LB&SCR K class
Encyclopedia
London Brighton and South Coast Railway Class K were powerful 2-6-0
mixed traffic locomotives designed by L. B. Billinton
for the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) in 1913. They appeared shortly before the First World War and the first ten examples of the class did prodigious work during that conflict on munitions and troop trains. Further examples were built after the war, and the class was used as a test bed for various items of specialised equipment. However, after the formation of the Southern Railway in 1923 the remaining three locomotives on order were not completed and the seventeen members of the class led relatively quiet yet reliable lives over their traditional lines. The locomotives proved their usefulness once again during the Second World War, and continued to provide reliable service until the 1960s. The entire class was eventually withdrawn in 1962 for 'bookkeeping' rather than 'operational' reasons.
. However, those it did have, had to be able to accelerate quickly from sidings and signals and maintain a good speed if they were not going to impede the intensive use of the lines for passenger traffic, particularly in the London suburbs. This issue became increasingly problematic after about 1910 as more and more suburban lines were electrified. The rebuilding of Robert Billinton's
C2 class
with larger boilers, by D.E. Marsh solved this problem for a few years, but traffic continued to grow and by 1913 these were occasionally being double-headed
. A larger and more powerful design was required for the heaviest freight trains, whilst there was also a continuing need for larger passenger locomotives, especially during the summer months. Lawson Billinton
therefore ordered from Brighton works
five powerful mixed-traffic locomotive
s which could cope with both types of load.
locomotives to run on the railway, and the first class to have a Belpaire firebox
. They were fitted with Robinson style superheater
s within a parallel boiler and two large inclined outside cylinders with Stephenson valve gear
. The boilers were fed by hot water injectors, operated by a Weir pump
, and surplus steam fed back to the tenders to preheat the water. The tenders were the largest of any LB&SCR locomotive with a capacity of 3940 gallons of water and 4 tons of coal. The class was also fitted with steam sanding and steam carriage heating equipment enabling them to be used on passenger trains.
The first two examples, numbers 337 and 338, appeared in traffic in September and December 1913, and were thoroughly tested at Brighton motive power depot
. Modifications were made to the suspension of the pony truck
and to the smokebox
layout before three further examples (nos. 339-341) with slightly larger smokeboxes were built between March and September 1914. The design was quickly judged to be successful, and a further five were ordered; but due to the difficulties of obtaining materials during World War I they did not appear in traffic until late 1916. The last two locomotives were fitted with Billinton's own 'top feed' system which provided a moderate increase in performance and so the remainder of the class was gradually fitted with the equipment as they passed through the workshops.
The original ten locomotives proved to be extremely useful during the First World War, hauling heavy munitions and military supply trains from the marshalling yard at Three Bridges
to Newhaven
or Littlehampton
harbours. Up to sixty supply trains a day were being handled by these two ports. Locomotives in the class were capable of hauling trains of up to 1,000 tons at 30-35 mph, but were equally useful when hauling troop trains. The railway would have liked to have added to their number, but wartime restrictions on locomotive building prevented this.
Billinton considered designing a 2-6-2
tank engine 'K2' or 'N' version after the war, but this idea was dropped following discussions with the railway's Civil Engineer
, who objected to the longer wheelbase
necessary, together with the discovery that the tank engine version would only be able to carry 2000 gallons of water. Therefore a further ten locomotives of the original design were ordered from Brighton works. Seven of these (nos. 347-353) appeared in traffic between December 1920 and March 1921. Progress on the remaining three locomotives was delayed due to the long backlog of repairs at Brighton works, and eventually a decision about their completion was deferred until after the imminent grouping
of the railways of southern England to form the Southern Railway
in January 1923. In the end they were never completed.
of No. 351 extended to fit a 'Lewis Draft Appliance', which was removed in 1927. In March 1922, nos. 341 and 342 were experimentally fitted with an early version of the Kylala
variable blastpipe
. One locomotive appeared to perform better as a result and the other worse, and so the experiment was discontinued. Between May 1922 and December 1923 No.340 had a Worthington-Simpson feed-water heater and pump. Finally, in February 1923 no. 341 was fitted with 'Lamberts wet sanding gear' but this equipment was removed in 1931 after it was found to cause additional wear on the driving wheels.
than the other main constituent companies. However, between 1929 and the summer of 1939 before all the members of the class were altered to the composite gauge by reducing the height of their chimneys, flattening the dome and reducing the cab roofs, as they passed through the works.
