The LCDR M class was a class of

4-4-0 4-4-0 is a locomotive type with a classification that uses the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement and represents the arrangement: four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four po ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s of the

London, Chatham and Dover Railway The London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR or LC&DR) was a railway company in south-eastern England created on 1 August 1859, when the East Kent Railway was given parliamentary approval to change its name. Its lines ran through London and nor ...

. The class was designed by William Kirtley and introduced in 1877, intended for the heaviest express services between London and Dover.

History

William Kirtley took over as locomotive superintendent of the railway following the death of

William Martley William Martley (4 January 1824 – 6 February 1874) was the locomotive superintendent of the London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) in England from 1860 until his death. Biography William was born in Ballyfallon, in County Meath, Ireland, in 1 ...

in 1874. Martley's Europa class 2-4-0 were performing well on the lightly loaded Dover-Flushing

boat train A boat train is a passenger train operating to a port for the specific purpose of making connection with a passenger ship, such as a ferry, ocean liner, or cruise ship. Through ticketing is normally available. __NOTOC__ Notable named boat trains ...

s but a larger engine was required for some of the heavier services on the main line. Kirtley therefore designed a

for this purpose. The six locomotives were built by

Neilson and Company Neilson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland. The company was started in 1836 at McAlpine Street by Walter Neilson and James Mitchell to manufacture marine and stationary engines. In 1837 the firm moved to Hyde Park ...

of Glasgow and introduced during June and July 1877. They proved to be successful for these tasks and were only superseded on the heaviest trains by the larger M3 class The locomotives passed to the

South Eastern and Chatham Railway The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee (SE&CRCJMC),Awdry (1990), page 199 known as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR), was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Easter ...

in 1899 and were considered to be sufficiently useful to be worth re-boilering between 1899 and 1903. The class began to be withdrawn and scrapped from 1911.

References

* {{SECR locomotives M 4-4-0 locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1877 Scrapped locomotives Neilson locomotives Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain