The pulley system was eventually deemed unsafe due to instances of sagging and delayed reaction. As a result it was replaced on 36 engines by a safer compressed air
system between 1930 and 1937. This system had seen previous successful use on the LBSCR. Because the air compressor required extra space for installation, these conversions were confined to the long-framed members of the class.
A further four conversions to push-pull capability appeared between 1960 and 1962. This was the result of short-framed M7s having long frames substituted during overhaul in order to create room for the air compressor.
on other Drummond classes, Robert Urie
experimentally fitted a superheated boiler to No.126 in December 1920, together with an extended smokebox
and larger cylinders. The additional weight of the new boiler raised the centre of gravity of the locomotive, thereby adding to problems of instability on faster main line trains, whilst simultaneously preventing its use on many branch lines. As a result no further examples were fitted, and No.126 was eventually broken up for spare parts in 1937.
In 1931 No. 672 was experimentally fitted with the Strowger-Hudd Automatic Warning System
, but the equipment was not adopted by the Southern Railway
and the equipment later removed.
, Exeter
and Plymouth
, and Bournemouth
and Weymouth
. However they were withdrawn from these duties after a high speed derailment near Tavistock in 1898. Following criticism by the Board of Trade
inspector about the use of front-coupled locomotives on fast services As a result the class was to become synonymous with local main line and branch workings, as well as London suburban services.
With the gradual growth of the electrification of the inner London suburban lines after 1915, the class tended to be used on stopping trains on the LSWR main line, and on services to Guildford
and Reading
. After the formation of the Southern Railway
in 1923 the class gradually began to be used, further afield, notably in the west of England, but also on branch lines in Kent, and on the former South Eastern and Chatham Railway
line between Redhill
and Reading
.
During the 1950s a substantial number of the "push-pull" fitted members of the class was transferred to the Central Section of the Southern Region
, at Brighton
and Horsham
, replacing worn-out D3 locomotives
on the branch lines of the former London Brighton and South Coast Railway in West Sussex. A further ten were transferred to Tunbridge Wells
and Three Bridges
in 1955 for use on East Sussex
branches. These were less well accepted by the train crews, who preferred the less powerful SECR H class
. Others remained in the London area on empty stock workings, notably between Clapham Junction
and Waterloo Station
.
The class was gradually replaced in the southeast England during the late 1950s and early 1960s due to the introduction of further electrification, new lightweight standard steam classes, diesel shunters, and diesel-electric multiple units. By the end of 1963 the majority that remained were based at Bournemouth
to work the Swanage
branch.
Two examples of this quintessential class of steam locomotive have survived into preservation. They are:
When transferred to Southern Railway ownership after 1923 the locomotives were outshopped in Richard Maunsell
's darker version of the LSWR livery, with numbering having an 'E' prefix to denote Eastleigh. This was to prevent confusion with other locomotives of the same number inherited by the Southern from its constituent railways. "A" (denoting Ashford
) was used for former South Eastern and Chatham Railway
locomotives and "B" (Brighton
for those from the London Brighton and South Coast Railway. After 1931 the prefixes were dropped from former LSWR locomotives and the remainder were renumbered.
The gilt lettering was changed to yellow with "Southern" on the water tank sides with black and white lining.
With the appointment of Oliver Bulleid
as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern, livery policy was changed once again to malachite green for passenger locomotives, with Sunshine Yellow lettering on the tank sides. This was lined with yellow and black with solid black edging. The numbers also lost their "E" prefix. During the war years the locomotives were outshopped in wartime black after overhaul, and some of the class retained this livery to nationalisation. Numbering depended on which batch the locomotive belonged to, and therefore each batch was allocated a series.
0-4-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles...
passenger tank locomotive
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
built between 1897 and 1911. The class was designed by Dugald Drummond
Dugald Drummond
Dugald Drummond was a Scottish steam locomotive engineer. He had a career with the North British Railway, LB&SCR, Caledonian Railway and London and South Western Railway...
for use on the intensive London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
network of 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...
