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)

The Urie N15s. 191-199

The Urie large engine 4-6-0 family added a passenger class after World War One numbered N15. 736-745 were built in 1918-19, with 746-755 added in 1922-3.  Within the family, many parts were interchangeable for efficiency. All the below have 8 wheel tenders, but some later models had 6 wheel tenders because of line restrictions. These engines were later integrated into the King Arthur Class and given Arthurian names. Many of these photographs show the engines before naming. See also above photos 71-3 and 75 showing 737, 740, 752 and 755.

191. LSWR 737 was later named King Uther. These before and after photographs show the value of photo-enhancement.

192. LSWR 736, later Excalibur

  

194.   LSWR 740, later Merlin in three photos

 LSWR 740

 LSWR 740

195. LSWR 745, later Tintagel

 196. LSWR 747, later Elaine. Note the tender with oil tank, hence around 1921.

197. LSWR 748 was later named Vivien

198. LSWR 755, later The Red Knight

199. LSWR 749, in Southern livery, but still unnamed. Later named Iseult.  Worth recording in spite of the blemish on the print.

71-77 Knights with their spurs...

Here we have a group of examples of the N15 King Arthur class named after Arthurian characters from 1925. A heavy 4-6-0 from the Eastleigh Works for passenger traffic, the first batch (736-755) of Eastleigh built engines first emerged in 1918. Ten engines  replaced scrapped Drummond G14s, keeping their numbers and tenders (448-457). A third batch were built by the North British Locomotive Ltd in 1925 (763-792). The final batch of 14 engines were built at Eastleigh for the Brighton section in 1926 - 793-806. These had 6 wheeled tenders to fit the Brighton turntables.

71. LSWR 740, later to be called Merlin but here in unnamed pre-grouping days in Clapham Cutting near Earlsfield. The "Down Plymouth". The Urie stovepipe chimney of these early engines was later replaced by a more efficient one, as seen in pater pictures. Note the electic rail in the foreground. Photo possibly by F E Mackay. M I Bray, Railway Picture Postcards (picture 55) describes it as the "Down North Cornwall Express". He also calls it "760 Class".

72. (E)752, later to become  Linette, is seen at the same location in Southern livery, around 1924. "Down Portsmouth near Earlsfield" is pencilled on the back.. It also has the Urie stovepipe chimney .

73. No electified rail here. 737 is still in LSWR livery and Urie chimney. It will later become King Uther.

74. The (E)450, later to be named Sir Kay, was from batch 2, the Drummond G14 replacements. Notice the shorter and more shapely chimney. Unknown vnrue, maybe Clapham Junction. (Repeat of 49)

75. A few posed engines now. Batch 1 'Arthur' showing off is new livery and name The Red Knight, a works photograph judging by the proud-looking crew.

76. Batch 2  (E)448 Sir Tristram is still in its photographic grey paint.

77. Batch 2 (E)451 Sir Lamorak with posing crew is here sporting front-end indicator trial equipment. This picture is from The Locomotive Publishing Co Ltd, 3 Amen Corner.  

The same treatment was given to  (E)742 Camelot, photographed often by CH. Photo 8 in Nock (see below) is acknowledged as British Railways but I have it as a Locomotive Publishing Co print.

Nock, Southern Steam Photo 8 of Camelot (David & Charles).

Clapham Cutting

These four 1924 pictures can be identified as Clapham Cutting as the name appears on the signal box in the first two photographs. The box is idiosyncratic, looking more like a fashionable summer-house. The third electrified rail can be clearly seen in the foreground. Clapham Cutting comes out of Clapham Junction, away from London and towards Wandsworth Common. The next station is Earlsfield, another frequent photographic location.

67. This first is an unrebuilt T9, LSWR (E)721. Rebuilt T9s looked more like the D15 in picture 68, following. Marked "Down Portsmouth" on the back.

68. An LSWR D15, (E)472. Marked "Down Bournemouth" on the back.

69. Southern N15 number (E)791 Sir Uwaine of the King Arthur class is seen in its new Southern green livery.  The distant church tower is clear in this picture. Marked "Down 3.30 Bournemouth" on the back.

70. Another D15, (E)464. The second passenger carriage is older stock (see Roger's comment below). Marked on the back "Down Portsmouth 464D rebt M.S. [Maunsell Superheater?]+6wtdr" [6 wheel tender].

Lynton & Barnstaple Railway.

Three lively pictures of the L&B. Underneath all this exterior is a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement (narrow gauge). The three earliest engines built by Manning Wardle of Leeds were named Yeo, Exe and Taw, after Exmoor rivers. The same company built Lew and Lyd in 1925 to a similar design. Owing to a locomotive builder's strike, the order for another went to America, Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, hence the Americanisms (cowcatcher etc). The locos had work done at eastleigh works and carried the E code.  This was named Lyn. Replicas of Lyd and Lyn now run on the heritage line

64. The top two are of Lew, another was Lyn, picture 3.

65. Lew, back view.

66. And this is the Baldwin (Philadelphia) Lyn, 2-4-2 with three domes and a three-quarters tank. Lyn received modifications in Eastleigh, receiving the stove-pipe chimney in place of the original copper-capped one. I am told that the location of this shot is Pilton depot, Barnstaple.

