LB&SCR K Class
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Power type | Steam |
|---|---|
| Configuration | 2-6-0 |
| Driver size | 5 ft 6 in |
| Length | 50 ft |
| Total weight | 78 tons 8 cwt |
| Boiler pressure | 170 lb/in² |
| Cylinders | 2 |
| Cylinder size | 21 in x 26 in |
| Tractive effort | 26,580 lbs |
| Career | London Brighton and South Coast Railway |
| Class | 4P/5F |
| Locale | Great Britain |
| First run | February 1913 |
These powerful 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotives were designed by L. B. Billinton of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway in February 1913. The first five were built at Brighton works and appeared in traffic between September 1913 and November 1914. The design was judged to be successful, and a further five were ordered, but due to the difficulties of obtaining materials during World War I they did not appear in traffic until late 1916. The design was used to haul both heavy freight (including munitions) and also troop trains during the war. A further seven locomotives were ordered from Brighton railway works after the end of the war which appeared in traffic between December 1920 and March 1921.
During the spring of 1924, following the grouping of the railways of southern England to form the Southern Railway in January 1923, the class were compared with other freight locomotives from the constituent companies. They were found to be more expensive to run than other alternatives and so no more were built. The seventeen examples spent the remainder of their years primarily working on the lines of Central Section of the Southern Railway (latterly British Railways Southern Region). The class was withdrawn en-bloc during November and December 1962 and no examples have been preserved.