(LSWR), and performed well in such tasks. Because of their utility, 105 were built and the class went through several modifications over five production batches. For this reason there were detail variations such as frame length. Many of the class were fitted with push-pull operation gear that enabled efficient use on branch line duties without the need to change to the other end of its train at the end of a journey.
Under LSWR and Southern Railway ownership they had been successful suburban passenger engines, although with the increased availability of newer, standard designs, many of the class were diagrammed to take on a new role as reliable branch line engines, especially in Southern England
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
.
Members of the class lasted in service until 1964, and two examples have survived into preservation: number 245 in 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...
, and 53 (as BR 30053) on the Swanage Railway
Swanage Railway
The Swanage Railway is a long heritage railway in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. The railway follows the route of the Purbeck branch line between Norden railway station, Corfe Castle railway station, Harman's Cross railway station, Herston Halt railway station and Swanage...
.
Background
Drummond designed these locomotives to answer the need for a larger and more powerful version of William AdamsWilliam Adams (locomotive engineer)
William Adams was the Locomotive Superintendent of the North London Railway from 1858 to 1873; the Great Eastern Railway from 1873 until 1878 and the London and South Western Railway from then until his retirement in 1895...
' 0-4-4 T1 class of 1888. The Adams T1 design of 1888 with 5 in 7 in (1,701.8 mm) wheels had been developed to meet the LSWR's requirement for a compact and sure-footed suburban passenger locomotive to be utilised on the intensive commuter timetables around London. However, by the mid 1890s the suburban services around London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
were growing at a rate which began to preclude the use of these and other older classes of locomotive.
Construction history
The M7 tank locomotive was the first design by Dugald Drummond upon replacing William Adams as Locomotive Superintendent of the LSWR in 1895. It was an enlargement of the T1 with a sloping grate of increased area giving greater power. Drummond drew upon his previous experience with the successful London Brighton and South Coast Railway D1 classLB&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...
, whilst he was works manager at Brighton
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...
in the early 1870s, and his own 157 class of 1877, on the North British Railway
North British Railway
The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:...
in Scotland. It was the heaviest 0-4-4 type ever to run in Britain.
The first 25 were constructed at Nine Elms Locomotive Works
Nine Elms Locomotive Works
Nine Elms locomotive works were built in 1839 by the London and South Western Railway adjoining their passenger terminus near the Vauxhall end of Nine Elms Lane, in the district of Nine Elms in the London Borough of Battersea. They were rebuilt in 1841 and remained the principal locomotive...
between March and November 1897. Thereafter the M7 class had a long production run with five major sets of design variants. Between 1897 and 1899 the locomotives were constructed with a short overhang at the front, and sandboxes combined with the front splashers. Injectors and a lever-type reverser were also added, and a conical, as opposed to flat, smokebox door was implemented on numbers 252–256. In 1900 the design was modified to incorporate the sandboxes inside the smokebox; these were later relocated below the running plate.
After 1903, a 36 in 3 in (11.05 m) frame with a longer overhang at the front end was introduced and steam reversing gear fitted. Some sources record these locomotives as X14 class, and this designation was sometimes used to refer to the longer-framed versions, but for most purposes the two sub-classes were grouped together and known as M7. The 1904/05 construction batch moved the sandboxes back to the front splasher and new items were feed water heating, single ram pumps and balanced crank axles. For the remainder of construction from the outshopping of the 105th locomotive in 1911, duplex pumps were fitted.
Several of the most successful features of the class were used by Drummond on his other designs. Thus the boiler, cylinders and motion were identical and interchangeable with those used on his 700 class
LSWR 700 Class
The London and South Western Railway 700 class was a class of 30 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed for freight work. The class was designed by Dugald Drummond in 1897 and built by Dübs and Company at that company's Queen's Park works at Polmadie, Glasgow....