During the spring of 1924, the class was compared with other classes of heavy freight locomotives operated by the constituent companies. They were found to be capable and reliable but more expensive to run than the alternative Maunsell N and Urie S15 classes and so no more were built. This may have been a false economy since many of the 'N' class ultimately had to undergo expensive rebuilding of their frames and the replacement of their cylinders, whereas members of the 'K' class remained in sound working order throughout their working lives.
The seventeen examples spent most of their years working on both freight and passenger duties on their traditional routes, although there was less need for the latter following the electrification of the Brighton main line
in 1933. However, the class once again came into their own during the Second World War when they were again used on heavy freight and troop trains throughout the Southern Railway, especially in the lead up to the D-day landings in 1944.
equipment, and water treatment equipment. However, with the reduction in freight traffic they began to be also used on secondary services, (but also found some prestige passenger duties on the Newhaven
boat-trains, following the withdrawal of the 'Marsh Atlantics'
).
withdrawal programme. Most spent several months in store at Hove railway station
before being broken up, and at least one had to be briefly resurrected to help run breakdown trains during the severe Winter of 1962–1963. The early Bluebell Railway
had hoped to purchase one example for preservation, but could not afford to do so since the time when they were available coincided with the years when all money had to be channelled into the purchase of the freehold of the line.
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
mixed traffic locomotives designed by L. B. Billinton
L. B. Billinton
Lawson Boskovsky Billinton was the locomotive engineer of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from 1912 for ten years until his retirement in 1922....
for the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) in 1913. They appeared shortly before the First World War and the first ten examples of the class did prodigious work during that conflict on munitions and troop trains. Further examples were built after the war, and the class was used as a test bed for various items of specialised equipment. However, after the formation of the Southern Railway in 1923 the remaining three locomotives on order were not completed and the seventeen members of the class led relatively quiet yet reliable lives over their traditional lines. The locomotives proved their usefulness once again during the Second World War, and continued to provide reliable service until the 1960s. The entire class was eventually withdrawn in 1962 for 'bookkeeping' rather than 'operational' reasons.
Background
Due to the nature of its traffic, the LB&SCR had relatively limited need of heavy freight locomotivesFreight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
. However, those it did have, had to be able to accelerate quickly from sidings and signals and maintain a good speed if they were not going to impede the intensive use of the lines for passenger traffic, particularly in the London suburbs. This issue became increasingly problematic after about 1910 as more and more suburban lines were electrified. The rebuilding of Robert Billinton's
R. J. Billinton
Robert John Billinton was the Locomotive, Carriage, Wagon and Marine Superintendent of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from 1890 until his death.-Early career:...
C2 class
LB&SCR C2 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway C2 class was a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotives, intended for heavy freight trains. Fifty-five were built by the Vulcan Foundry between 1893 and 1902 to the design of Robert J. Billinton.-History:...
with larger boilers, by D.E. Marsh solved this problem for a few years, but traffic continued to grow and by 1913 these were occasionally being double-headed
Double-headed
Double-headed may refer to:* Double-headed eagle, common symbol in heraldry and vexillology* Double-heading, the use of at least two steam locomotives at the front of a train...
. A larger and more powerful design was required for the heaviest freight trains, whilst there was also a continuing need for larger passenger locomotives, especially during the summer months. Lawson Billinton
L. B. Billinton
Lawson Boskovsky Billinton was the locomotive engineer of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from 1912 for ten years until his retirement in 1922....
therefore ordered from Brighton works
Brighton railway works
Brighton railway works was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England, and thus pre-dating the more famous railway works at Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon...
five powerful mixed-traffic locomotive
Mixed-traffic locomotive
A mixed-traffic locomotive is one designed to be capable of hauling both passenger trains and freight trains. The term is mostly used in the United Kingdom and those nations following British practice...
s which could cope with both types of load.
Construction and use
The 'K' class were the first 2-6-02-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
locomotives to run on the railway, and the first class to have a Belpaire firebox
Belpaire firebox
The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...
. They were fitted with Robinson style superheater
Superheater
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam used for power generation or processes. There are three types of superheaters namely: radiant, convection, and separately fired...
s within a parallel boiler and two large inclined outside cylinders with Stephenson valve gear
Stephenson valve gear
The Stephenson valve gear or Stephenson link or shifting link is a simple design of valve gear that was widely used throughout the world for all kinds of steam engine. It is named after Robert Stephenson but was actually invented by his employees....
