Class Alert/Bluebell (Locobase 10233)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VII (August 1902), p. 126-127. Works numbers 1347-1349, 1380-1382 (1862) and 1414-1415, 1420-1423 (1863).

These were the first locomotives designed for the LC & DR under the direction of William Martley. Their tall drivers and reasonably ample dimensions indicate their service on the prestige London-Dover Continental mail expresses. The first batch arrived in 1862 and Sharp, Stewart supplied 6 more in 1863 produced to identical specifications (the Bluebells) except for a slightly longer coupled wheelbase and a boiler barrel measuring 1 inch less in diameter, 6 inches longer, and having its center line 3 inches closer to the rail at 6 ft 6 inches.

Class Europa (Locobase 1092)

Data from "The Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," Locomotive Magazine, Vol VIII (3 January 1903), pp.4-5.

Four engines -- Europa, Asia, Africa, America -- that ran in boat-train service for years and were considered to have been "extremely successful" (OS Nock, RWC II, pl 48). They were rebuilt in 1892 (see Locobase 10482) and painted black only to regain the original green livery under South Eastern & Chatham Railway oversight and renumbered.

Class Europa - rebuilt (Locobase 10482)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XI (16 January 1905), p. 10.

William Kirtley rebuilt the popular Europa-class express engines with his standard firebox and a boiler with smaller-diameter tubes.

Class F (Locobase 10278)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VIII (21 Feb 1903), p. 128

Obviously pleased with the size, William Kirtley took William Martley's rebuilt Sondes tanks (Locobase 10277) and replaced the boilers and tanks and left the rest alone. The result was a more powerful engine that now boasted a full cab and Westinghouse air brakes. Still carrying the Crampton names -- Sondes, Sittingbourne, Crampton, Lake, Faver-ham, and Chatham -- the class endured into the 20th Century, only retiring in 1909.

Class G (Locobase 10303)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VIII (18 April 1903), p. 264.

All 24 locomotives of the Tiger class were completed in 1861-1862 with bogies and outside cylinders. Then-locomotive superintendent William Martley grew dissatisfied quickly with the riding and tracking qualities of the design, especially in the severity with which they attacked the roadbed. Indeed, their passage over the line just prior to 3 bad accidents involving following locomotives led to their reconstruction in 1864. Martley purchased new frames and cylinders from Sharp, Stewart beginning in 1864 and rebuilt the class as 6-wheeled engines with inside cylinders.

From 1878 to 1983., William Kirtley refitted the class with new boilers and Westinghouse air brakes. This gained most of the engines another 15 years in service with most being scrapped in 1892-1898.

Class N, P (Locobase 10439)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol X (12 February 1904), p. 25

Rebuilds of the Frolic and Bluebell class described in Locobase 10233, these had smaller boilers pressed to a higher degree and slightly larger cylinders and all had the Westinghouse air brake installed. The N class represented the Alert class, while the Ps were the former Bluebells and the entire project continued for 12 years.

Class R - Ruby (Locobase 10305)

Data from "The Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VII (January 1902), p. 4.

As with many of William Kirtley's rebuilds of earlier LCDR locomotives, the effect was to squeeze another 10-15 years out of these small engines. Most of the upgrade was confined to the boiler, which introduced a tall dome over the first coupled axle, with the engine retaining its somewhat antiquated outside-frame, bare footplate look. The class was scrapped in 1891.

Class Reindeer (Locobase 10234)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VII (August 1902), p. 127. Works numbers were 183-188

The author of the LM history cited above says these were slightly larger than the 1862 locomotives shown in Locobase 10233, but except for an increase in cylinder volume and weight, they seem smaller in most respects. The engines had the Cudworth sloping fireboxes with double firedoors (though without the midfeather) initially, but soon adopted a conventional, flat-grate firebox.

Class Reindeer - rebuilt (Locobase 10481)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XI (16 January 1905), p. 10.

These were the rebuilt Reindeers of 1862 in which William Kirtley fitted a standard firebox with a higher-pressure boiler. 5 were updated in 1881, 3 in 1882 (with slightly smaller boilers), and 1 in 1883.

Class Rose (Locobase 10241)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VII (November 1902), p. 188. Boiler pressure is an estimate. Works numbers were 1197-1202.

These were branch-line and suburban-service tank engines designed by Martley and supplied as a batch. Their names were Rose, Shamrock, Thistle, Myrtle, Narcissus, and Daphne.

Class S - Comus (Locobase 10294)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VIII (21 Mar 1903), p. 193.

Comus, Aeolus, Bacchus, and Vulcan came to the LCDR at the behest of William Martley, who bought these engines from R & W Hawthorn in 1860-1861 after the builder's South American buyer failed to pay for them. More than 20 years later, William Kirtley built 4 new tank engines using some components from the earlier engines (including the names). The design had long side tanks, the dome over the firebox, and undulating running board.

Class Sondes rebuilt (Locobase 10277)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VIII (21 Feb 1903), p. 128

William Martley rebuilt the disappointing Crampton saddle tanks of several years earlier by incorporating their boilers and coupled wheels in a new frame with an undulating belt line over the two coupled axles. . The footplate still had no protection. The tanks were later enlarged and the engines fitted with condensers to allow them to operate in the Metropolitan's underground sections.

Not quite 15 years later, Kirtley completely rebuilt this class; see Locobase 10278.

Class T (Locobase 10532)

Data from "Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XI (16 October 1905), p. 170.

These were shunters (switchers) that look to Locobase to be relatively light in adhesive weight for the size of the cylinders. They were not built in numerical order nor built in a closely spaced program, but entered service as follows:

141-142 1879

149 1889

146, 148 1890

145, 147, 150 1891

143-144 1893.

Class Tiger (Locobase 6880)

Data from Titre Exposition universelle internationale de 1878 a Paris. Rapports du jury internationale..Volume Groupe VI - Classe 64. Rapport sur le materiel des chemins de fer. p. 50 (cnum.cnam.fr/CGI/fpage.cgi?8XAE277-11.1/54/100/312/0/0 (accessed 1 September 2005) and Commissioner Anderson, Reports of the United States Commissioners to the Paris Universal Exposition , 1878, pp.437-440.

A curious feature of this design was its stroke, if the metric measurement given in the French source is to be credited. There's no good reason why a locomotive could not have a piston stroke of 25 inches; but it was extremely rare.