LB&SCR E1 Class

photograph from the Richard Huelin collection.

E1 class Nºs2133 is seen here in very early British Railways livery.

William Stroudley's class E 0-6-0 tank engine of 1874 was conceived as a larger, goods, version of his successful "Terrier". Cylinders, motion and boiler were the same as in his D Class 0-4-2 passenger tanks, with variations for the last seven. Nº133 was built in October 1878 and given the name Picardy, in keeping with the rest of the class whose names were all taken from places in Europe. Members of this class had a mixed life expectancy, the first to be scrapped being Nº148 Vienna, built in 1890 and scrapped in 1911. Others, such as 133, continued a long and successful career with quite a number lasting into British Railways days. The last six engines were built by RJ Billinton and were slightly different in that the dome was moved to the second ring of the boiler and a manhole cover, with whistle, was fixed over the firebox. These six were also given different chimneys, to Billinton's design, (a cast-iron type in one piece) and were known as Class E1, subsequently all the earlier engines also became known as Class E1. Working most of their post-1923 lives on the Brighton section, a few went to work at Southampton Docks, the Isle of Wight and some, after conversion to Class E1/R Radial 0-6-2T in Southern Railway days, to the Torrington-Halwill line of the North Devon & Cornwall Junction Light Railway.

A grubby-looking Nº2122 in Southern uniform. This view shows off the typical 'Brighton' toolbox to good effect.

photograph: Mike Morant collection

Nºs2133 once again, but this time no longer bearing the legend 'BRITISH RAILWAYS' on her tanks.

photograph: Mike Morant collection

Nº89 Brest was rebuilt in 1911 with new, larger tanks and a new cab and bunker and re-classified as Class E1x. Nº157 Barcelona, the last to be built by Stroudley, was built expressly to work the Polegate-Eridge Line with 18¼ x 26 in cylinders, larger tanks and bunker, a non-standard boiler and air and wheel reversing gear. Nº96 Salzberg suffered the indignity of an incorrect name, the Austrian city that she was named after is, of course, Salzburg.

This photograph of IoW E1 NºW2 was taken at Newport MPD in 1950 which, despite the apparent condition of the loco, was long before the engine's withdrawal in 1956. This is another good view of the typical "Brighton" toolbox.

photograph: W.J.Wyse/Mike Morant collection

Technical Details

Introduced: November 1874
Driving Wheel: 4 ft 6 ins
Length: 32 ft 4½ ins
Total Weight: 44 tons 3 cwt
Water Capacity: 900 gals
Cylinders (2): 17 in x 24 in
(Nº157 had 18 ¼ x 26 in)
Boiler Pressure: 160 lb sq in
Tractive Effort: 17,500 lb
Coal Capacity: 1 ton 10 cwt
Power Classification: 2-F

