SR V class
SR V "Schools" class | |
---|---|
standard gauge | |
Leading dia. | 3 ft 1 in (0.940 m) |
Driver dia. | 6 ft 7 in (2.007 m) |
Length | 58 ft 9+3⁄4 in (17.93 m) |
Width | 8 ft 6+1⁄2 in (2.60 m) |
Height | 13 ft 0 in (3.96 m) |
Axle load | 21.0 long tons (21.3 t; 23.5 short tons) |
Loco weight | 67.1 long tons (68.2 t; 75.2 short tons) |
Tender weight | 42.4 long tons (43.1 t; 47.5 short tons) |
Total weight | 109.5 long tons (111.3 t; 122.6 short tons) |
Fuel type | Coal |
Fuel capacity | 5 long tons (5.1 t; 5.6 short tons) |
Water cap. | 4,000 imp gal (18,000 L; 4,800 US gal) |
Firebox: | |
• Grate area | 28.3 sq ft (2.63 m2) |
Boiler pressure | 220 psi (1.52 MPa) |
Cylinders | Three |
Cylinder size | 16.5 in × 26 in (419 mm × 660 mm) |
Performance figures | |
---|---|
Tractive effort | 25,130 lbf (111.8 kN) |
Career | |
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Operators | |
Class | SR: V |
Power class | BR: 5P |
Numbers |
|
Locale | Southern Region |
Withdrawn | 1961–1962 |
Disposition | Three preserved, remainder scrapped |
The SR V class, more commonly known as the Schools class, is a class of steam locomotive designed by Richard Maunsell for the Southern Railway. The class was a cut down version of his Lord Nelson class but also incorporated components from Urie and Maunsell's LSWR/SR King Arthur class. It was the last locomotive in Britain to be designed with a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement, and was the most powerful class of 4-4-0 ever produced in Europe. All 40 of the class were named after English public schools, and were designed to provide a powerful class of intermediate express passenger locomotive on semi-fast services for lines which could cope with high axle loads but some of which had short turntables.
Because they used a King Arthur firebox, rather than the square-topped Belpaire firebox used on the Lord Nelsons, the class could be used on lines with a restricted loading gauge and some of the best performance by the class was on the heavily restricted Tonbridge to Hastings line. The locomotives performed well from the beginning but were subject to various minor modifications to improve their performance over the years. The class operated until 1961 when mass withdrawals took place and all had gone by December 1962. Three examples are now preserved on heritage railways in Britain.
Background
By 1928, the Southern Railway was well served by large 4-6-0 express passenger locomotives, but there was an urgent need for a class to fulfill intermediate roles throughout the system. Maunsell’s previous attempt at developing his predecessor’s L class for this task had proven a disappointment, and the Drummond D15 and L12 classes were approaching the end of their useful lives on these services.[1] An entirely new secondary express passenger locomotive was required to operate over the main lines throughout the system, including those that had relatively short turntables.
Design
Maunsell’s original plan was to use large-wheeled
Construction history
The basic layout of the class was influenced by the existing ‘’Lord Nelson’’ class 4-6-0 design, but the use of the round topped firebox enabled Maunsell to design the cab's curved profile to fit the gauge restrictions of the Hastings line while allowing adequate forward visibility.
Permission was granted for the first batch of fifteen locomotives in March 1928, but this was reduced to ten when it became apparent that they would not immediately be able to operate on the Hastings route. Production delays at
Naming the locomotives
- For location details and current status of the preserved locomotives including surviving artifacts of scrapped class members, see: List of SR V "Schools" class locomotives
The Southern Railway continued its 1923 naming policy for express passenger locomotives with this class.[3] As several public schools were located on the Southern Railway network, the locomotives were named after them.[11] This was another marketing success for both railway and schools concerned, continuing in the tradition of the N15 King Arthur and Lord Nelson classes.[12]
Where possible, the Southern sent the newly constructed locomotive to a station near the school after which it was named for its official naming ceremony, when pupils were allowed to view the cab of "their" engine.
Modifications
The class performed well from the outset, but there were a number of minor modifications over the years. The first ten were built without
Operational use
The original ten locomotives were shared between
Achievements
The class was frequently regarded by locomotive crews as the finest constructed by the Southern Railway up to 1930, and could turn in highly spectacular performances for its size.
