234-249 LBSCR

A group of photographs distributed by O J Morris. The photographic quality is not great (few photographs have straight edges) but I have tried to keep cropping to a minimum and not lose vital features.

234. No. 39 La France, the only named engine of its class (H1) in LBSC days, named during a French state visit in 1913. In Southern days, it was renamed Hartland Point in 1926.

235. J Class no. 325, the huge (Pacific)  tank Abergevenny. Down main, East Croydon.

236. LBSC No 61. B4-A Class, built 1901, originally named John Rennie. The back reads "Up Brighton, Coulsdon"

237. LBSC 321, B2X Class, first built 1896, rebuilt by Marsh. 4-4-0 'Grasshopper'. Original name: John Rennie. Head Code for London Bridge - Brighton via Through (Quarry) Line. Parallel working suggests somewhere between New Cross and Norwood Junction.

238. LBSC 391. The  D3 class was a 0-4-4T tank locomotive design, by Robert J. Billinton, built between 1892 and 1896. They were built for working passenger trains along country and main lines. They were initially known as D Bogies or Bogie Tanks.

239. LBSC 261. The LB&SCR D1 class were powerful 0-4-2 suburban passenger tank locomotives, designed by William Stroudley  in 1873. They were originally known as "D-tanks" but later reclassified as class D1.

240. LBSC 58, B4-A Class.

241. LBSC  78. Class I3 (1910)

242. LBSC 531,C2X class, built 1900.

243. LBSC 106, E2 Class, built 1915.

244. LBSC 415, E6 Class (built 1905)

245. LBSC 678, A1X Class, originally built 1880 as 'Terrier' LBSC 78. Rebuilt 1911 by Marsh.

246. LBSC 113, E1 Class, built 1877

247. LBSC  171, B2X Class, built 1897

248. K Class no. 343, built 1916.

249. C2 or C2X no. 528 (rebuild year 1911)

40-46 Brighton Belles...

Here are a few engines from the Brighton Works. Passenger trains were electified, the 'little green trains', so locomotives were freight only. The London, Brighton and South Coast railway connected the south coast with Victoria terminus in London. Notice the B over the number, for Brighton. After grouping in 1923, Southern had engines from Ashford, Brighton and Eastleigh, all with the same number sequence so distinguished them with the A, B or E suffix. Later (B) 349 would become 2349, and in BR 32349. Here are a few. Goods engines had a green livery, passenger engines umber.

40. First, class K, a nice-looking mogul, number (B)349 [later 2349 and 32349].  The first 2-6-0 at Brighton, built to have good power and acceleration in busy London traffic, avoiding the need to double-head two 0-6-0 'Vulcans'. This one began service in 1920, the first of the class being introduced in 1913

41. The last two of the K class were the first to be built with 'top feed', having two domes - these were 350 and 351. Here, 350 is clean and coaled up ready to go. Someone somewhere I am sure can tell me the technical details.

42. Other K class locos were converted to top-feed as the came in for overhaul, Here is (B)347 in the mid-1920s. Top feed was also fitted during rebuilding to a few of the smaller and earlier 0-6-0 32x class.

43. Class E4X 0-6-2, started by Stroudley and completed by R.J Billinton from 1897, designed for passenger traffic. Four had a complete rebuild by Marsh, including this one - hence the X. In LBSCR days the livery would have been umber.

44. Presumably Class D though it had been scrapped by 1944. An 1870s design, it frequently was seen in passenger livery with named engines like Carlshalton, Sydenham, Groombridge and Denbies. In the 1920s they are however in goods black. Comment below says: Photo 44 is of the sole example of class D1x, a rebuilt large boiler D1. I have never seen a photo of this loco before, indeed I was not aware of the class's existence. Please keep up your work on these photos, although quite a few are well known to enthusiasts like myself, many are not and there are some real gems in them.

45. Class E2, 0-6-0 built around 1916 with extended side tanks. They worked on passenger as well as goods trains and survived well into BR days, some through to the end of steam.

46. Class I1X, a 4-4-2 tank. The I1 (note, the letter I and the number 1) was a poor engine in every way. A few were rebuilt and much improved under Southern operation, and carried the X as a result.  Few survived into BR days.

Lord Nelson and friends...

34. The top two show Lord Nelson with Gladstone,  at an open day at Nine Elms in 1927. LB&SCR class B1 214 Gladstone,the first of this class, has even then been given a perfect museum livery thanks to the Stephenson Locomotive Society in 1927 (it is now in the NRM). There is a front view and a side view. DV says: not at Eastleigh but Nine Elms with the remains of the old coal stage in the background. The two engines were exhibited at Waterloo on 14 May 1927.

35.

36. Next,  Isle of Wight 02 tank no. W22 heading for Ventnor from Sandown. Peter of SEmG notes: It is reproduced in ‘Isle of Wight Album’ (Ian Allan, 1967) and is credited to H. Gordon Tidey. The coaches are ex-North London Railway four-wheelers."

Picture removed for copyright reasons.

37. And now back on the main Southampton to Portsmouth line:
LSWR T7  720 (missing from 1944 ABC). The smoke blinkers are unusual. Peter at SEmG comments: " Class T7 was a solitary loco and the first of Drummond's double singles, the driving wheels were not coupled, there were 4 cylinders, the inside pair driving the leading pair od driving wheels and the outside pair the trailing pair.  A second attempt at this arrangement gave rise to the E10 class of 5 locos which had larger boilers."

38. LSWR H15  no. (E)491. Bournemouth line.

39. LSWR Drummond D15 no (E)470 before superheating. DV says: Bournemouth line train - 470 had been superheated in 1917 - note extended smokebox.