Miscellaneous

Here are a couple of curious tank engines and other dock scenes in the collection. The photos generally were poor but have scrubbed up well.

59.  A somewhat bizarre tank engine! Peter Smart says: one of the Alexander Shanks, of Arbroath, tram engines.  No 108 was delivered in November in 1877.  Your photo was taken at Nine Elms in 1906.

60. LSWR number 736 was later taken over by the King Arthur class Escalibur. Peter Smart says: one of the C14 class motor tanks.  Your photo shows No 736 when new and painted in photographic grey at Nine Elms on 28th September 1906.    

61. The collection contains a few dock scenes. The prints are very poor: we are seeing them here as CH would have loved to see them but never did. The back of this reads: 1/2/28, H&D. 680. Mauritania in the Floating Dry Dock. 4.5.25occ. Inf. Over exposed. Photographic code crackers, let me know. I have cured the over-exposure.

62. The following two were very pale and underexposed - again I have corrected them.

63.

LSWR Traffic

All the photographs in this post have details on the back indicating that the are CH photos. His comments are given in the titles.
47. T14 'Paddleboat' type, No. (E)443. Rear note says 'North Cornwall Express' and "as built". Geoff: "11.00 a.m. North Cornwall and Bude" F.E.Mackay, RM Feb 1912, his 250th published. Mackay glass plate negatives were destroyed on his death in the 1930s so it is exciting to find photo-quality images.

48. LSWR (E)738, King Pellinore. The reverse says "Up Ilfracombe", the number, and "oil". If you enlarge, you can see the oil tank in the tender. Location is possibly Earlsfield near Clapham. Note the electrified rail. 1921.

49. LSWR N15 (E)450, Sir Kay, Clapham Junction. The 9 is the Nine Elms duty number. This train became the Atlantic Coast Express from 1926, though the date of this picture is uncertain.

50. The rear says "Up Bournemouth Excursion, 330A, so an H15 "rebt" (rebuilt) and a hieroglyph I am still working on (looks like "2gnd". David Vidler comments: The rectangular board carries the train reporting number used to identify trains on summer Saturdays. This says to me 1930s rather than 1920s. 330 carries a Nine Elms duty number and was allocated there for the summer of 1935. It returned to Salisbury when the N15X started to arrive at Nine Elms. Geoff Smith suggests:  The building on the bridge looks like Weybridge, and the curvature looks right. 

51. The rear says "Up Southampton, 137". So a K10, which looks right.Note the third rail. Venue possibly Clapham Cutting? The headcode is Waterloo-Southampton via Alton, although it seems to be a long train for one from Southampton by that route - could be a short working from Alton.

52.Rear says "Up local. 33K OB" [or maybe 073]. (E)33 was an M7 tank. David Vidler says: Headcode is Waterloo-Portsmouth via Woking although with an M7 it is likely that it started from Guildford or Woking. The train is formed with two 4 plus van sets and two loose coaches  - and the M7 is still blowing off at the safety valves. Could it be a train of empties? It is long for a local train. Geoff Smith suggests Weybridge, as in picture 50.

53. Rear says "Down Aldershot". Anoither M7 tank. Peter of SEmG says: Photo 53 is  interesting because it shows M7 No 126 which was the only member of the class to be superheated.  The location is Clapham Cutting. DV comments: Headcode is for 'Specials for Race Meetings and Special Events'. The C on the top disc indicates that it is the third of a series of trains for the event. The rear carriages look like one of the sets of 6-wheelers kept for race meetings. 

54. Rear says "Up Portsmouth". Location as in 50 and 52?

55. (E)422, an L12. Rear says "Down Folkestone, Sandling Jun[ction?] 422". Sandling is near Maidstone, so an LSWR type on Ashford territory? I am told that Sandling Junction was "between Ashford and Folkestone, once the junction for the Hythe and Sandgate branch.  A favourite spot for railway photographers in those days." DV comments: 10 L12s were transferred to the Eastern Section and worked between London and Deal until the L1s arrived in 1926. The L12s were then used elsewhere on the Eastern and Central Sections until returned to the Western Section in WW2.

56. Rear says "Down Bournemouth". Note electrified 3rd rail.

57. Rear says "Down Salisbury 423B". Another L12. DV says: the power class should be E not B. The train is formed with one 4 plus van set and two loose coaches. Geoff Smith says: 57 : Clapham Cutting, Heathfield Road bridge, with Trinity Road in the background. 

58. Rear says "Down Pullman Ltd (Brighton)  304 H.6. Funnel cut down". 304 was a T9 (Greyhound type). Geoff: 58 : "... July 1930 ... Sunday Third Class Brighton Sunday Pullman near Hassocks", credited to Real Photographs in "The Drummond Greyhounds", Bradley.