SOUTHERN TIMES Thenewhistoryperiodicalforstudentsofthe SRBR(S)andpre-groupconstituents IssueNo3:Autumn2022
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Introduction/GuestEditorial‘MySouthernTimes’3
Droxfordpre-WW1.SeanBolan5
ThedemiseoftheLordNelsonclass7
Abnormalloadmovement:Sunday22January195620
TheDeptfordWharfBranch,Part 2.AlanPostlethwaite22 StephenTownroe’sColourArchive; theproductsofMrMaunsell(mostly)28
Ridingthe‘Rivers’37
FromtheArchives–SouthernSignalBoxes: Pt.2:SomePowerBoxexteriors46
TheLSWRA12class(The‘Jubilees’)52
TreasuresfromtheBluebellRailwayMuseum62
Southernallocations–EasternSection1934. Part2:Dover,Faversham,Gillingham,MaidstoneEast, MaidstoneWestandRamsgate65
ASurrey-SussexLine:HorshamtoGuildfordPart170 Abriefviewoftheelectric CentralandSouthEasternsections76
FromtheFootplate78
Contents
byNickStanbury
SOUTHERN TIMES
Top:Westartnotwithascrapview–althoughitsonearlymighthavebeen–butinsteadwiththeremainsofNo852 Sir WalterRaleigh outsideEastleighworksaftertherearportionoftheframeshadbeencutthroughandtheboilerremoved. ThiswastheenginethatreceivedthedirecthitthroughthecabfromanenemybombatNineElms.Suchdamagewould ordinarilyhaveseentheenginescrappedbuttheunreliablebehaviourofthenew‘MerchantNavy’classenginesmeant repairswereauthorised.TheclassthereforeenteredBritishRailwaysin1948serviceintact.
Bottom:No30856 LordStVincent freshfromoverhaulatEastleighinSeptember1960–destinedalsotobeitsfinalworks visit.Thisenginewouldsurviveafurthertwoyears.
6 SOUTHERNTIMES
Thedemiseofthe‘LordNelson’class
ThedeathknellfortheLordNelsonclass wasrungsomemilesawayfromtheirthen currenthauntsontheWesternSectionofthe SouthernRegionandmaybeeasilyidentified withPhase1andsubsequentlyPhase2ofthe KentCoastElectrification;respectivelyin1959 and1962.
Electrificationand/ordieselisationof passengerandfreightservicesontheEastern Sectionmeantsteamwouldnolongerhavea parttoplayandinconsequencetherewere bothmasswithdrawalsandsimilarlymass transfersofnowredundantsteamstocktothe onlyareawheresteamremaineddominant; thelinesoutofWaterloo.
Hereisnottheplacetodebatewhatwerein somecaseslittlemorethan‘papertransfers’. ‘MotivePower’ontheWesternsection certainlywillingtotakeovermodern locomotivesbuttheyhadlittleuseforthe multitudeofformerSECRandSouthern4-4-0 and0-6-0tenderenginessimilarlynowwithno workavailabletothem.TheSEsectionhad alsooperatedanumberofBulleidand Standard5typesandthesewerewillingly acceptedandsimilarlycascadedontothe WesternSectionlines.
StephenTownroeinhis1973work‘The Arthurs,Nelsons&SchoolsatWork’(IanAllan) aptlydescribeswhatfollows,‘…tothe accompanimentofpressurefromtheBritish RailwaysBoardtoreducethesteam locomotivefleet,the‘Arthurs’,‘Nelsons’and ‘Schools’werewithdrawnfromnormalservice attheendof1962’.(ElsewhereTownroe makesthepointitmightevenhavebeen consideredsurprisingtheLordNelsonclass survivedatallthepostwarcommensuratewith thebuildingofsomanyPacifics.)
Fornowweareconcernedhereonlywiththe LordNelsonclasswhereinroadsintotheir numbershadstartedinMay1961whenNo 30863waswithdrawn.
Priortothisall16oftheclasshadbeenbased atEastleigh,somesince1949althoughthe finalthree,includingNo30863,didnotarrive until1959.Havingallthemembersofone classbasedattheonedepotwasslightly unusualbuthadbeenattheinstigationof StephenTownroewhothenoccupiedthe positionofDistrictMotivePower Superintendentandwhoweknowwaswithout doubtaMaunsellfan.(Pre-war,11hadalso beenbasedatBatterseaforEasternSection workings.)
Townroewascertainlynotanti-Bulleidbuthe wasapracticalmanonlytooawarethatona gooddayaBulleidPacificinitsoriginalform waswithoutequal,butthenextdayonthe sameduty,withthesametypeofcoalandwith thesamecrewitcouldbeatotallydifferent proposition.WithEastleighresponsibleforthe runningoftheUpBoattrainsfrom Southamptoninwhatweredeemed‘Q’paths (pathswithintheworkingtimetablewherean additionalservicemightbeslotted),itwas essentialtohaveathisdisposalanenginethat waspredictableandthusabletooperatesuch serviceswithoutcausingunduedelaytoother workings.
