The LSWR S15 class is a British 2-
cylinder
A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base.
A cylinder may also be defined as an infin ...
4-6-0
A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the abse ...
freight
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 ...
designed by
Robert W. Urie, based on his
H15 class and
N15 class locomotives. The class had a complex build history, spanning several years of construction from 1920 to 1936. The first examples were constructed for the
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exeter ...
(LSWR), where they hauled freight trains to the south coast ports and further west to
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
, as well as occasional passenger work in conjunction with their larger-wheeled N15 class counterparts.
Following the
Grouping of railway companies in 1923, the LSWR became part of the
Southern Railway, and the
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 locomotive ...
(CME) of the newly formed company,
Richard Maunsell
Richard Edward Lloyd Maunsell (pronounced "Mansell") (26 May 1868 – 7 March 1944) held the post of chief mechanical engineer (CME) of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway from 1913 until the 1923 Grouping and then the post of CME of the ...
, increased the S15 class strength to 45 locomotives. Maunsell incorporated several improvements, notably to the steam circuit and the locomotive's
loading gauge
A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and ke ...
, allowing it to operate on routes with height and width restrictions.
The new locomotives were built in three batches at
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.
The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...
, and were in service with the Southern Railway for 14 years. The locomotives continued in operation with the
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948 until 1992 when railways were re-privatised. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s. The region covered south London, southern England and the sout ...
until 1966. Seven examples have been preserved for use on heritage railways, and are currently in varying states of repair. These locomotives were given the nickname "Goods Arthurs" due to their similar appearance to the N15 Class locomotives.
Background
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the LSWR management wished to address the requirement for a modern, standard heavy
freight
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including transp ...
locomotive to work from
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
's freight yards to the southwest of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
As the LSWR lacked existing freight designs capable of undertaking this task, a new design was needed to serve the south coast ports of
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
,
Weymouth and
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. The design was also to power traffic including milk trains, which required fast transit to the dairies in London.
[Russell (1991). p. 257.] Robert Urie used this opportunity to develop his recent H15 class design further, applying the 4-6-0 locomotive concept to a purpose-built freight design built to order number S15. It was this order number that gave the class the name "S15".
[Clarke (April 2008). p. 48.]
Construction history
The S15 class were all built by
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
LSWR
The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) opened a carriage and wagon works at Eas ...
in three discrete batches between February 1920 and December 1936.
First batch – Urie 1920–21
This was the third design by Robert Urie for the LSWR. The outline was made during the First World War, and incorporated lessons learned from the operation of his H15 class, a design that was to provide the basis for future standardisation on the LSWR.
[Bradley (1987). Section "S15 class".] To economise on maintenance, the S15 class had interchangeable components that could be used on a similar design, the N15 class passenger locomotive, which had the same overall appearance.
Details such as the
boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...
, the
two-cylinders and
valve gear
The valve gear of a steam engine is the mechanism that operates the inlet and exhaust valves to admit steam into the cylinder and allow exhaust steam to escape, respectively, at the correct points in the cycle. It can also serve as a reversing g ...
were standardised between the classes, although a taper boiler was used on the S15 and N15 classes, as opposed to the parallel boiler of the H15 class.
[Clarke (April 2008). p. 49.] The only other major difference was the smaller diameter of the driving wheels.
[Russell (1991). pp. 257–260.] Smaller diameter wheels gave better
traction, essential for a fast freight locomotive.
By May 1921 sixteen were in service, and were mostly allocated to the London area, including the new marshalling yard at
Feltham
Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party MPs ...
.
Despite being mechanically sound, changes were made to Urie's original design after the
Grouping of railway companies in 1923.
Urie retired as Locomotive Superintendent when the LSWR was amalgamated into the Southern Railway in 1923. Richard Maunsell was given the newly created post of CME to the Southern Railway, and decided to revise the cylinder arrangement of the locomotive. In doing so, he delayed the construction of further locomotives until the modifications had been made.
[Russell (1991). p. 293.] When the modifications were trialled in service, it became evident amongst locomotive crews that Maunsell had taken a sound design and made it better, achieving a consistent locomotive capable of undertaking all the tasks for which it was intended.
With the successful implementation of the modifications, permission was given by the management of the Southern Railway for a second batch of locomotives to be constructed.
In November 1941, during World War II, Nos. 496-499 were loaned to the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
to assist with increased freight traffic on that railway. They were returned to the SR between March and July 1943.
Second batch – Maunsell 1927–28
Maunsell's modifications included increasing the boiler pressure from to , and the reduction of the cylinder bore by half an inch.
[Haresnape (1977). Section "S15 class".] The
footplate
A footplate provides the structure on which a locomotive driver and fireman stand in the cab to operate a British or continental European steam locomotive. It comprises a large metal plate that rests on top of the locomotive frame, usually it is ...
was also modified for operation on the Southern's new composite
loading gauge
A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and ke ...
, and differed from previous batches in having the Ashford-style cab, which was usually fitted to
LBSCR
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR; known also as the Brighton line, the Brighton Railway or the Brighton) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its ...
locomotives.
[ Unlike the original Drummond cab that was also favoured by Urie, the Ashford-style cab was of an all-]steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
construction and had a roof that was flush with the cab sides. It was inspired by the standard cab developed in 1904 by R. M. Deeley for the Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...
, and was one of a number of Midland features introduced by Maunsell's chief draughtsman James Clayton, who transferred to Ashford Works
Ashford railway works was in the town of Ashford in the county of Kent in England.
History South Eastern Railway
Ashford locomotive works was built by the South Eastern Railway on a new site in 1847, replacing an earlier locomotive repair faci ...
in 1914 from the Midland Railway. Variants of this cab became standard for all new Southern Railway locomotives and converted tank engines
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locomo ...
.
Other modifications included the lengthening of valve travel, and fitting larger outside steam pipes to streamline the flow of steam into the cylinders.[Russell (1991). p. 294.] Fifteen locomotives of this revised design were built in 1927, and some were given six-wheeled tenders for use on the Southern Railway's Central section. This allowed the locomotive to be turned on the shorter turntables found on this part of the network. From new, the rest of the class was equipped with the Urie eight-wheel bogie tender, which allowed the class to operate on the extended freight routes of the Southern Railway's Western section.[Russell (1991). p. 296.] The standardisation measures undertaken by both Urie and Maunsell were soon vindicated by the fact that tenders and other parts were swapped with those of other classes on the Southern Railway when locomotives were under overhaul.
Third batch – Maunsell 1936
The benefits gained by Maunsell's modifications showed in the improved performance of the first batch of Maunsell S15s over their Urie-built predecessors. A third batch was ordered in 1931, coinciding with a downturn in the volume of freight due to the economic depression
An economic depression is a period of carried long-term economical downturn that is result of lowered economic activity in one major or more national economies. Economic depression maybe related to one specific country were there is some economic ...
. This meant that the last of the S15 class was not completed until 1936, although weight-saving modifications were undertaken to this batch. A final modification was also applied to the class at this time, when all locomotives were equipped with smoke deflectors
Smoke deflectors, sometimes called "blinkers" in the UK because of their strong resemblance to the blinkers used on horses, and "elephant ears" in US railway slang, are vertical plates attached to each side of the smokebox at the front of a ste ...
to improve visibility from the footplate when travelling at speed.[Russell (1991). p. 383.] This modification was a feature that became common to most Maunsell-influenced designs.
Operational details
After modification by Maunsell, the S15 class was regarded by locomotive crews as an excellent goods engine best known for working heavy night express goods trains between Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
, Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and Nine Elms. The S15s were also very capable passenger engines, being able to deputise in situations where there was a shortage of passenger locomotives during peak holiday periods. Both Urie and Maunsell S15s spent most of their working lives on the Southern Railway's Western section, although they were sometimes used on inter-regional freights.[Russell (1991). p. 382.] In order to increase maintenance efficiency, all Urie S15 locomotives (which had the lower boiler pressure) were concentrated at the Southern Railway's London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
freight depot at Feltham.[Russell (1991). p. 295.] This yard also featured the Maunsell S15s, which were allocated to Exmouth Junction
Exmouth Junction is the railway junction where the Exmouth branch line diverges from the London Waterloo to Exeter main line in Exeter, Devon, England. It was for many years the location for one of the largest engine sheds in the former Lo ...
, Hither Green
Hither Green is a district in south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Lewisham. It forms the southern part of Lewisham, 6.6 miles (10.6 km) south-east of Charing Cross, and on the Prime Meridian.
Growing extensively with ...
and Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
, demonstrating the "go anywhere" nature of the class. Despite the design being only a year newer, the S15s outlasted their N15 King Arthur class counterparts because of their dual freight/passenger abilities, though they were retired between 1962 and 1966 as part of the British Railways Modernisation Plan. Maunsell S15 number 30837 became the final member of the class in operation, returning to Feltham in January 1966 to work a farewell rail tour.
Accidents and incidents
*In the summer of 1946, locomotive No. 502 was hauling a freight train that overran signals and was derailed by trap points at Wallers Ash, Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
.
Preservation
Seven S15s have been preserved, two Urie examples and five by Maunsell, which can be seen at several heritage railways around the country. All the surviving members of the class were purchased from Woodham Brothers
Woodham Brothers Ltd is a trading business, based mainly around activities and premises located within Barry Docks, in Barry, Wales, Barry, South Wales. It is noted globally for its 1960s activity as a scrapyard (hence its colloquial name of Bar ...
scrapyard
A wrecking yard (Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian English), scrapyard (Irish, British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and ...
in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
Barry ( cy, Y Barri; ) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, on the north coast of the Bristol Channel approximately south-southwest of Cardiff. Barry is a seaside resort, with attractions including several beaches and the resurrected Bar ...
, South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
. Currently only 499 and 830 have yet to steam in preservation. Of the five others that have run in preservation 825, 828 and 841 have all operated on the main line at certain points, though 825 has only run between Grosmont & Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...
.
Livery and numbering
LSWR and Southern Railway
Under LSWR ownership the S15s were painted in the late LSWR dark Holly Green livery, with the same black and light green lining applied to most of the LSWR's freight designs. Gilt lettering and numbering was located on the tender and cabside respectively.[Swift (2006). p. 50.] The initials "LSWR" were located on the tender.
The first Southern Railway livery continued that of the LSWR, but with the number displayed on the tender. However from 1925, a darker Olive-type green was substituted, and the entire class was so painted.
Wheels were green with black tyres, and the cabside numbers were replaced by a cast oval plate with "Southern Railway" around the edge and the number in the centre. Primrose Yellow "Southern" and locomotive number transfers were placed on the tender tank. From 1927, the Maunsell locomotives were given black livery with green lining, and remained in that guise with little modification until nationalisation.
The only slight livery modification occurred before the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, when Oliver Bulleid
Oliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 September 1882 – 25 April 1970) was a British railway and mechanical engineer best known as the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Southern Railway ( ...
introduced the "Sunshine Yellow" lettering and numbering. A further modification was the application of a green shaded "Sunshine" lettering during the war. This was finally reverted to "Sunshine Yellow" lettering and numbering after the war.[Swift (2006). p. 56.] Nos. 496–515 were built between 1919 and 1921, and Nos. 823–837 were delivered from Eastleigh during 1927 and 1928 and a further ten, No.838–847, were authorised in 1931.
British Railways
After a period in British Railways
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
transitional livery the entire class was painted in British Railways Goods Black livery with no lining, the numbering located on the cabsides and the British Railways crest on the tender sides.[Longworth (2005). Section "Southern Locomotives".] Numbering was initially as per Southern Railway with an "s" prefix, but the locomotives were eventually re-numbered under the British Railways standard numbering system according to batch. They were numbered in the series of 30496–30515 for the Urie batch, 30823–30837 for the second batch, and 30838–30847 for the third.[Ian Allan ABC (1958–59). "S15".]
References
Notes
Bibliography
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Further reading
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External links
Urie/Maunsell S15 class 4-6-0
''Southern E-Group''
Class S15 Details
at ''Rail UK''
{{Good article
S15
4-6-0 locomotives
S15
Railway locomotives introduced in 1920
Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain
Freight locomotives
2′C h2 locomotives