Introduced in 1913, the E2 class were the first of Billinton's own designs for the LB&SCR, built to replace some of the early Stroudley E1 goods engines. With the advantage of improved boiler feeds the E2 class were less restricted in their activities than the E1 class. However the first five members of the class suffered from inadequate water capacity.
Background
No. 165 Blatchington in 1906, the first of the E3 class of 1894.
The StroudleyE1 class, built from 1874 to 1891, were used as station pilots and on short-distance goods trains on the LB&SCR, with the class eventually replaced by the E3 class of 1894, designed by Stroudley's successor, R. J. Billinton, father of L. B. Billinton, based on the prototype E3 class No. 158West Brighton, designed as an 0-6-2T in 1891,[1] and based on the Stroudley E1/R class variant. The radial tanks on the E1 were beneficial on most goods trains except the heaviest, with their small wheels limiting their usefulness on suburban passenger services. The E3 class were succeeded by larger and more powerful locomotives such as the E4, E5, and E6 classes.[2] With retirements of the older E1 engines beginning in 1908.[3] R. J. Billinton was succeeded as Locomotive Superintendent by D. E. Marsh in 1904.
E1X class No. 89 as rebuilt by Marsh as a prototype for the E2 class.
By 1910, many of the E1 class were worn out and insufficient for the heavier duties now required of them. The LB&SCR had been aware for some years that the E1 class were nearing the end of their serviceability, not due to mechanical failure, but because the local goods and shunting duties they were used on so successfully were becoming too heavy.[4][5] One of Marsh's last acts was to rebuild E1 class No. 89 Brest at Brighton works, classified as E1X class, forming the prototype of the later E2 class.[5] Marsh had always been reluctant to scrap rolling stock, often choosing to reboiler or otherwise renew engines,[4] L. B. Billinton, however, having succeeded Marsh in 1911, firmly believed that older locomotives were best scrapped and replaced with more modern, larger machines.[5] Marsh's rebuild of No. 89 Brest included a larger boiler (to the same design as that of the D1X class), extended water tanks and coal bunker, a new cab, and steam sanding installed.[6] Marsh had intended to rebuild further E1 class to E1X, but was unexpectedly forced to retire, citing poor health, however, irregularities in his accounting had been discovered shortly before his departure.
History
Design and construction
Second series E2 class, SR No. 2105 (originally 105), with extended tanks from 1915, during Southern Railway (SR) ownership.
By November 1911, L. B. Billinton was advised that a class of 20 local goods and shunting locomotives should be built by way of renewing older designs. Billinton, preferring to build new designs, designed and ordered five new 0-6-0T tank engines by October 1912 from Brighton works at a cost of £2,010 each, and at the same time set a side a similar number of E1 class for withdrawal.[4]
The class included several features found on other LB&SCR classes, such as an I2 class boiler producing 170 psi (1.17 MPa), modified to accommodate a Weir pump and hot water injector for use with high-pressure steam, the cylinders and motion were from the B4 class, but reduced to 17 ½ inches.[5] Billinton was persuaded that no advantages would accrue from superheating[5][a] small tank engines intended for local goods or shunting operations, and thus considered superheating a wasteful extra expense resulting in added maintenance.[3][4]
The E2 class had slotted frames, with the running board featuring a curved drop towards each - which became a staple of Billinton's designs, six small wheels of 4ft 6in (1.372m) in diameter, the tanks had a water capacity of 1,090impgal (5,000L; 1,310USgal) with a weight of 52 3/4long tons (52,750 kg).[7] Five engines were built to the original design with short side tanks, numbered 100 to 104, entering service between May and December 1913.[8] The E2 class were more powerful than the E1 class which they replaced, with the advantage of improved boiler feeds, giving them broader availability.[5] However, the initial five engines were handicapped by their small water capacity.[5][9]
The first three engines, Nos. 100-102, were equipped with a reverser handle, whilst the last two, Nos. 103-104, were fitted with a screw-and-handle system.[5][b] Though occupied with the introduction of the K and L classes, Billinton, with approval sanctioned by the board in March 1914, ordered five more from Brighton at a cost of £2217 per locomotive. However, as a result of World War I, construction was delayed, resulting in the final member of the E2 class, No. 109, not being completed until late 1916.
