SECR L class
Encyclopedia
The SECR L class was a class of 4-4-0
steam
tender locomotive
built for express passenger service on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
. Although designed by Harry Wainwright
, they were built during the Maunsell
era.
(SECR) was an amalgamation of two competing companies, the South Eastern Railway (SER) and the London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) which took place in 1899. One of the first tasks of Harry Wainwright
, the new Chief Mechanical Engineer
was to introduce a series of standardised locomotives which would operate on both railways, but the LCDR main line was more lightly engineered and subject to more severe weight restrictions than that of the SER. At the same time the Board of Directors was anxious to reap some of the financial benefits of amalgamation by closing the LCDR Longhedge Railway Works
.
During the first years of the SECR, express passenger services were well served by Wainwright's 'D'
and 'E'
4-4-0
classes but loads continued to increase and by 1912 the designer realised that he would soon need more powerful locomotives. Unfortunately weight restrictions of the LCDR main line prevented the use of any significantly larger or more powerful locomotive and the cost of strengthening the bridges on this line was prohibitively expensive. The Board of Directors therefore ordered Wainwright to prepare a design for only for the SER main line services. Wainwright's original design was criticised by the Directors for the use of Saturated steam
and Slide valves and both of which were considered old fashioned in the 20th century. These criticisms of Wainwright coincided with an acute motive power crisis on the railway during the summer of 1913, (due in part to the Directors' insistence on the premature closure of Longhedge Works and the inability of Ashford railway works
to cope with the increased workload). As a result Wainwright was asked to retire on 30 November 1913, before the new locomotives could be ordered.
. The later revisions incorporated piston valves and a Schmidt
superheater
. After Wainwright's departure his assistant Robert Surtees, made further detailed changes slightly enlarging the boiler, firebox
and wheels, and substituting a
Robinson design superheater, before placing an order for twelve examples were with Beyer Peacock for delivery by the end of June 1914. After Richard Maunsell
took office in January 1914, he agreed to the ordering of a further ten with minor detail differences and Schmidt superheaters from Borsig
of Berlin
. The Borsig locomotives were completed just in time before the outbreak of World War I
. They were supplied in kit form and assembled at Ashford railway works
by Borsig employees. The Beyer Peacock series were delayed delivered later between August and November 1914.
Following the grouping
of the SECR with other railways to form the Southern Railway (UK) in 1923 Maunsell developed the design in 1926 with his L1 class. The design was enlarged and the weight increased to 57 tons 16 cwt. The boiler pressure was increased from 160 to 180 lbs per square inch but the cylinders reduced in diameter from 20.5 to 19.5 inches. The engines also had long-travel piston valves, Maunsell’s own design of superheater and side-window cab and other detail alterations.
As a result of the success of these changes Maunsell later gradually increased the boiler pressure of the ‘L class’ and fitted them with smaller cylinders and his own superheater over the next two decades as they passed through the workshops for other reasons.
(SR) in 1923, and SR initially an "A" prefix was added to the SECR numbers but later renumbered the engines 1760-1781. All passed to British Railways (BR) in 1948 and BR numbered them 31760-31781.
to Dover
, Ramsgate
, and Hastings
. They remained on these duties until the mid 1920s when they were gradually replaced on the heavier trains by the newer SR L1 class
, and in the 1930s by the ”King Arthur”
and ”Schools” classes. By this time improvements had been made to the LCDR main line to Dover
and Ramsgate
and so they continued to be used on these services until after the Second World War and the Nationalisation of British Railways in 1948. However, the transfer of Bulleid “Light Pacifics” to these services in the early 1950s made the class largely redundant. Some were transferred to Eastleigh
and Brighton
to replace worn out locomotives on cross-country services, but withdrawal began in 1956. The final locomotive was withdrawn in December 1961. None have been preserved.
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...
steam
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...
tender locomotive
Tender locomotive
A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...
built for express passenger service on 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...
. Although designed by Harry Wainwright
Harry Wainwright
Harry Smith Wainwright was the Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway from 1899 to 1913. He is best known for a series of simple but competent locomotives produced under his direction at the company's Ashford railway works in the early years of the...
, they were built during the 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....
era.
Background
The South Eastern and Chatham RailwaySouth 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...
(SECR) was an amalgamation of two competing companies, the South Eastern Railway (SER) and the London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) which took place in 1899. One of the first tasks of Harry Wainwright
Harry Wainwright
Harry Smith Wainwright was the Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway from 1899 to 1913. He is best known for a series of simple but competent locomotives produced under his direction at the company's Ashford railway works in the early years of the...
, the new Chief Mechanical Engineer
Chief Mechanical Engineer
Chief Mechanical Engineer and Locomotive Superintendent are titles applied by British, Australian, and New Zealand railway companies to the person ultimately responsible to the board of the company for the building and maintaining of the locomotives and rolling stock...
was to introduce a series of standardised locomotives which would operate on both railways, but the LCDR main line was more lightly engineered and subject to more severe weight restrictions than that of the SER. At the same time the Board of Directors was anxious to reap some of the financial benefits of amalgamation by closing the LCDR Longhedge Railway Works
Longhedge Railway Works (Battersea)
Longhedge railway works was a locomotive and carriage works built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway in the borough of Battersea, South London to serve their new London terminus at Victoria...
.
During the first years of the SECR, express passenger services were well served by Wainwright's 'D'
SECR D class
The SECR D class was a class of 4-4-0 tender locomotives designed by Harry Wainwright for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway.-Overview:The construction of the initial 20 engines was shared between Ashford railway works and the Glasgow builder, Sharp, Stewart and Company. The first of the class...
and 'E'
SECR E class
The SECR E class was a class of 4-4-0 tender locomotives designed by Harry Wainwright for express passenger trains on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway...
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...
classes but loads continued to increase and by 1912 the designer realised that he would soon need more powerful locomotives. Unfortunately weight restrictions of the LCDR main line prevented the use of any significantly larger or more powerful locomotive and the cost of strengthening the bridges on this line was prohibitively expensive. The Board of Directors therefore ordered Wainwright to prepare a design for only for the SER main line services. Wainwright's original design was criticised by the Directors for the use of Saturated steam
Saturated steam
In thermodynamics, the state of saturation of a fluid indicates that the fluid is at its boiling point temperature. This term can be applied in several ways:*Saturated liquid: fully in the liquid state but is about to vaporize....
and Slide valves and both of which were considered old fashioned in the 20th century. These criticisms of Wainwright coincided with an acute motive power crisis on the railway during the summer of 1913, (due in part to the Directors' insistence on the premature closure of Longhedge Works and the inability of Ashford railway works
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...
to cope with the increased workload). As a result Wainwright was asked to retire on 30 November 1913, before the new locomotives could be ordered.
Design and construction
Wainwright's original design of the new 'L class' was for a handsome and robust locomotive which incorporated a Belpaire fireboxBelpaire firebox
The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...
. The later revisions incorporated piston valves and a Schmidt
Wilhelm Schmidt (engineer)
Wilhelm Schmidt, known as Hot Steam Schmidt was a German engineer and inventor who achieved the breakthrough in the development of superheated steam technology for steam engines....
superheater
Superheater
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam used for power generation or processes. There are three types of superheaters namely: radiant, convection, and separately fired...
. After Wainwright's departure his assistant Robert Surtees, made further detailed changes slightly enlarging the boiler, firebox
Firebox
In a steam engine, the firebox is the area where the fuel is burned, producing heat to boil the water in the boiler. Most are somewhat box-shaped, hence the name.-Railway locomotive firebox :...
and wheels, and substituting a
Robinson design superheater, before placing an order for twelve examples were with Beyer Peacock for delivery by the end of June 1914. After 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....
took office in January 1914, he agreed to the ordering of a further ten with minor detail differences and Schmidt superheaters from Borsig
August Borsig
Johann Friedrich August Borsig was a German businessman who founded the Borsig-Werke factory.Borsig was born in Breslau , the son of cuirassier and carpenter foreman Johann George Borsig...
of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. The Borsig locomotives were completed just in time before the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. They were supplied in kit form and assembled at Ashford railway works
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...
by Borsig employees. The Beyer Peacock series were delayed delivered later between August and November 1914.