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...
freight locomotives of 1897 and the same boiler was used on his C8 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
passenger class.
| Year | Order | Builder | Quantity | LSWR numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | LSWR Nine Elms Nine Elms Locomotive Works Nine Elms locomotive works were built in 1839 by the London and South Western Railway adjoining their passenger terminus near the Vauxhall end of Nine Elms Lane, in the district of Nine Elms in the London Borough of Battersea. They were rebuilt in 1841 and remained the principal locomotive... |
242–256, 667–676 | Short frame | ||
| 1898 | LSWR Nine Elms | 31–40 | Short frame | ||
| 1899 | LSWR Nine Elms | 22–26, 41–44, 241 | Short frame | ||
| 1900 | LSWR Nine Elms | 112, 318–321 | Short frame | ||
| 1900 | LSWR Nine Elms | 322–324, 356–357 | Short frame | ||
| 1903 | LSWR Nine Elms | 123–124, 130, 132–133 | Long frame | ||
| 1903 | LSWR Nine Elms | 374–378 | Long frame | ||
| 1904 | LSWR Nine Elms | 21, 27–30 | Long frame | ||
| 1904 | LSWR Nine Elms | 108–111, 379 | Long frame | ||
| 1905 | LSWR Nine Elms | 45, 104–107 | Long frame | ||
| 1905 | LSWR Nine Elms | 46–50 | Long frame | ||
| 1905 | LSWR Nine Elms | 51–55 | Long frame | ||
| 1906 | LSWR Nine Elms | 56–60 | Long frame | ||
| 1911 | LSWR Eastleigh Eastleigh Works Eastleigh Works is a locomotive, carriage and wagon building and repair facility in the town of Eastleigh in the county of Hampshire in England.-History under the LSWR:... |
125–129 | Long frame | ||
| 1911 | LSWR Eastleigh | 131, 328, 479–481 | Long frame | ||
Boiler pressure
According to Bradley (p. 108) the original 175 lbf/in2 working pressure was reduced to 150 lbf/in2 to reduce wear on the boilers in 1900 when it became clear that they were no longer to be used for sustained high speed running. However H. C. CasserleyH. C. Casserley
Henry Cyril Casserley was a British photographer of steam railways. His prolific work in the 1920s and 1930s, the result of travelling to remote corners of the railway network in the United Kingdom and Ireland, has provided subsequent generations with a valuable source of illustrations for books...
states that the pressure was increased from 150 lbf/in2.
Push-pull equipment
After 1912 thirty-one M7 locomotives were equipped with push-pull trainPush-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...
capabilities with the provision of a primitive cable and pulley
Block and tackle
A block and tackle is a system of two or more pulleys with a rope or cable threaded between them, usually used to lift or pull heavy loads.The pulleys are assembled together to form blocks so that one is fixed and one moves with the load...
device. This was a modification that was designed to save time on country branch lines where the locomotive would usually have to run around its train in order to make a return journey. As a result it was possible for the driver to drive his train from a cab located at the front of a designated push-pull coach, leaving the fireman to tend the fire and operate the injectors on the locomotive footplate
Footplate
The footplate of a steam locomotive is a large metal plate that rests on top of the frames and is normally covered with wooden floorboards. It is usually the full width of the locomotive and extends from the front of the cab to the rear of cab or coal bunker just above the buffer beam. The...
.
The pulley system was eventually deemed unsafe due to instances of sagging and delayed reaction. As a result it was replaced on 36 engines by a safer compressed air
Pneumatics
Pneumatics is a branch of technology, which deals with the study and application of use of pressurized gas to effect mechanical motion.Pneumatic systems are extensively used in industry, where factories are commonly plumbed with compressed air or compressed inert gases...
system between 1930 and 1937. This system had seen previous successful use on the LBSCR. Because the air compressor required extra space for installation, these conversions were confined to the long-framed members of the class.
A further four conversions to push-pull capability appeared between 1960 and 1962. This was the result of short-framed M7s having long frames substituted during overhaul in order to create room for the air compressor.
Variants
Following the successful use of superheatingSuperheating
In physics, superheating is the phenomenon in which a liquid is heated to a temperature higher than its boiling point, without boiling...
on other Drummond classes, Robert Urie
Robert Urie
Robert Wallace Urie was a Scottish locomotive engineer who was the last chief mechanical engineer of the London and South Western Railway....
experimentally fitted a superheated boiler to No.126 in December 1920, together with an extended smokebox
Smokebox
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a Steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is exhausted to the atmosphere through the chimney .To assist...
and larger cylinders. The additional weight of the new boiler raised the centre of gravity of the locomotive, thereby adding to problems of instability on faster main line trains, whilst simultaneously preventing its use on many branch lines. As a result no further examples were fitted, and No.126 was eventually broken up for spare parts in 1937.
In 1931 No. 672 was experimentally fitted with the Strowger-Hudd Automatic Warning System
Automatic Warning System
The Automatic Warning System is a form of limited cab signalling and train protection system introduced in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help train drivers observe and obey signals. It was based on a 1930 system developed by Alfred Ernest Hudd and marketed as the "Strowger-Hudd" system...
, but the equipment was not adopted 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...
and the equipment later removed.
Operational details
When first introduced to LSWR, several of the class were allocated to work semi-fast passenger services between London and PortsmouthPortsmouth railway station
Portsmouth railway station may refer to:* Portsmouth Harbour railway station in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England* Portsmouth and Southsea railway station in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England* Portsmouth Arms railway station in Portsmouth Arms, Devon, England...
, Exeter
Exeter Central railway station
Exeter Central railway station is the most centrally located of the railway stations in Exeter, Devon, England. It is smaller than St Davids which is on the west side of the city but it is served by trains on the London Waterloo to Exeter main line, and is also by local services to , and . From...
and Plymouth
Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...
, and Bournemouth
Bournemouth railway station
Bournemouth railway station, originally known as Bournemouth East and then Bournemouth Central , is the main railway station serving the town of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. It is located on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth...
and Weymouth
Weymouth railway station
Weymouth railway station is a railway station serving the town of Weymouth, Dorset, England. The station is the terminus of both the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo and the Heart of Wessex Line from and .-History:...
. However they were withdrawn from these duties after a high speed derailment near Tavistock in 1898. Following criticism by the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
inspector about the use of front-coupled locomotives on fast services As a result the class was to become synonymous with local main line and branch workings, as well as London suburban services.
With the gradual growth of the electrification of the inner London suburban lines after 1915, the class tended to be used on stopping trains on the LSWR main line, and on services to Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
and Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. After the formation of 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...
in 1923 the class gradually began to be used, further afield, notably in the west of England, but also on branch lines in Kent, and on the former 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...
line between Redhill
Redhill railway station
Redhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles south of London Victoria...
and Reading
Reading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
.
During the 1950s a substantial number of the "push-pull" fitted members of the class was transferred to the Central Section of the Southern Region
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
, at 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...
and Horsham
Horsham railway station
Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern...
, replacing worn-out D3 locomotives
LB&SCR D3 class
LB&SCR D3 class was a 0-4-4T tank locomotive design, by Robert J. Billinton, built for the London Brighton and South Coast Railway between 1892 and 1896...
on the branch lines of the former London Brighton and South Coast Railway in West Sussex. A further ten were transferred to Tunbridge Wells
Tunbridge Wells railway station
Tunbridge Wells railway station serves Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The station and all trains serving it are currently operated by Southeastern. It is located directly on the double-tracked electrified Hastings Line....
and Three Bridges
Three Bridges railway station
Three Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
in 1955 for use on East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
branches. These were less well accepted by the train crews, who preferred the less powerful SECR H class
SECR H Class
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway H Class is a class of 0-4-4T steam locomotive originally designed for suburban passenger work, designed by Harry Wainwright in 1904...