Townroethussecuredtheallocationofmost andeventuallyalltheclasstoEastleighand wherethemencouldalsonowbecomefamiliar withtheclassandthefiringmethodneededto copewithalongbutnarrowfirebox.Therewas anaddedissueforthefiremaninthatthegrate oftheLordNelsonwasflatforpartofitslength andthenslopeddownandforward. Consequentlyitwasalltooeasyfortoomuch –ortoolittlecoal–toendupeitheratthefront oronthelevelsection.Ineithercasesteaming wouldbequicklyaffectedandtheonly recoursewasjudicioususeofthefireirons, hardlyeasyonamovingtrain.Elsewhere 4-6-0srunningbothontheSouthernandon otherrailways/regionsneverseemedtobe regularlyplaguedwithsuchsteaming difficultieswhilstoneexampleofaclass havingagratesimilartothatoftheLord
7
StephenTownroe’s
ColourArchive; theproductsofMrMaunsell(mostly) Forthisissue’sinstalmentfromtheS.C. Townroearchivewehavetakenasour themetheproductsofMrMaunsell (mostly)withabriefadditionoftheworkof MrUrie.(Nexttimetheplanisforthe AdamsandDrummondclassestobe featured.) Above:InMay1951,No30851 SirFrancisDrake isrecordedatSouthamptonCentral.Unfortunatelywehavenotbeenable toascertainthedutyonthisoccasion.The‘273’ontheroutedisc–thelatterforBournemouthlineservices–isonly somethingwehavedetailsonfor1954bywhichtimeitwasaBRStandardClass4Portsmouth-Salisburyturnavoiding Southampton.Thepresenceofthetaillampcouldwellindicatetheenginehasevencomeoffatrainhereandisinthe sidingbeforerunninglightbacktoEastleigh–afteraboattraineven? Oppositetop:Pre-NationalisationdaysatWoking.No855 RobertBlake settingofftoheadwestonthefastlinewhichat thattimewasnotelectrified.Workadaygrimeprevails;enginecleaningnotperhapsalwayswhatwemightthinkitmight havebeenpre-1939. Oppositebottom:RoyaltraindutyforNo30864 SirMartinFrobisher inSouthamptonDocks;nodatebutveryearlyBR daysaswitnessthewordingonthetenderandapplegreenlivery–malachitewassurelybetter.Lastminutepreparations areinhandwithpresumablytheinspectorstandingalongsidethedriver. DownloadcopiesoftheSCTownroeimagesareavailableforprivateandcommercialuse. Pleaseenquirefordetails. 28
TheLSWRA12class(The‘Jubilees’)
Comparedwiththe35membersofthe G6classof0-6-0Ttankengineswe lookedatinthelastissue,thistimeweare dealingwithaclassof90engines,stilla six-wheeldesignbutnowafourcoupled tenderenginewithasinglecarryingaxle mountedattherearintheformofan 0-4-2;theLSWRA12design.Mountinga carryingaxlewithinarigidframerather thanatthefrontmightseemaslightly strangeidea,butnotquiteuniquein19th centurylocomotivedesignandhadthe addedadvantageofallowingmorespace forthefireboxandashpanattherear.(The 2-4-0tendertypewashowevermore commonplaceaswasthe0-4-2Ttank design.)
ThefirsttenenginesoftheA12design appearedintheGoldenJubileeyearof QueenVictoria,1887,andconsequently theytooktheunofficialtitleofthe‘Jubilee’ class;evensononeborenames.
TheA12classhadcomeaboutaftera recognisedneedforwhatwasineffecta mixed-trafficlocomotivehavingawide routeavailability.(Thissamerequirement wastheholygrailofsomanydesignersin thesteamage–includingofcourseone ‘MrBulleid’,butIthinkwehavesaid enoughaboutMrB’ssupposedchoicefor now!)
Thusitwasthaton23June1886the LocomotiveSuperintendent,MrAdams, receivedpermissiontoproceedwithhis newdesign,an0-4-2mixedtraffictender enginehavingaweightofjust42tonsand withitalmostcompleterouteavailability. Twentywereordered,tobebuiltatNine Elmsatacostof£1,630each.Delivery commencedinMay1887andthelastof whatwastobethefirstbatchtooktothe railsinJune1888.Theyweregiventhe numbers527throughto546.Thirtyfurther engineswereconstructedatNineElms andanother40byNeilsonandCo.,Nine Elmshavinginsufficientcapacityto completethefullbatch.Thefinaltotalwas
90,thelastenteringserviceinMay1895. Numberserieswasfrom527to556and 597to656.Ordernumberswere,‘A12’, ‘E1’,‘M2’,‘O4’,and‘K6’althoughthey werecollectivelyreferredtoas‘A12’and ofcourse‘Jubilees’.
Beingbuiltoveraneight-yearperiodthere werevariousmodificationsmadebasedon experienceintrafficandalsoforvarying requirements.Thesevariationsincluded tendertype;1,950to3,300gallonwater capacity,reversing;screw/pole,cylinder valveposition,chimneys,brakingvacuum orvacuumplusWestinghouse,blastpipe dimensions,andweightdistribution.
Theclasswerepopularandwellusedfor thetypeoftrafficintended,the Westinghousefittedenginesfinding employmentonthroughworkingstoand fromtheSECRandLBSCRsystems, consequentlytheseengineswerebasedat NineElms,StrawberryHill,Guildfordand Fratton.Otherwisetheymightbeseen workinganywhereontheSouthWestern systemandwereoftenpreferredbydrivers tooneofthenewerDrummond4-4-0 types;thelattermorecoalhungryand consequentlyaffectingthepaypacketof thedriversofthedaywhowerepaidacoal bonusbasedonhowlittlefueltheymight use.
Bradleyreportsbutwithoutdetailed elaboration,howsooninto1915 ‘…refrigeratedmeatvantrains…’started torunfromtheportsofLiverpooland Bristoldestinedforshipmenttothe WesternFrontSupplyDepots.These wouldrequireanenginechangeat Salisbury,BasingstokeandWillesden,the lastnamedoftenroutedviaAltonsoasto avoidcongestiononthemainline.Whatis notstatedishowsucha‘….heavy….’train mightthushavefared‘OvertheAlps’-the steepgradientsouthofAltonasfaras MedsteadandFourMarks.
Theclasswasintactatthetimeofthe SouthernRailwaytakeoverin1923andall
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Officialdrawingof‘A12’(OrderNo‘O4’),Nos597to656,builtfrom1893
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