The LSWR G6 class was an
0-6-0T tank locomotive designed by
William Adams 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 ...
.
Background
The late nineteenth century was a troubled period for the LSWR due to frequent motive power shortages brought about by employing a collection of ageing locomotives in an era of increasing rail traffic. There was a need to supplement this fleet with a new class of locomotive design that could undertake the mundane task of shunting in goods yards around the LSWR network.
In 1893, the LSWR tasked their Locomotive Superintendent, William Adams, to solve this requirement for additional motive power.
[Bradley, D.L. (1985).] A new class of yard shunters was required to supplement the railway's current stock of 0-6-0Ts, which dated from 1881 and had been constructed by
Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson, it traded from 1854 until 1966. The company exported locomotives, ...
.
Therefore, a need for a compact freight design was highlighted, with the G6 being the resultant locomotive class.
Construction history
The new design was designated the Class G6 by Adams, who intended the class to be an 0-6-0 version of his
O2 class passenger locomotives.
[Morrison & Whitely (1989).] The wheel arrangement was ideal for the tight curves and traction needed in shunting activities, with the shorter wheelbase helping to solve both these concerns. The G6 represented the only 0-6-0 design undertaken by Adams, with the resultant locomotive being a highly compact design.
Construction of the class began in 1893, and was undertaken in-house by the LSWR at
Nine Elms works in
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 ...
, with an initial batch of ten locomotives being constructed. The boiler also betrayed the pairing with the O2 Class because it was the same for standardisation purposes.
Four further locomotives were constructed in 1896 as replacements for the
B4 class 0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were ...
T dock shunters at Southampton Docks due to their increased coal and water capacity and enhanced power.
This proved to be one of Adams's last deeds on the LSWR, as he retired to be replaced by
Dugald Drummond
Dugald Drummond (1 January 1840 – 8 November 1912) was a Scottish steam locomotive engineer. He had a career with the North British Railway, LB&SCR, Caledonian Railway and London and South Western Railway. He was the older brother of the eng ...
.
Drummond authorised a further batch of ten locomotives during the period 1897 to 1898 after being impressed with the performance of the class. A further, and final, batch of ten was ordered in 1900.
However, both of these batches differed from the original ten because they utilised the boilers of Beattie
Well tanks and other withdrawn locomotives.
Very few modifications were undertaken during their working careers, with only the Adams stovepipe chimney being replaced by a Drummond lipped example, whilst vacuum brakes were also eventually implemented.
Livery and numbering
LSWR and Southern
Under LSWR ownership, the G6s were outshopped in the LSWR dark Holly Green livery, with black and light green lining, which was applied to most freight designs of the LSWR. Gilt lettering and numbering was located on the water tank sides and cabside respectively, with the letters 'LSW.'
[Swift (2006).]
Post-1948 (nationalisation)
The class as inherited by
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 ...
retained the Southern livery for a short period. As overhauls took place, the class began to be turned out in unlined BR Freight Black livery.
However, only ten locomotives were to see this livery, as several members were withdrawn from service and scrapped. The BR crest was placed upon the water tank sides, with the number cabside.
Due to the confused nature of the original LSWR and subsequent SR numbering systems, the class was spread across several numbering bands in the BR 30xxx series. BR inherited 32 locomotives: 30160, 30162, 30257 to 30279, and 30348, 30349.
However, after the mass withdrawal of 1951, only 30160, 30162, 30237, 30258, 30260, 30266, 30270, 30274, 30279 and 30349 remained to receive the new livery.
Operational details
The G6 Class was a highly localised, though useful, locomotive design that very rarely ventured off the LSWR network, even in service with the
Southern Railway. The only exception was the transfer of a single example to Reading freight yard in 1941 to assist with the GWR's shortage of motive power during 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 ...
.
As the war progressed, a second member of the class was also transferred here and provided sterling service.
The class was highly successful in undertaking the tasks they were designed for, and were respected by their crews. They rarely undertook passenger work, though they did undertake
banking
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
duties between
Exeter St Davids and
Exeter Central on occasion, until
Stroudley E1/R 0-6-2Ts took on this task in 1933.
After
Nationalisation
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
, two members of the class eventually found their way into departmental service, both being allocated to
Meldon Quarry
Meldon Quarry is a granite quarry in Devon, England. It is at the northern edge of Dartmoor, about 2 miles SW of Okehampton. It was developed from 1897 to supply track ballast and other stone products for the London and South Western Railway (LSW ...
in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
. The first to undertake this role was number 30272 in June 1950, being renumbered DS3152. When this example was withdrawn in 1960, 30238 replaced DS3152 under the new number of DS682.
[Longworth (2005).]
Withdrawal
The first withdrawal was number 348 in August 1948, followed by a larger number of 22 by the end of 1951.
The final survivor was a 64-year-old example, number 30238, though this locomotive was one of the last to be withdrawn as part of the Modernisation Plan in late 1962.
None of these useful locomotives have survived into preservation.
References
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{{SR Locomotives
G06
0-6-0T locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1894
Scrapped locomotives
Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain