Wainwright B1
| The Wainwright B1 4-4-0s were rebuilds of SER Stirling 4-4-0s and lasted a long time, a number of them seeing service with British Railways, although only one, 1446/31446 was given a BR number. 1217 was withdrawn in May 1950 so it is quite probable that the photograph of it further down the page is one of the last that were taken. |
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photograph: Mike Morant collection B1 Nº132 in SECR days. Just as interesting is the slotted post signal! |
| Shortly prior to his retirement from the SER at the end
of 1898 James Stirling produced his "B Class" 4-4-0 express engine
which was not only a far more successful design than anything he had produced
previously but also exhibited marked differences of appearance above the
footplate when compared with his previous engines. There was a larger boiler, a
squarer cab affording the crew better weather protection and a polished brass
casting over the safety valve seating. The tender now had its springs under the
footplate and was fitted with a larger, 3,000 gal, water tank.
Two engines, 454 and 459, were fitted with Holden's oil burning system in 1901. Although this conversion was a success it was deemed to be too expensive to be adopted generally and the equipment was removed in 1904. |
| B1 Nº445 at an unknown location during SECR days.
photograph: Steve Roffey collection |
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| As excellent as these engines were, as time passed by they
needed work and in 1910 Wainwright fitted new domed boilers which had a
slightly smaller diameter than the Stirling boilers but had a 2 inch longer
firebox. The boiler pressure was increased to 170psi and the heating surface
increased. The modified locos were now classified as "B1 Class" and
were to all intents and purposes identical to the "F1 Class" of 1903. The only way to tell them
apart was from their tenders, the F1s having prominent outside springs. When
Maunsell took over from Wainwright he increased the size of the smokeboxes and
started to reduce the cylinders from 19" diameter to 18" diameter.
Two of the class, however, kept their domeless Stirling boilers until
withdrawal. In their final incantation they were remarkably handsome engines. A
class of some 29 locomotives, the first twenty were built by Neilson Reid and
the last 9 at Ashford. The first twenty locomotives started life with standard
SER numberplates but with the addition of the maker's name, number and
date. When changed for those of SECR pattern, these last details were left
off.
In June 1919 Nº34 was fitted with Maunsell's top feed apparatus. Then in 1920 the boiler was transferred to Nº13 which then carried it for a couple of years before it was discarded. During WWII several of the class were turned into make-shift air raid shelters! 1101, 1440, 1450, 1453, 1455, 1457 and 1459 were positioned over pits, immobilised and surrounded with sand bags. It is not known if they were actually needed, nor if they were successful if they were. |
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B1 Nº1448 is seen here at an unknown loaction on 12th
February 1939.
photograph: Mike Morant collection |
| B1 Nº1217 is seen here at Reading in on 27th May 1950.
photograph: Richard Huelin collection |
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| SER/SECR Nº | SR Nº # | BR Nº | Built | Built by | Reboilered | Withdrawn | |
| The SER could issue these numbers somewhat randomly! With the B and B1 Classes, however, this was not too pronounced. The following table is set out in order of build: | |||||||
| 440 # | 1440 | - | Jul 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1912 | Dec 1948 | |
| 441 # | 1441 | - | Jul 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1927 | Aug 1947 | |
| 442 | 1442 | - | Jul 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1912 | Sep 1933 | |
| 443 | 1443 | - | Jul 1989 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1913 | Feb 1951 | |
| 444 | 1444 | - | Jul 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1912 | May 1936 | |
| 445 | 1445 | - | Jul 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1916 | Feb 1948 | |
| 446 # | 1446 | 31446 | Aug 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1915 | Sep 1949 | |
| 447 | 1447 | - | Aug 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1911 | Aug 1933 | |
| 448 | 1448 | - | Aug 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1911 | Sep 1949 | |
| 449 | 1449 | - | Aug 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1910 | Mar 1949 | |
| 450 | 1450 | - | Aug 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1911 | Apr 1948 | |
| 451 | 1451 | - | Aug 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1915 | Dec 1949 | |
| 452 | 1452 | - | Aug 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1911 | Jan 1950 | |
| 453 | 1453 | - | Aug 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1910 | Oct 1948 | |
| 454 # | 1454 | - | Aug 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1913 | Dec 1948 | |
| 455 | 1455 | - | Sep 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1911 | Jun 1949 | |
| 456 | 1456 | - | Sep 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1911 | Mar 1933 | |
| 457 | 1457 | - | Sep 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1911 | Jan 1949 | |
| 458 | 1458 | - | Sep 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | - | Dec 1931 | |
| 459 # | 1459 | - | Sep 1898 | Neilson Reid & Co | 1910 | Feb 1949 | |
| 217 | 1217 | - | ? 1898 | Ashford | 1910 | May 1950 | |
| 13 | 1013 | - | Oct 1898 | Ashford | 1926 | Sep 1948 | |
| 21 | 1021 | - | Oct 1898 | Ashford | 1913 | Dec 1947 | |
| 101 | 1101 | - | Oct 1898 | Ashford | 1913 | Jun 1947 | |
| 34 | 1034 | - | ? 1899 | Ashford | - | 1930 | |
| 17 | 1017 | - | Jun 1899 | Ashford | 1910 | Mar 1936 | |
| 132 | 1132 | - | Jul 1899 | Ashford | 1912 | Mar 1936 | |
| 186 | 1186 | - | Jul 1899 | Ashford | 1911 | Nov 1935 | |
| 189 | 1189 | - | Jul 1899 | Ashford | 1913 | Jun 1933 | |
| # | Between 1923 and 1928 SR numbers were the SECR numbers with the added prefix 'A' |
| # | Converted to oil burning from 1901 to 1904. |
| # | Loaned to the LMS from 1941 until January 1945. |
| # | Fitted with Westinghouse brake for working "foreign" stock. |
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This page was last updated 3 February 2009