. Others remained in the London area on empty stock workings, notably between Clapham Junction
Clapham Junction railway station
Clapham Junction railway station is near St John's Hill in the south-west of Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Although it is in Battersea, the area around the station is commonly identified as Clapham Junction....
and Waterloo Station
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
.
The class was gradually replaced in the southeast England during the late 1950s and early 1960s due to the introduction of further electrification, new lightweight standard steam classes, diesel shunters, and diesel-electric multiple units. By the end of 1963 the majority that remained were based at Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
to work the Swanage
Swanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
branch.
Withdrawal and Preservation
Apart from the experimentally boilered No. 126, all the M7s entered into British Railways service in 1948.. In that year No. 672 fell down the lift shaft which provided rolling stock access to the Waterloo and City Line at Waterloo, and was cut up. The remainder survived until 1957, but over the next seven years the remainder of the class was withdrawn as part of the Modernisation Plan..Two examples of this quintessential class of steam locomotive have survived into preservation. They are:
- No. 245 (built 1897) is 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...
in YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
Surviving records indicate that number 245 was constructed in 1897 at the cost of £1,846, and lasted in service until 1962. - No. 30053 (built 1905) is based at the Swanage RailwaySwanage RailwayThe Swanage Railway is a long heritage railway in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. The railway follows the route of the Purbeck branch line between Norden railway station, Corfe Castle railway station, Harman's Cross railway station, Herston Halt railway station and Swanage...
; this locomotive was sold to SteamtownSteamtown National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad . The museum is built around a working replica turntable and a roundhouse that is...
in Bellows Falls, VermontBellows Falls, VermontBellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,165 at the 2000 census...
in the United States of America in 1967, but was repatriated in 1987.
LSWR and Southern Railway
Under the LSWR the class saw various liveries over its pre-grouping career. Most associated with the class during this period was the LSWR passenger light sage green livery with purple-brown edging, creating panels of green. This was further lined in white and black with "LSWR" in gilt on the water tank sides, and the locomotive number on the coal bunker sides. The National Railway Museum has chosen a non-typical green for the livery on No 245.When transferred to Southern Railway ownership after 1923 the locomotives were outshopped in Richard Maunsell
Richard Maunsell
Richard Edward Lloyd Maunsell held the post of Chief Mechanical Engineer of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway from 1913 until the 1923 Grouping and then the post of CME of the Southern Railway in England until 1937....
's darker version of the LSWR livery, with numbering having an 'E' prefix to denote Eastleigh. This was to prevent confusion with other locomotives of the same number inherited by the Southern from its constituent railways. "A" (denoting Ashford
Ashford railway works
Ashford railway works was in the town of Ashford in the county of Kent in England.-South Eastern Railway:Ashford locomotive works was built by the South Eastern Railway on a new site in 1847, replacing an earlier locomotive repair facility at New Cross in London...
) was used for former 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...
locomotives and "B" (Brighton
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...
for those from the London Brighton and South Coast Railway. After 1931 the prefixes were dropped from former LSWR locomotives and the remainder were renumbered.
The gilt lettering was changed to yellow with "Southern" on the water tank sides with black and white lining.
With the appointment of Oliver Bulleid
Oliver Bulleid
Oliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid was a British railway and mechanical engineer best known as the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway between 1937 and the 1948 nationalisation, developing many well-known locomotives.- Early life and Great Northern Railway :He was born in Invercargill,...
as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern, livery policy was changed once again to malachite green for passenger locomotives, with Sunshine Yellow lettering on the tank sides. This was lined with yellow and black with solid black edging. The numbers also lost their "E" prefix. During the war years the locomotives were outshopped in wartime black after overhaul, and some of the class retained this livery to nationalisation. Numbering depended on which batch the locomotive belonged to, and therefore each batch was allocated a series.