Locomotives of the Southern Railway
The Southern Railway took a key role in expanding the 660 V DC third rail electrified network begun by the London & South Western Railway. As a result of this, and its smaller operating area, its steam locomotive stock was the smallest of the 'Big Four' companies.
For an explanation of numbering and classification, see British Rail locomotive and multiple unit numbering and classification.
Background
Post-nationalisation
ways completed construction of the 'West Country' and 'Merchant Navy' locomotive designs but did not build any further orders. It abandoned the 'Leader' class experiments, and Bulleid left the UK to carry forward his unusual locomotive designs in Ireland.Withdrawal
Withdrawal of ex-SR locomotives happened mainly towards the end of steam on the Southern Region, the pre-Grouping designs having gone before then as electrification spread across the region.Locomotives of SR design
With the heavy emphasis on electrification for the London suburban area and the Brighton mainline, there was little need for new steam locomotive designs. The main steam tasks were boat trains, West of England, Kent services and freight. When designing steam locomotives, the designers had some interesting constraints that dictated where the locomotive could be used. Due to the hangover from SE&CR days, most of the lines in Kent were of fairly light construction and would not take the weight of a modern express locomotive until well into the 1930s. Hence the extensive rebuilding of 4-4-0 designs at a time when other lines were busily building Pacifics or heavy 4-6-0s.The ex-SER lines also had the problem of the narrow Mountfield and Wadhurst tunnels on the Hastings line, requiring locomotive and rolling stock rather narrower than permitted elsewhere. This problem persisted into British Railways days until eventually the tunnels were single tracked, giving clearance for normal stock.
Services for west of Southampton and Salisbury had a different set of problems as neither the Southern Railway nor its constituents installed water troughs, thus leading to large tenders with greater water capacity than those fitted to similar locomotives on other railways.
New designs were:
Richard E. L. Maunsell (1923–1937)
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Date | Builder | No. built | Comments |
| K1 | 2-6-4T | 1925 | Ashford | 1 | Later converted to class "U1" tender engine. |
| L1 | 4-4-0 | 1926 | North British | 15 | |
| Lord Nelson | 4-6-0 | 1926-9 | Eastleigh | 16 | |
| U | 2-6-0 | 1928 | Eastleigh | 7 | Rebuilds of "K" tanks |
| U | 2-6-0 | 1928 | Brighton | 6 | Rebuilds of "K" tanks |
| U | 2-6-0 | 1928 | Ashford | 7 | Rebuilds of "K" tanks |
| U | 2-6-0 | 1928 | Brighton | 10 | |
| U | 2-6-0 | 1931 | Ashford | 20 | |
| U1 | 2-6-0 | 1928 | Ashford | 1 | Rebuild of "K1" tank |
| U1 | 2-6-0 | 1931 | Eastleigh | 20 | |
| Z | 0-8-0T | 1929 | Brighton | 8 | |
| V "Schools" | 4-4-0 | 1930-5 | Eastleigh | 40 | |
| W | 2-6-4T | 1932 | Eastleigh | 6 | |
| W | 2-6-4T | 1935-6 | Ashford | 10 | |
| Q | 0-6-0 | 1938-9 | Eastleigh | 20 |
Maunsell also rebuilt, modified or continued the new construction of earlier classes
- LSWR H15 class – Further production
- LSWR N15 class – Further production
- LSWR S15 class – Further production
- LSWR M7 class – One superheated – not repeated
- LSWR T9 class – Superheated
- LSWR 700 class – Superheated
- SECR B1 class
- SECR D class as D1 class
- SECR O class – rebuilt as O1 class
- SECR N class – Further production
- SECR N1 class – Three-cylinder derivative of N class
- LB&SCR C2 class
- LB&SCR L class 4-6-4T – rebuilt as 4–6–0 SR N15X class
- LB&SCR E1 class 0-6-0T – rebuilt as 0-6-2T SR E1/R class
- LB&SCR I1 class – rebuilt as I1X class
O.V.S. Bulleid (1937–1949)
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Date | Builder | No. built | Comments |
| Q1 | 0-6-0 | 1942 | Ashford | 20 | |
| Q1 | 0-6-0 | 1942 | Brighton | 20 | |
| USA | 0-6-0T | 1942-3 | Vulcan | 13 | |
| USA | 0-6-0T | 1942-3 | H. K. Porter | 2 | |
| Merchant Navy | 4-6-2 | 1941-9 | Eastleigh | 20 | 10 more built by BR |
| West Country/Battle of Britain | 4-6-2 | 1945-51 | Brighton | 70 | 40 more built by BR |
| Leader | 0-6-0+0-6-0 | 1946-9 | Brighton | 5 | Only one completed; appeared after nationalisation |
Bulleid was also responsible for the mechanical part of the three electric locomotives built at Ashford Works in 1941 and 1948. The electrical part was the responsibility of the Southern Railway's Chief Electrical Engineer, Alfred Raworth. Bulleid also designed a 500 hp 0-6-0 diesel mechanical shunter powered by a Davey Paxman power unit. This was built at Ashford Works, though was not introduced until 1950, when it emerged as BR No. 11001.
Locomotives of constituent companies
London and South Western Railway
John Viret Gooch (1841–1851)
Joseph Hamilton Beattie (1850–1871)
William George Beattie (1871–1878)
William Adams (1878–1895)
Dugald Drummond (1895–1912)
Robert W. Urie (1912–1922)
South Eastern Railway
Benjamin Cubitt (1842-1845)
No SER locomotives built – stock administered by the London and Croydon, South Eastern, and London and Brighton Joint Locomotive Committee.James Cudworth (1845-1876)
- White Horse of Kent, 2-2-2, introduced 1845, later rebuilt as a 2-4-0
- SER 118 class 0-6-0 introduced 1855
- SER 59 class 2-4-0 introduced 1857
- SER Singles 2-2-2 introduced 1861
- SER 235 class 0-4-4T introduced 1866
John Ramsbottom (1876)
- SER Ironclads 2-4-0 introduced 1876
A. M. Watkin (1876)
- SER 152 class 'Folkestone Tanks' 0-6-0T introduced 1877
Richard Mansell (1877-1878)
- SER 58 class 'Mansell Gunboats' 0-4-4T introduced 1878
- SER 59 class 'Mansell Goods' 0-6-0 introduced 1879
James Stirling (1878-1898)
with domeless boilers. Many, however, were rebuilt with domes in later years.
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Date | No. built | Comments |
| A | 4-4-0 | 1879-81 | 12 | |
| O | 0-6-0 | 1878-99 | 122 | 58 rebuilt 1903-27 |
| 299 | 4-4-0T | 1880 | 3 | Made by Beyer-Peacock. Of Metropolitan Railway type, sold to that company in 1884 |
| 302 | 0-4-0T | 1881-96 | 2 | Crane tanks, made by Neilson and Company |
| 313 | 0-4-0ST | 1881 | 1 | made by Manning Wardle |
| Q | 0-4-4T | 1881-97 | 118 | First 12 fitted with condensers. 55 rebuilt 1903-19 |
| F | 4-4-0 | 1883-98 | 88 | 76 rebuilt 1903-19 |
| R | 0-6-0T | 1888-98 | 25 | 13 rebuilt 1910-22 |
| 353 | 0-6-0T | 1890 | 1 | made by Manning Wardle |
| B | 4-4-0 | 1898-9 | 29 | 27 rebuilt 1910-27 |
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
Initially, LC&DR engines were given names, they only received numbers after 1874.On the merger with the South Eastern in 1898, engine numbers were increased by 459, this being the highest number in use on that line.
Joseph Cubitt and Thomas Russell Crampton (1853–1860)
Surplus and secondhand acquisitions (1860–1861)
William Martley (1860–1874)
William Kirtley (1874–1898)
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Before 1899, both the South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway had some Crampton locomotives built by Robert Stephenson and Company. The SER also had some Cramptons built by Tulk and Ley.H. S. Wainwright (1899–1913)
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Date | Builder | No. Built | Comments |
| G | 4-4-0 | 1900 | Neilson | 5 | Originally built for the GNoSR |
| C | 0-6-0 | 1900-4 | SECR Ashford | 109 | No. 685 converted to a saddle tank in 1917 |
| C | 0-6-0 | 1901-4 | LCDR Longhedge | 109 | |
| C | 0-6-0 | 1900 | Neilson | 109 | |
| C | 0-6-0 | 1900 | Sharp Stewart | 109 | |
| R1 | 0-4-4T | 1900 | Sharp Stewart | 15 | |
| H | 0-4-4T | 1904-15 | SECR Ashford | 66 | |
| D | 4-4-0 | 1901 | Sharp Stewart | 51 | 21 rebuilt as Class D1 1921-7 |
| D | 4-4-0 | 1903 | Stephenson | 51 | 21 rebuilt as Class D1 1921-7 |
| D | 4-4-0 | 1903 | Vulcan Foundry | 51 | 21 rebuilt as Class D1 1921-7 |
| D | 4-4-0 | 1903 | Dübs | 51 | 21 rebuilt as Class D1 1921-7 |
| D | 4-4-0 | 1901-7 | SECR Ashford | 51 | 21 rebuilt as Class D1 1921-7 |
| Terrier | 0-6-0T | 1875 | LBSCR Brighton | 50 | Purchased from LBSCR in 1904 |
| E | 4-4-0 | 1905-10 | SECR Ashford | 26 | 11 rebuilt as Class E1 1919-20 |
| P | 0-6-0T | 1909-10 | SECR Ashford | 8 | |
| J | 0-6-4T | 1913 | SECR Ashford | 5 | |
| L | 4-4-0 | 1914 | Borsig | 22 | |
| L | 4-4-0 | 1914 | Beyer-Peacock | 22 |
- SECR B1 class 4-4-0 introduced 1900 rebuild of SER B Class
- SECR F1 class 4-4-0 introduced 1903 rebuild of SER F Class
- SECR O1 class 0-6-0 introduced 1903 rebuild of SER O Class
- SECR R1 class 0-6-0T introduced 1910 rebuild of SER R Class
R. E. L. Maunsell (1913–1922)
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Date | Builder | No. Built | Comments |
| N | 2-6-0 | 1917-22 | SECR Ashford | 12 | 68 more built by SR 1923-33 |
| N1 | 2-6-0 | 1922 | SECR Ashford | 1 | 3 cylinder variant of Class N. 5 more built by Southern Railway in 1930 |
| K | 2-6-4T | 1917 | SECR Ashford | 1 | "River" class. 20 more built by Southern Railway in 1925-6. All later converted to Class "U" tender engines. |
| S | 0-6-0ST | 1917 | 1 | Rebuild of Class C tender engine. | |
| E1 | 4-4-0 | 1919 | SECR Ashford | 1 | Rebuilds of Class E |
| E1 | 4-4-0 | 1920 | Beyer-Peacock | 10 | Rebuilds of Class E |
| D1 | 4-4-0 | 1922-7 | SECR Ashford | 11 | Rebuilds of Class D |
| D1 | 4-4-0 | 1921 | Beyer-Peacock | 10 | Rebuilds of Class D |
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
John Chester Craven (1847-1870)
William Stroudley (1870–1889)
Many of these engines were later renumbered, frequently into the "duplicate" series above 600.| Orig. Class | Later Class | Wheel arrangement | Date | No. built | Loco Nos. | Comments |
| 18 | 0-4-2T | 1871 | 2 | 18,21 | ||
| C "Jumbo" | 0-6-0 | 1871-4 | 20 | 77-96 | ||
| A "Terrier" | A1 | 0-6-0T | 1872-80 | 50 | 35-84 | 17 rebuilt as A1X, many sold to other railways |
| B ”Belgravia” | 2-4-0 | 1872-5 | 6 | 201-7 | ||
| 2-4-0T | 1873 | 1 | 53 | Built by Sharp Stewart | ||
| D | D1 | 0-4-2T | 1873-87 | 125 | 1-36, 221-297, 351-362 | 1 rebuilt as Class D1X in 1910 |
| E | E1 | 0-4-2T | 1874-91 | 78 | 85-156, 159-64 | 1 rebuilt as Class E1X in 1911, 10 converted to 0-6-2T by Southern Railway. |
| B | G | 2-2-2 | 1874 | 1 | 151 | "Grosvenor" |
| D "Lyons" | D2 | 0-4-2 | 1876-83 | 14 | 300-313 | |
| F | G | 2-2-2 | 1877 | 1 | 325 | "Abergavenny" |
| B “Richmond” | 0-4-2 | 1878-80 | 6 | 208-213 | ||
| G | 2-2-2 | 1880-2 | 24 | 327-350 | ||
| C "Jumbo" | C1 | 0-6-0 | 1882-7 | 12 | 421-432 | |
| B "Gladstone" | B1 | 0-4-2 | 1882-91 | 36 | 172-200, 214-220 | |
| E Special | 0-6-0T | 1884 | 1 | 157 | "Barcelona" | |
| F | E3 | 0-6-2T | 1891 | 1 | 158 | "West Brighton" |
R. J. Billinton (1890–1904)
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Date | No. built | Loco Nos. | Comments |
| D3 | 0-4-4T | 1892-6 | 36 | 363-398 | 396 and 397 rebuilt as Class D3X in 1909 |
| C2 | 0-6-0 | 1893-1902 | 55 | 433-452, 521-555 | 42 rebuilt as Class C2X 1908-40 |
| B2 | 4-4-0 | 1895-8 | 24 | 171, 201-212, 314-324 | all rebuilt as Class B2X 1907-10 |
| B3 | 4-4-0 | 1898 | 1 | 213 | all rebuilt as Class B2X 1907-10 |
| B4 | 4-4-0 | 1899-1902 | 33 | 42-74 | 12 rebuilt as Class B4X 1922-4 |
| E3 | 0-6-2T | 1894-5 | 16 | 165-170, 453-462 | Similar to No. 158 |
| E4 | 0-6-2T | 1897-1903 | 75 | 463-520, 556-566, 577-582 | 4 rebuilt as Class E4X 1909-11 |
| E5 | 0-6-2T | 1902-4 | 30 | 399-406, 567-576, 583-594 | 4 rebuilt as Class E5X in 1911 |
| E6 | 0-6-2T | 1904-5 | 12 | 407-418 | 2 rebuilt as class E6X in 1911 |
D. Earle Marsh (1905–1911)
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Date | No. built | Loco Nos. |
| H1 | 4-4-2 | 1905-6 | 5 | 37-41 |
| C3 | 0-6-0 | 1906 | 10 | 300-309 |
| I1 | 4-4-2T | 1906-7 | 20 | 1-10,595-604 |
| I2 | 4-4-2T | 1907-8 | 10 | 11-20 |
| I3 | 4-4-2T | 1907-13 | 27 | 21-30,75-91 |
| I4 | 4-4-2T | 1908 | 5 | 31-35 |
| J1 | 4-6-2T | 1910 | 1 | 325 |
| H2 | 4-4-2 | 1911-2 | 6 | 421-6 |
- LB&SCR B2X class 4-4-0 introduced 1907 rebuild of B2
- LB&SCR C2X class 0-6-0 introduced 1908 rebuild of C2
- LB&SCR E4X class 0-6-2T introduced 1909 rebuild of E4
- LB&SCR A1X class 0-6-0T introduced 1911 rebuild of A1
- LB&SCR E5X class 0-6-2T introduced 1911 rebuild of E5
- LB&SCR E6X class 0-6-2T introduced 1911 rebuild of E6
L. B. Billinton (1911–1922)
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Date | No. built | Loco Nos. |
| J2 | 4-6-2T | 1912 | 1 | 326 |
| E2 | 0-6-0T | 1913-6 | 10 | 100-109 |
| K | 2-6-0 | 1913-21 | 17 | 337-353 |
| L | 4-6-4T | 1914-22 | 7 | 327-333 |
- LB&SCR B4X class 4-4-0 introduced 1922 rebuild of B4
- LB&SCR I1X class 4-4-2T introduced 1923 rebuild of I1
Minor companies
Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway
| PD&SWJ No. | Name | Wheel arrangement | SR No. | Manufacturer | Year made | Year withdrawn | Comments |
| 3 | A. S. Harris | 0-6-0T | 756 | Hawthorn Leslie | 1907 | 1951 | |
| 4 | Earl of Mount Edgcumbe | 0-6-2T | 757 | Hawthorn Leslie | 1907 | 1956 | |
| 5 | Lord St. Leven | 0-6-2T | 757 | Hawthorn Leslie | 1907 | 1958 |
Freshwater, Yarmouth and Newport Railway
| FY&N No. | Wheel arrangement | SR No. | Manufacturer | Year made | Year withdrawn | Comments |
| 1 | 0-6-0T | W1 | Manning Wardle | 1902 | 1932 | Acquired 1913 |
| 2 | 0-6-0T | W2 | LBSCR Brighton Works | 1876 | 1963 | LB&SCR A1 class; acquired 1913; ex LSWR 734, ex LBSC 646, né LBSC 46 |
Isle of Wight Central Railway
| IWCR No. | Name | Wheel arrangement | SR No. | Manufacturer | Year made | Year withdrawn | Comments |
| 1 | Pioneer | 2-2-2T | — | Slaughter, Grüning & Co. | 1861 | 1904 | |
| 2 | Precursor | 2-2-2T | — | Slaughter, Grüning & Co. | 1861 | 1904 | |
| 1 | — | 0-4-0T | — | Hawthorn Leslie | 1906 | 1918 | |
| 2 | — | 0-4-4T | — | 1895 | 1917 | Acquired 1909 | |
| 3 | — | 0-4-2T | — | Black, Hawthorn & Co. | 1870 | 1918 | |
| 4 | Cowes | 2-4-0T | W4 | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1876 | 1925 | |
| 5 | Osborne | 2-4-0T | W5 | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1876 | 1926 | |
| 6 | Newport | 2-2-2T | — | R. & W. Hawthorn & Co. | 1861 | 1895 | Acquired 1875 |
| 6 | — | 4-4-0T | W6 | Black, Hawthorn & Co. | 1890 | 1926 | |
| 7 | — | 4-4-0T | — | Slaughter, Grüning & Co. | 1861 | 1906 | Acquired 1880 |
| 7 | — | 2-4-0T | W7 | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1882 | 1926 | Acquired 1906 |
| 8 | — | 2-4-0T | W8 | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1898 | 1929 | |
| 9 | — | 0-6-0T | W9 | LBSCR Brighton Works | 1872 | 1927 | LB&SCR A1 class; acquired 1899; ex LBSC 75 |
| 10 | — | 0-6-0T | W10 | LBSCR Brighton Works | 1874 | 1936 | LB&SCR A1 class; acquired 1900; ex LBSC 669, né LBSC 69 |
| 11 | — | 0-6-0T | W11 | LBSCR Brighton Works | 1878 | 1963 | LB&SCR A1 class; acquired 1902; ex LBSC 40 |
| 12 | — | 0-6-0T | W12 | LBSCR Brighton Works | 1880 | 1936 | LB&SCR A1 class; acquired 1903; ex LBSC 84 |
Isle of Wight Railway
| Name | Wheel arrangement | SR No. | Manufacturer | Year made | Year withdrawn | Comments |
| Ryde | 2-4-0T | W13 | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1864 | 1932 | |
| Sandown | 2-4-0T | — | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1864 | 1923 | |
| Shanklin | 2-4-0T | W14 | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1864 | 1927 | |
| Ventnor | 2-4-0T | W15 | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1868 | 1925 | |
| Wroxhall | 2-4-0T | W16 | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1872 | 1933 | |
| Brading | 2-4-0T | W17 | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1876 | 1926 | |
| Bonchurch | 2-4-0T | W18 | Beyer, Peacock & Co. | 1883 | 1928 | |
| Bembridge | 2-4-0T | — | Manning Wardle | 1875 | 1917 |
Diesel and electric locomotives
Diesel shunters
- The Southern Railway built three diesel shunters in 1937, numbered 1–3. These became British Rail 15201–15203, and were later classified as British Rail Class D3/12.
- Twenty-six similar locomotives were built in 1949–1951 after nationalisation. They were numbered 15211–15236, and were later classified as British Rail Class 12.
- British Rail 11001, Southern Railway design, built 1949 at Ashford Works
Mainline diesels
- The Southern designed a prototype class of mainline diesel-electric locomotive. Three were built, although none were finished before nationalisation. They were numbered 10201–10203, and later classified as British Rail Class D16/2.
Mainline electric
- The Southern Railway also built two mainline electric locomotives numbered CC1 and CC2. They were renumbered 20001 and 20002 after nationalisation. A third locomotive, 20003, was built in 1948. They were later classified as British Rail Class 70