The LBSC was better than the other Southern Companies in keeping locomotive classes more or less in consecutive numbers, but they could issue these numbers somewhat randomly! Though not as bad as the "Terriers", the E1s were no exception. The following table is set out in order of build:
Early LBSC Nº	Later LBSC Nº	SR Nº #	BR Nº	Name ¶	Built	Remarks
97	-	2097	32097	Honfleur	Nov 1874	Wdn Dec 1949
98	-	-	-	Marseilles	Nov 1874	Wdn Mar 1913
99	610	2610	32610	Bordeaux	Dec 1874	Removed from Capital Stock 1911 and lettered 'Loco. Dept. Brighton'. Returned to Capital Stock as Nº610 1922. Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T Jan 1929
100	692	B692	-	Calvados	Apr 1875	Wdn Nov 1926
101	693	B693	-	Orleans	Apr 1875	Wdn Dec 1924
102	694	2694	32694	Cherbourg	Apr 1875	Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T May 1927
103	695	2695	32695	Normandy	Oct 1876	Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T Oct 1928
104	696	2696	32696	Brittany	Oct 1876	Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T Dec 1928
105	697	2697	32697	Morlaix	Oct 1876	Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T Jan 1929
106	606	2606	32606	Guernsy	Oct 1876	Wdn Jul 1956
107	607	2607	-	Alderney	Nov 1876	Bought by Hartley Main Colliery Feb 1934
108	608	2608	32608	Jersey	Nov 1876	Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T Nov 1928
109	609	2609	-	Strasbourg	Mar 1877	Wdn Jun 1948
110	-	B110	-	Burgundy	Mar 1877	Bought by Rugeley Colliery Feb 1927
111	611	2611	-	Montpelier	Mar 1877	Removed from Capital Stock 1911 and lettered 'Loco. Dept. New Cross'. Returned to Capital Stock as Nº611 1922. Wdn May 1932
112	-	2112	32112	Versailles	Apr 1877	Wdn Dec 1949
113	-	2113	32113	Granville/Durdans	Apr 1877	Re-named Durdans Dec 1893. Wdn Sep 1958
114	-	-	-	Trouville	May 1877	Wdn Feb 1913
115	-	-	-	Lorraine	Jun 1877	Wdn Nov 1913
116	-	B116	-	Touraine	Jun 1877	Wdn Feb 1926
117	-	-	-	Florence	Aug 1877	Wdn Apr 1913
118	-	-	-	Trocadero	Aep 1877	Wdn Oct 1913
119	-	-	-	Rochelle	Sep 1877	Wdn Apr 1913
120	-	-	-	Provence	Sep 1877	Wdn Apr 1925
121	-	-	-	Verona	Jul 1878	Wdn May 1913
122	-	2122	-	Leghorn	Aug 1878	Wdn May 1948
123	-	-	-	Seine	Aug 1878	Wdn Jul 1925
124	-	2124	32124	Bayonne	Aug 1878	Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T Dec 1928
125	-	-	-	Navarre	Aug 1878	Wdn Feb 1926
126	-	-	-	Gascony	Aug 1878	Wdn Aug 1925
127	-	2127	-	Poitiers	Oct 1878	Wdn Dec 1949
128	-	2128	32128	Avignon	Oct 1878	Wdn Feb 1952
129	-	2129	32129	Alençon	Oct 1878	Wdn Jun 1957
130	-	-	-	Rennes	Oct 1878	Wdn May 1913
131	-	B131/W4	W4	Gournay/Wroxall	Oct 1878	To IoW Jun 1933. Wdn 20 Oct 1960
132	-	-	-	Epernay	Oct 1878	Wdn Apr 1926
133	-	2133	32133	Picardy	Oct 1878	Wdn Nov 1952
134	-	-	-	Ancona	Dec 1878	Wdn Apr 1913
135	-	2135	32135	Foligno	Dec 1878	Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T Nov 1928
136	-	B136/W1	W1	Brindisi/Medina	Dec 1878	To IoW Jun 1932. Wdn 17 Jun 1957
137	-	B137	-	Dijon	Dec 1878	Wdn Feb 1933
138	-	2138	32138	Macon	Dec 1878	Wdn Oct 1956
139	-	2139	32139	Lombardy	Mar 1879	Wdn Jan 1959
140	-	-	-	Toulouse	Mar 1879	Wdn Dec 1925
141	-	2141	-	Mentone	Mar 1879	Wdn Oct 1949
142	-	2142	32142	Toulon	Mar 1879	Wdn Oct 1950
143	-	2143	-	Nuremberg	Mar 1879	Bought by Hartley Main Colliery Feb 1936
144	-	2144	-	Chambrey	Apr 1879	Wdn Apr 1936
145	-	2145	32145	France	Oct 1880	Wdn Jun 1951
146	-	-	-	Havre	Oct 1880	Sold Oct 1908
147	-	2147	32147	Danube	Oct 1880	Wdn Nov 1951
148	-	-	-	Vienna	Oct 1880	Wdn Mar 1911
149	-	-	-	Lucerne	Oct 1880	Wdn Sep 1913
150	-	-	-	Adriatic	Nov 1880	Wdn Oct 1925
151	-	2151	32151	Helvetia	Dec 1880	Wdn Oct 1960
152	-	B152/W2	W2	Hungary/Yarmouth	Dec 1880	To IoW June 1932. Wdn 15 Sep 1956
153	-	2153	S2153	Austria	Mar 1881	Wdn Jun 1949
154	-	B154/W3	-	Madrid/Ryde	Mar 1881	To IoW Jun 1932. Wdn 13 Jun 1959
155	-	-	-	Brenner	Mar 1881	Wdn May 1913
156	-	2156	32156	Munich	Mar 1881	Wdn May 1951
85	685	B685	-	Cannes	Feb 1883	Wdn Oct 1926
86	686	B686	-	Geneva	Mar 1883	Wdn Dec 1925
87	687	-	-	Bologna	Mar 1883	Wdn Jun 1925
88	688	-	-	Rhine	Nar 1883	Wdn Jun 1913
89 ^(E1/E1x)	689	2689	32689	Brest	Apr 1883	Re-built as E1x Jun 1911. Reverted to E1 1930. Wdn Feb 1960
90	690	2690	-	Berne	Apr 1883	Wdn Jan 1950
91	691	2691	-	Fisbourne	Oct 1883	Apr 1951
92	-	B92	-	Polesden	Oct 1883	Wdn Aug 1936
93	-	-	-	Calbourne	Oct 1883	Wdn May 1908
94	-	2094	32094	Shorwell	Oct 1883	Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T May 1927
95	-	2095	32095	Luccombe	Nov 1883	Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T May 1927
96	-	2096	32096	Salzberg	Nov 1883	Rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2T Oct 1928
157	-	-	-	Barcelona	Sep 1884	Wdn Jun 1922
159	-	B159	-	Edenbridge	Jul 1891	Wdn Jan 1930
160	-	2160	32160	Portslade	Jul 1891	Wdn Oct 1951
161	-	-	-	Aldrington	Nov 1891	Wdn Dec 1925
162	-	2162	-	Southwater	Nov 1891	Wdn Nov 1949
163	-	B163	-	Southwick	Dec 1891	Bought by Ashington Colliery May 1932. Wdn Oct 1954
164	-	2164	-	Spithead	Dec 1891	Wdn Jun 1948
# Between 1923 and 1928 SR numbers were the LBSC numbers with the added prefix 'B' although the new number may not have been applied until some time later Where a loco is being shown to have been Wdn after a change of ownership and no new number is shown then that loco didn't carry the new owner's number, e.g. Nº109 didn't carry a BR number ¶ Nearly all LBSCR names were removed in 1906
Bibliography: The London Brighton and South Coast Railway by C Hamilton Ellis The London, Brighton & South Coast Railway web site by Dave Searle - www.lbscr.org.uk ABC of British Locomotives 1948 Observer's Book of Railway Locomotives of Great Britain 1958

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E1/R Class

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This page was last updated 31 May 2007