South Eastern & Chatham 0-6-0 Locomotives in Great_Britain

Class C (Locobase 5203)

See [] (visited November 2002) and [] (visited July 2002). RR Surtees, under the management of Harry Wainwright, created a standard goods locomotive for the merged London, Chatham & Dover and the South Eastern Railway. Neilson Reid and Ashford Works delivered the first two. From 1900 to 1909, the railway works built the majority, with Ashford producing a total of 69 and Longhedge another 9. Neilson Reid contributed 14 and Sharp, Stewart added 15.

The Southern E-group website says the design derived primarily from the LC&DR. "They were robust, but of simple construction. They gave little trouble in traffic, had a good turn of speed, and had good riding qualities for an 0-6-0." The site adds that they hauled "semi-fast" passenger trains as capably as freight.

Many ran until the end of steam. Bluebell notes that the steam-powered reverser was "most successful" and that 60 of them were still in service in 1960.

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Class P (Locobase 10709)

Data from "Six-Coupled Passenger Tank Locomotive, South Eastern & Chatham Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XV (15 May 1909), p. 98. See also the Southern E-Group's description at [], last accessed 2 August 2009; "South-Eastern and Chatham Railway," Locomotive Magazine, Volume 18 (15 July 1912), p. 141; and the account on "Electric Edwardians--A blog about the Edwardian era in the UK" found at [], last accessed 16 June 2016.

The next step after producing steam rail motors in accommodating light passenger-train traffic was the production of small tank locomotives specifically for that service. Such was Harry S Wainwright's intention when he turned out this octet of all-adhesion tanks. The LM report focused on the last two turned out in 1910; these Locobase later categorized in Whyte terms as 8+0-6-0+8T. This pair--325 and 555--served the branch line between Nunhead Junction and Greenwich Park as the motive power inserted between two trailer cars. The front cars had seven 3rd-class compartments, plus the driver's station; the rear cars had a driver's compartment and three 3rd and three 1st class compartments.

They used a patent louvered spark arrester and were fitted with steam heating gear, vacuum brakes as well as steam sanding. Ashford turned out two in February 1909, two in February 1910, and two more in each of June and July. The Ps were based on the L B & SC R's Terrier class.

Alas, according to SEMG, "They proved only slightly more successful than the railmotors ..." On the other hand, the Electric-Edwardians site took a more generous view. As the website characterized the service, "the locomotive was sandwiched between two (or sometimes up to four carriages) and the train driven from either end of the carriages, avoiding the need for the locomotive to run around the train of carriages at each end of the line, making it very efficient and enabling a more intensive service - this was very popular in the Edwardian era."

The website claimed: " It seems they were actually too popular on these services, and the increased passenger loads meant more powerful locomotives had to be used than the diminutive P Class locomotives."

This setback far from ended their careers, however, as they "...did become useful engines on other duties as shed pilots and carriage shunters." When they went to work in the classification yards, Maunsell reduced their boiler pressures to 160 psi.

All eight were incorporated into the Southern Railway upon grouping in 1923 and all were nationalized in 1948. BR withdrew the first of the class in February 1955 (31555) and the last left service in June 1961. Four were preserved and as of 2009 the three on the Bluebell (27, 178, and 323) were all ticketed for restoration to service. The fourth had been loaned to the Kent & East Sussex Railway.

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Class S (converted C) (Locobase 20653)

Data from "Converted Goods Locomotive, SE&C Ry", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 24 (15 April 1918), p. 58.

"The possibilities of economical and efficient locomotive conversion are well exemplified" by this makeover of the592 of Wainwright's numerous C class goods locomotives (Locobase 5203). The railway's own shops turned out their first saddle tank, fitting it with a larger and "remarkably commodious" cab and installing a bunker and side tanks.

Successful development of the Stirling steam reverser for the C class meant that Ashford made a special effort to retain it on this shunter. LM noted in explanation that "power mechanism for reversing is particularly useful in shunting engines on account of the frequency with which this operation is performed."

685 was the only such conversion, but the railway got its money's worth. 685 contributed to Britain's World War One effort as the shunter at a secretly built "Q" port in Kent. According to the SEMG, the military dug a tunnel under Roman-built Richborough "fortress" to connect the newly dredged port on the River Stour with the SE&CR mainline. "Vast amounts of military equipment - including locomotives - and arms were sent across from Richborough Port," says SEMG. They used "sea going barges and the very first roll-on roll-off ferries."

War's end saw the engine go to work at the Bricklayer's Arms railroad station in Central London. It was finally withdrawn by British Railways in 1951.