The lone K Class to run for the SECR, River Avon NºA790, photographed in Southern Railway days hauling "The Southern Belle" near Merstham.

photograph: Steve Roffey collection

The motion, cylinders and boiler were all the same as on the N Class though the coupled wheels were appreciably larger at 6'. The radial and bogie wheels were the same at 3' 1". Although generally a successful class, they were prone to water shortages on the long Kent Coast routes and some crews, particularly on the Central Section, complained that they would roll heavily and unpredictably when at speed on indifferent track.

NºA795, River Medway, also near Merstham.

photograph: Steve Roffey collection

Four days after the Bearsted accident there was a far more serious one at Dunton Green involving NºA800, River Cray when travelling at speed with a Cannon Street to Deal express. Following this serious accident trials were carried out on both the LNER and the SR which resulted in the decision to withdraw the classes and to rebuild all the locos as 2-6-0 tender types, a decision that was probably rather unfair to the 2-6-4T design as it is almost certain that the major cause of the accident was the poor state of the track rather than the locomotive design. When rebuilt the K Class locos became the U Class, with the solitary K1 becoming the first of the U1 class.