. The boilers were fed by hot water injectors, operated by a Weir pump
Weir Group
The Weir Group plc is an engineering company headquartered in East Kilbride, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
, and surplus steam fed back to the tenders to preheat the water. The tenders were the largest of any LB&SCR locomotive with a capacity of 3940 gallons of water and 4 tons of coal. The class was also fitted with steam sanding and steam carriage heating equipment enabling them to be used on passenger trains.
The first two examples, numbers 337 and 338, appeared in traffic in September and December 1913, and were thoroughly tested at Brighton motive power depot
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
. Modifications were made to the suspension of the pony truck
Pony truck
A pony truck, in railway terminology, is a leading truck with only two wheels.Its invention is generally credited to Levi Bissell, who devised one in 1857 and patented it the following year. Hence the term Bissel bogie or axle is used in continental Europe...
and to the smokebox
Smokebox
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a Steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is exhausted to the atmosphere through the chimney .To assist...
layout before three further examples (nos. 339-341) with slightly larger smokeboxes were built between March and September 1914. The design was quickly judged to be successful, and a further five were ordered; but due to the difficulties of obtaining materials during World War I they did not appear in traffic until late 1916. The last two locomotives were fitted with Billinton's own 'top feed' system which provided a moderate increase in performance and so the remainder of the class was gradually fitted with the equipment as they passed through the workshops.
The original ten locomotives proved to be extremely useful during the First World War, hauling heavy munitions and military supply trains from the marshalling yard at Three Bridges
Three Bridges railway station
Three Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
to Newhaven
Newhaven Harbour railway station
Newhaven Harbour Railway Station is one of two active stations serving Newhaven in East Sussex, England, the other being Newhaven Town. A third, Newhaven Marine, is legally open, but does not currently receive a passenger service due to safety concerns....
or Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
harbours. Up to sixty supply trains a day were being handled by these two ports. Locomotives in the class were capable of hauling trains of up to 1,000 tons at 30-35 mph, but were equally useful when hauling troop trains. The railway would have liked to have added to their number, but wartime restrictions on locomotive building prevented this.
Billinton considered designing a 2-6-2
2-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
tank engine 'K2' or 'N' version after the war, but this idea was dropped following discussions with the railway's Civil Engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, who objected to the longer wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
necessary, together with the discovery that the tank engine version would only be able to carry 2000 gallons of water. Therefore a further ten locomotives of the original design were ordered from Brighton works. Seven of these (nos. 347-353) appeared in traffic between December 1920 and March 1921. Progress on the remaining three locomotives was delayed due to the long backlog of repairs at Brighton works, and eventually a decision about their completion was deferred until after the imminent grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of the railways of southern England to form the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
in January 1923. In the end they were never completed.
Variants
During the last years of the LB&SCR Billinton used members of the class to test various items of specialised equipment, most of which later proved to give limited advantage in return for higher fuel consumption or maintenance costs. In April 1921 the smokeboxSmokebox
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a Steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is exhausted to the atmosphere through the chimney .To assist...
of No. 351 extended to fit a 'Lewis Draft Appliance', which was removed in 1927. In March 1922, nos. 341 and 342 were experimentally fitted with an early version of the Kylala
Kyösti Kylälä
Kyösti Kylälä was a Finnish Railroad engineer and self taught inventor, from Helsinki. In 1919 he patented in the UK an 'Improved means for increasing the draught in steam boilers, especially on locomotives.'...
variable blastpipe
Blastpipe
The blastpipe is part of the exhaust system of a steam locomotive that discharges exhaust steam from the cylinders into the smokebox beneath the chimney in order to increase the draught through the fire.- History :...
. One locomotive appeared to perform better as a result and the other worse, and so the experiment was discontinued. Between May 1922 and December 1923 No.340 had a Worthington-Simpson feed-water heater and pump. Finally, in February 1923 no. 341 was fitted with 'Lamberts wet sanding gear' but this equipment was removed in 1931 after it was found to cause additional wear on the driving wheels.
Post-grouping
The class were initially renumbered by means of adding the prefix, 'B' to the original number, and later by adding 2000 to the LB&SCR number. They spent the first six years of Southern Railway ownership largely restricted to the lines of the Central Section as the LB&SCR previously had a more generous loading gaugeLoading gauge
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
than the other main constituent companies. However, between 1929 and the summer of 1939 before all the members of the class were altered to the composite gauge by reducing the height of their chimneys, flattening the dome and reducing the cab roofs, as they passed through the works.
