WD 2-8-0
‘Austerity’
| It's well-known that the Longmoor Military Railway, based firmly in Southern territory near Liss in Hampshire, kept WD 2-8-0s for its own use and its allocation included the celebrity Nº600 Gordon, always resplendent in blue livery. Indeed, Gordon made incursions onto SR metals on 16th April 1966 whilst hauling a railtour in inclement weather. |
 A very smart Nº77047 photographed outside Brighton works circa 1946. photograph: Mike Morant collection |
| The WD 2-8-0s were based on the Stanier 8F 2-8-0s of the LMS
and, when built, were designed for short-term use and produced from 1943 for
minimum cost, with an originally anticipated working lifespan of just two
years! Intended for use overseas, some 935 had been built by the end of the
war. During the build-up to D-Day many of the locos were loaned to
Britain's railways, after which all bar three were sent abroad. Of these
932 locos some 735 returned to Britain where two were kept by the Army for use
at Longmoor, 108 were placed in store and the remainder loaned to
Britains's railways (in dire straits by the end of the war) once again.
In 1946 the LNER bought 200 of them from the War Department and a further 533 locomotives were taken over by British Railways in early 1949, some of which had been on loan to the Southern Railway since some time after the end of the war, although exactly when that began seems to be a bit of a mystery, though 1947 has been suggested. The available notes on the subject suggest that the Southern had, at one time or another, a total of 49 allocated and that they were spread across the three sections indiscriminately. Those notes cover the period 1949 - 1951 when the last one was transferred to the Midland Region of British Railways. It's been suggested that they didn't find the universal favour in the south that they enjoyed north of the Thames simply because the volumes of traffic didn't justify their continued patronage. The WD's are renowned for their ability to trundle loose coupled goods
trains around the country at modest speeds but the Southern allocation enjoyed
one claim to fame in that they occasionally took on passenger train workings
from which there is photographic evidence of their use in that rôle.
Known images show 90552, a Bricklayers Arms based loco, working the 3:28pm
Haywards Heath to London Bridge via Horsted Keynes and Oxted on 5th August 1949
in a shot credited to the late Len's of Sutton. Note that it was bearing
its BR number by that time. The caption to that picture states that this train
was worked by a WD on two other occasions within that month. Also known is a
picture by the late S.C.Nash which features 77101 standing at platform 7 at
Lewes whilst working an Eastbourne to Brighton ECS service. The rider to that
caption states: |
 |
The WDs were occasional visitors to Salisbury when
they were based at St Phillips Marsh. Nº90466 was photographed there on 31st March 1962. photograph by Dave Mant |
| How the WDs are remembered by most: begrimed, careworn and
unidentifiable although the leading 7 of the cabside number is just about
visible in this shot taken at Feltham Loco during a spotters' club visit.
The headcode indicates that the loco is on a light engine working to the shed.
The date is probably late 1948 or early 1949 as there is not yet any vestige of
the embryo BR in sight on this or any of the other negatives on the associated
film strips.
photograph: W.J.Wyse/Mike Morant collection |
 |
 |
A windswept and wintry general view across Feltham Loco towards
the impressive coaling plant greeted this group of young spotters who, at the
moment this photo was taken, had at least five WD 2-8-0s in their sights with
two of them close to the coaling plant.
photograph: W.J.Wyse/Mike Morant collection |
| An unusually clean WD, Nº77259 at Brighton in late April 1948 having just undergone a Heavy
Intermediate Repair in Brighton Works.
Also of interest in this photo is the very brief glimpse of the coach on the right. This is Bulleid's so called inspection saloon but in fact a sleeping car for SR officers numbered in service stock as 100s. Profile and length (64ft 6in) was similar to his normal loco hauled carriages. But, experimentally, built of plywood. photograph: Mike Morant collection |
 |
Technical DetailsOrigin:Introduced: Driving Wheel: Pony Wheel: Length: Weight: Cylinders (2): Boiler Pressure: Water Capacity: Coal capacity: Tractive Effort: BR Power Classification: |
Ministry of Supply Feb 1943 4 ft 8½ in 3 ft 2 in 63 ft 6 in L 70 tons 5 cwt, T 55 tons 10 cwt 19 in x 28 in 225 lb sq in 5,000 gals 9 tons 34,215 lbs 8-F |
| The allocations table displayed hereunder has been derived from data supplied to SEmG's e-list in the past. If any viewer has addenda and/or errata to report then please contact the SEmG Webmaster. |
| BR No. | WD No. | 31 Aug 1948 | May 1949 | May 1950 | May 1951 |
| 90107 | 77007 | § | Brighton | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| 90127 | 77030 | § | Feltham | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| 90164 | 77180 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90181 | 77205 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | --- |
| 90194 | 77226 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90213 | 77256 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| 90216 | 77259 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90226 | 77311 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90234 | 77321 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90247 | 77340 | § | Brighton | Brighton | Hither Green |
| 90254 | 77355 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90257 | 77359 | § | Feltham | Feltham | --- |
| 90267 | 77379 | § | Feltham | Feltham | Hither Green |
| 90308 | 77444 | § | Feltham | Feltham | --- |
| 90317 | 70811 | § | Redhill | Redhill | Redhill |
| 90332 | 70853 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | --- |
| 90345 | 70878 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Brighton | --- |
| 90347 | 77270 | § | Brighton | Brighton | --- |
| 90354 | 77286 | § | Brighton | Brighton | Redhill |
| 90360 | 77296 | § | Redhill | Redhill | Redhill |
| 90375 | 78569 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Redhill |
| 90389 | 78596 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| 90390 | 78597 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| 90408 | 78531 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90523 | 77052 | § | Feltham | Feltham | --- |
| 90527 | 77056 | § | Feltham | Feltham | --- |
| 90530 | 77059 | § | Feltham | Feltham | --- |
| 90533 | 77062 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90543 | 77074 | § | Feltham | Feltham | --- |
| 90552 | 77086 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90556 | 77090 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| 90558 | 77094 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90562 | 77098 | § | Feltham | Feltham | --- |
| 90564 | 77101 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms |
| 90566 | 77103 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| 90570 | 77108 | § | Feltham | Feltham | Feltham |
| 90578 | 77122 | § | Feltham | Feltham | --- |
| 90604 | 77150 | § | Feltham | Feltham | Feltham |
| 90619 | 77481 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Bricklayers Arms | --- |
| 90622 | 77485 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Ashford | --- |
| 90641 | 78666 | § | Redhill | Redhill | Redhill |
| 90650 | 78688 | § | Bricklayers Arms | Ashford | --- |
| 90655 | 78705 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | --- |
| 90669 | 79199 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| 90671 | 79203 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| 90675 | 79207 | § | Feltham | Feltham | --- |
| 90678 | 79210 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | --- |
| 90702 | 79262 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| 90718 | 79281 | § | Hither Green | Hither Green | Hither Green |
| § = Listed as loaned to the Southern Region in 1948 ABC, but shed not known. | |||||
| Bibliography SEmG Regularly Raised Topics Roy Vandersteen's British Steam database The Railtour Files |
All photographs are copyright
return to picture gallery page
This page was last updated 9 March 2011