L1 class
Main article see SR L1 classSR L1 class
The Southern Railway L1 class was a class of 4-4-0 steam tender locomotives built for express passenger service on the South Eastern Main Line of the Southern Railway...
Following the grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of the SECR with other railways to form the Southern Railway (UK) in 1923 Maunsell developed the design in 1926 with his L1 class. The design was enlarged and the weight increased to 57 tons 16 cwt. The boiler pressure was increased from 160 to 180 lbs per square inch but the cylinders reduced in diameter from 20.5 to 19.5 inches. The engines also had long-travel piston valves, Maunsell’s own design of superheater and side-window cab and other detail alterations.
As a result of the success of these changes Maunsell later gradually increased the boiler pressure of the ‘L class’ and fitted them with smaller cylinders and his own superheater over the next two decades as they passed through the workshops for other reasons.
Numbering
The Beyer Peacock locomotives were numbered were 760-771, and those from Borsig 772-781. All passed to 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...
(SR) in 1923, and SR initially an "A" prefix was added to the SECR numbers but later renumbered the engines 1760-1781. All passed to British Railways (BR) in 1948 and BR numbered them 31760-31781.
Operational details
The locomotives were used on express trains on the South Eastern main lines from LondonLondon
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...
to Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
, and Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
. They remained on these duties until the mid 1920s when they were gradually replaced on the heavier trains by the newer SR L1 class
SR L1 class
The Southern Railway L1 class was a class of 4-4-0 steam tender locomotives built for express passenger service on the South Eastern Main Line of the Southern Railway...
, and in the 1930s by 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...
and ”Schools” classes. By this time improvements had been made to the LCDR main line to Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
and Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
and so they continued to be used on these services until after the Second World War and the Nationalisation of British Railways in 1948. However, the transfer of Bulleid “Light Pacifics” to these services in the early 1950s made the class largely redundant. Some were transferred to Eastleigh
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough which is part of Southampton Urban Area. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
and Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
to replace worn out locomotives on cross-country services, but withdrawal began in 1956. The final locomotive was withdrawn in December 1961. None have been preserved.
Locomotive Summary
| SECR No. | SR No. | BR No. | Builder | Date Delivered | Date Withdrawn |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 760 | 1760 | 31760 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 761 | 1761 | 31761 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 762 | 1762 | 31762 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 763 | 1763 | 31763 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 764 | 1764 | 31764 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 765 | 1765 | 31765 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 766 | 1766 | 31766 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 767 | 1767 | 31767 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 768 | 1768 | 31768 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 769 | 1769 | 31769 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 770 | 1770 | 31770 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 771 | 1771 | 31771 | Beyer Peacock | |||
| 772 | 1772 | 31772 | Borsig | |||
| 773 | 1773 | 31773 | Borsig | |||
| 774 | 1774 | 31774 | Borsig | |||
| 775 | 1775 | 31775 | Borsig | |||
| 776 | 1776 | 31776 | Borsig | |||
| 777 | 1777 | 31777 | Borsig | |||
| 778 | 1778 | 31778 | Borsig | |||
| 779 | 1779 | 31779 | Borsig | |||
| 780 | 1780 | 31780 | Borsig |
Sources
- Dendy Marshall, C. F., History of the Southern Railway, Ian Allan 1988, pp 373–374, ISBN 0 7110 0059 X
External links
- http://www.semgonline.com/steam/lclass_01.html
- http://www.railuk.info/steam/getsteamclass.php?item=L
- http://www.railuk.info/steam/getsteamclass.php?item=L-1