During the spring of 1924, the class was compared with other classes of heavy freight locomotives operated by the constituent companies. They were found to be capable and reliable but more expensive to run than the alternative Maunsell N and Urie S15 classes and so no more were built. This may have been a false economy since many of the 'N' class ultimately had to undergo expensive rebuilding of their frames and the replacement of their cylinders, whereas members of the 'K' class remained in sound working order throughout their working lives.
The seventeen examples spent most of their years working on both freight and passenger duties on their traditional routes, although there was less need for the latter following the electrification of the Brighton main line
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
in 1933. However, the class once again came into their own during the Second World War when they were again used on heavy freight and troop trains throughout the Southern Railway, especially in the lead up to the D-day landings in 1944.
British Railways
All of the class were still in good working order at the time of the nationalisation of the British Railways in 1948, and continued to be well maintained until the latter half of 1961. They were renumbered by adding 30,000 to the SR number. Between 1949 and 1953 the feedwater heating was replaced by cold water injection, for reasons of cost, but latterly many examples were fitted with Automatic Warning SystemAutomatic Warning System
The Automatic Warning System is a form of limited cab signalling and train protection system introduced in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help train drivers observe and obey signals. It was based on a 1930 system developed by Alfred Ernest Hudd and marketed as the "Strowger-Hudd" system...
equipment, and water treatment equipment. However, with the reduction in freight traffic they began to be also used on secondary services, (but also found some prestige passenger duties on the Newhaven
Newhaven Marine railway station
Newhaven Marine Railway Station is a station in Newhaven, East Sussex, England adjacent to Newhaven Harbour railway station. It is technically open, but has been closed to passenger train services since August 2006 due to safety concerns...
boat-trains, following the withdrawal of the 'Marsh Atlantics'
LB&SCR H2 class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway H2 class was a class of 4-4-2 steam locomotives for express passenger work. They were designed when D. E. Marsh was officially Locomotive Superintendent, and were built at Brighton Works in 1911 and 1912...
).
Withdrawal
The locomotives were all still providing good reliable service when the class was withdrawn en-bloc during November and December 1962, as part of an accountancy exercise to keep in line with the Southern Regions'Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
withdrawal programme. Most spent several months in store at Hove railway station
Hove railway station
Hove railway station is in Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. The station and the majority of trains serving it are operated by Southern. The only other operator is First Great Western, who provide a limited number of services each day to Wales and the West Country. However Gatwick Express...
before being broken up, and at least one had to be briefly resurrected to help run breakdown trains during the severe Winter of 1962–1963. The early Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
had hoped to purchase one example for preservation, but could not afford to do so since the time when they were available coincided with the years when all money had to be channelled into the purchase of the freehold of the line.
Model
Lawson Billinton considered the 'K' class to be his finest design, and during this retirement he constructed a one-sixth size working model from the original drawings. This was last sold in 2003 for a price in the £40-£50,000 rangeAssessment
Members of the 'K' class were probably the finest locomotives produced by the LB&SCR, but they never achieved the fame of the earlier passenger or tank engine classes of that railway and they had little impact on future Southern Railway locomotive design. It was only during the two World Wars that they were given the opportunity to show their true potential.Locomotive Summary
| LBSC No. | 1st SR No. | 2nd SR No. | BR No. | Date Built | Date Withdrawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 337 | B337 | 2337 | 32337 | ||
| 338 | B338 | 2338 | 32338 | ||
| 339 | B339 | 2339 | 32339 | ||
| 340 | B340 | 2340 | 32340 | ||
| 341 | B341 | 2341 | 32341 | ||
| 342 | B342 | 2342 | 32342 | ||
| 343 | B343 | 2343 | 32343 | ||
| 344 | B344 | 2344 | 32344 | ||
| 345 | B345 | 2345 | 32345 | ||
| 346 | B346 | 2346 | 32346 | ||
| 347 | B347 | 2347 | 32347 | ||
| 348 | B348 | 2348 | 32348 | ||
| 349 | B349 | 2349 | 32349 | ||
| 350 | B350 | 2350 | 32350 | ||
| 351 | B351 | 2351 | 32351 | ||
| 352 | B352 | 2352 | 32352 | ||
| 353 | B353 | 2353 | 32353 | ||