London & South Western 0-4-0 Locomotives in Great_Britain

Class B4 (Locobase 7861)

Data from the Bulleid Society's website -- [], accessed 19 Sept 2006 -- which specifically details the history of the surviving tank from this class (see below).

When the class was introduced in the 1890s, it was to serve the Southampton docks. The design was one of the largest standard-gauge 0-4-0Ts to be built.

After an initial run of 10 in 1891, the Southampton Dock Company's assets were bought by the L&SWR, which ordered another 10 to be built at their shops. B4s served the docks until after World War II when the larger and more powerful surplus US Army 0-6-0Ts took over. Some were scrapped, others were sold privately including 30096, which worked the private dock of Southampton's Corrals Fuel Merchants.

Originally #96, later Southern Railway E96 and 96, and ultimately British Railways 30096, the engine was later dubbed "Normandy" and after a lengthy restoration, restored to museum service on the Bluebell Railway in May 1986. In 2006, its boiler reached its ten-year limit, which required the railroad to take Normandy out of service. Unlike many such locomotives, however, Normandy was very likely to return to service as soon as possible.