The footplate crews regarded them so highly that more of the class were constructed for other parts of the network, although the electrification of the Southern's Eastern Section meant that they were dispersed from their original working grounds.[19]
Withdrawal
The introduction of British Rail Class 201 diesel-electric multiple units to the Hastings route after 1957 and the completion of the electrification of the South Eastern Main Line in 1961 deprived the class of much of their work. Withdrawals began in January 1961 and the whole class had disappeared from service by December 1962.
Accidents and incidents
- On 11 May 1941, locomotive No. 934 St. Lawrence was severely damaged at Cannon Street station, London in a Luftwaffe air raid.[21]
- On 16 March 1949, locomotive 30932 Blundells was derailed at Paddock Wood, Kent.[22]
Livery and numbering
Southern Railway
Post-1948 (nationalisation)
Initial livery after nationalisation in 1948 was modified Southern Railway malachite green and sunshine yellow with '
Preservation
Three members of the class have been preserved and all three have run in preservation, with Nos. 30925 and 30926 also running at certain points on the mainline.
Number (Current in Bold) | Name | Built | Withdrawn | Service Life | Location | Owners | Livery | Condition | Mainline Certified | Photograph | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SR | BR | |||||||||||
925 | 30925 | Cheltenham | Apr. 1934 | Dec. 1962 | 28 Years, 8 months | Mid Hants Railway | National Collection
|
BR Green | Awaiting overhaul, boiler ticket expired in 2022 | No | Appeared at Rocket 150 event in May 1980 | |
926 | 30926 | Repton | May 1934 | Dec. 1962 | 28 Years, 8 months | North Yorkshire Moors Railway | North Yorkshire Moors Railway | SR Olive Green | Operational, boiler ticket expires in 2027. | Yes (Grosmont to Whitby and Whitby to Battersby only, 2017 - 2024) | Returned to steam in 2017 after a 5-year overhaul. | |
928 | 30928 | Stowe | Jun. 1934 | Nov. 1962 | 28 Years, 7 months | Bluebell Railway | Maunsell Locomotive Society | N/A (will be SR Olive green) | Under overhaul | No | Last operational 1990/1991 |
- 925, Cheltenham, is part of the National Railway Collection.[12] Currently at the Mid Hants having undergone overhaul by a team from the Mid Hants Railway (led by Chris Smith) at Eastleigh Works. On completion, the locomotive featured at Railfest in June 2012 and then returned to the Mid Hants (on 26/28 June) where it will be based on long-term loan from the NRM. It joins fellow Maunsell Southern Railway engine Lord Nelson Class No. 850 Lord Nelson. In 1980, it took part in the Rocket 150 celabrations and later the parade at Rainhill on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The engine travelled to and from the event on the mainline under its own power.
- 926, Repton, is owned by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. It was completed in May 1934 and entered service on the Bournemouth route, with some time operating between Waterloo and Portsmouth before that line was electrified. It was the last of the class to be overhauled by British Railways in October 1960, so was considered an excellent choice for preservation. In December 1962, the engine was withdrawn from service, and it was purchased for preservation in the United States, later being donated to Steamtown, U.S.A. in Bellows Falls, Vermont by the purchaser. It was cosmetically overhauled at Eastleigh in 1966 before being shipped across the Atlantic.[29] Steamtown loaned the engine to the Cape Breton Steam Railway in Canada, where it operated a regular passenger service. In 1989 it was sold again, and returned to the UK to the NYMR, where it was again overhauled and found to be in good condition. Recently returned to service following an overhaul. 30926 has also operated on the mainline between Whitby and Grosmont with occasional visits to Battersby.
- 928 Stowe, was built in 1934 at a cost of £5,000 by the Eastleigh locomotive works of the Southern Railway. It recorded more than a million miles of passenger service operation during 28 years of Southern main line use. It was purchased from British Railways for Lord Montagu's National Motor Museum on withdrawal in 1962; its road delivery to Beaulieu was covered for a Look at Life documentary episode, Turn of the Wheel. After standing in the open for some years, it was moved to the East Somerset Railway in 1973, and then to the Bluebell Railway where it was put into running order by the Maunsell Locomotive Society, entering service in 1981. It ran for the length of its ten-year boiler ticket and was withdrawn from service in 1991.[20] 'Stowe' was purchased by the MLS from Lord Montagu in September 2000, thus securing its future at the Bluebell. The purchase was funded in part by the sale of S15 class no. 830, which subsequently moved to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway where it awaits restoration to working order. In 2003 the tender was completely rebuilt, with a brand new tank being built. 'Stowe' is now undergoing a full overhaul to working order, with funds being raised through the Bluebell's 'Keep Up The Pressure' campaign.[30]
Models
The erstwhile
Hornby Railways produce a super-detail and a cheaper railroad version based on their old tender drive OO gauge model of the Schools Class. Hornby also produced an O Gauge model of Eton in 1937, with both clockwork and electric versions being available.
Gladiator Models (Britain) Makes an O gauge (7 mm) photo etched brass kit with cast brass and white metal details.
Mettoy produced an O Gauge clockwork model of the Eton 900.
Dapol produce an N gauge model Schools with several name versions.
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d Bradley 1975, p. 25.
- ^ Winkworth 1982, pp. 30–31.
- ^ a b c Townroe 1973, "Schools class".
- ^ Swift 2007, pp. 10–12.
- ^ Scott-Morgan 2002, p. 57.
- ^ Swift 2007, p. 10.
- ^ Swift 2007, p. 11.
- ^ Swift 2007, p. 54.
- ^ Swift 2007, p. 13.
- ^ Bradley 1975, p. 26-27.
- ^ Swift 2007, p. 78.
- ^ a b c d Herring 2000, pp. 124–125.
- ^ Swift 2007, pp. 78–79.
- ^ Bradley 1975, p. 27.
- ^ Swift 2007, p. 22.
- ^ Bradley 1975, p. 32.
- ^ Bradley 1975, pp. 26–35.
- ^ Swift 2007, p. 35.
- ^ a b Haresnape 1977, "Schools class V".
- ^ a b "Profile of Schools Class No.928 "Stowe"". Maunsell Locomotive Society. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ Earnshaw 1993, p. 20.
- ^ "Old Tonbridge in pictures: Railways (local area)". Tonbridge History Society. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ Swift 2007, pp. 38–40.
- ^ a b Scott-Morgan 2002, p. 56.
- ^ a b Swift 2007, p. 40.
- ^ Swift 2007, p. 43.
- ^ Swift 2007, pp. 46–47.
- ^ Ian Allan ABC 1958–59
- ^ "NYMR Steam Locomotives". North Yorkshire Moors Railway. 2000. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2007. For information on Repton's post-British Railways history.
- ^ "Locos Currently Receiving Overhaul or Under Restoration: SR Schools-class, "Stowe"". Bluebell Railway. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ISBN 1-871608-90-2.
Bibliography
- Bradley, D.L. (1975). Locomotives of the Southern Railway. Part 1. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. ISBN 0-901115-30-4.
- Earnshaw, Alan (1993). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 8. Penryn: Atlantic Books. ISBN 0-906899-52-4.
- Haresnape, Brian (1977). Maunsell Locomotives - a pictorial history. Ian Allan Ltd.
- Herring, Peter (2000). "V ('Schools') Class". Classic British Steam Locomotives. London: Abbeydale Press. pp. 124–125. ISBN 1-86147-057-6.
- Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives (Winter 1958–59 ed.).
- Knight, Stephen (1999). Let's Stick Together: An Appreciation of Kitmaster and Airfix Railway Kits. Clopthill: Irwell Press. ISBN 1-871608-90-2.
- Scott-Morgan, John (2002). Maunsell Locomotives. Hinckley: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2872-9.
- Swift, Peter (2007). Maunsell 4-4-0 Schools Class. Locomotives in Detail. Vol. 6. Hinckley: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-3178-9.
- Townroe, S.C. (1973). 'Arthurs', 'Nelsons' & 'Schools' at work. London: Ian Allan.
- Winkworth, D.W. (1982). The Schools 4-4-0s. London: Allen & Unwin.
See also
External links
- Maunsell V "Schools" class 4-4-0 Southern E-Group
- Class V Details at Rail UK