Because of the small water capacity on the first five engines, Billinton gave the next batch of five engines, Nos. 105-109, extended side tanks, increasing water capacity increased by 166 gallons, totalling 1,256impgal (5,710L; 1,508USgal).[10][11][5][10] The second batch had the bottom at the front cut out to give access to the motion, as to extend their range without having to take on water, the overall length of the engines was also extended by 3 1⁄2 inches, and air assisted screw-and-handle reversing fitted to aid with shunting and allow the engines to work passenger trains.[9][12] The weight distribution of the wheels of the second batch had alterations in addition to the extended tanks; their weight increased to 53 long tons 10 cwt (53,508,023 kg).[10]
Operations
The first of the E2 class engines, No. 100 was sent new to Eastbourne, shunting locally and working the mid-day goods to various utility sidings and down to the ballast hole on Crumbles beach.[13] This supplied the LB&SCR's shingle for ballasting its track, between May and July 1914, 3,835 tons were dispatched, ballast was also exported to the Midland Railway to balance its inward coal sheds at Battersea,Brighton and New Cross.[4] Nos. 103 and 104 went to New Cross ,[4] No. 101 to Battersea and No. 102 to Brighton where it was employed on goods trains to Hassocks.[4]
In 1914 Nos. 103 and 104 were fitted with the standard air assisted screw-and-handlesystem, painted in the LB&SCR passenger livery of umber lined with darker umber with yellowlettering, and provided with push-pull equipment, working in the middle of two sets of three coaches, running between London Bridge,Forest Hill and Cristal Palace.[13] However, due to insufficient coal capacity, couldn't sustain continuous journeys between the shortly spaced stations for a prolonged period[8] it was also discovered that the E2 class excessively oscillated when accelerating from stations or signals and was quite unsteady at high speeds; fire-throwing also proved to be a problem.[4]
E2 class heading a passenger train in the 1920s, either No. 103 or 104.
No. 104 was later transferred to Tunbridge Wells for the local motor-train service there, but, likely due to severe oscillation when accelerating from a complete stop was found to be unacceptable.[4] The push-pull equipment was discarded and both engines returned to shunting and local goods duties.[4]
The first four of the second variant with extended tanks, Nos. 105-108 went to London for use on piloting and empty stock workings out of London Bridge, and Victoria, but due to wartime demand, saw them increasingly involved in conveying wagons to the Midland and Great Northern Railways (GNR).[11] No. 105, and No. 108 went to Battersea, while No. 106, and No. 107 went to New Cross, and No. 109 to Brighton. Nos. 106 and 107 spent much of their time piloting at London or empty-stock duties. Nos. 105 and 108 were employed on local goods trains, occasionally one of them worked in the Norwood Junctiongoods yard at Battersea.[10] In May 1916, No. 105 was transferred to ThreeBridges to assist in marshalling goods trains arriving from the GNR and Great Western Railway. However, the local engine drivers preferred the older E3 class, and No. 105 was returned to Battersea.[11]
After the end of hostilities the cost of wages had increased rapidly during the war years, and in 1921 Billinton was instructed to carry out a series of time-and-motion studies regarding the likely expenditure of his department. With shunting in mind, a service movement recorder was fitted to No. 109, resulting in the rescheduling of some main line goods services and making more efficient use of the yard pilots, reducing the number of shunting engines daily in steam by eleven.[11][10]
After the grouping of 1923 in which the LB&SCR was amalgamated into the Southern Railway (SR), the E2 class, which were renumbered Nos. 2100-2109, were allocated to piloting duties at London Victoria station, and continued working local goods trains. However, as a result of the General Strike of 1926,[11] Nos. 103, 104, 106, and 107 were employed as passenger locomotives.. These engines operated around London and, on-occasion, other members of the class also pulled passenger trains,[14] such as when No. 109 worked a local service whilst on loan to Tunbridge Wells, while also working morning pick-up goods trains to Three Bridges.[11][15]
The LB&SCR locomotive designs had little impact on the locomotive policy of the Southern Railway after 1923. However, in late 1927 Maunsell ordered studies for a new 0-6-0T to replace a large numbers of pre-Grouping locomotives; the E2 class was the starting point.[citation needed] A total of 105 engines similar to the ex-LB&SCR E2 class were proposed as a standard SR branch line type, but financial constraints resulted in the cancelation of this project.[16]
Following the electrification of the Brighton line in 1936, the class was used as replacements for the ex-LCDRT class at the Herne Hill marshalling yard, around Victoria station; being used to sort sidings and to move empty stock around Victoria.[17] In the late-1930s, Nos. 2106 and 2107 were allocated to Dover to shunt sleeping coaches and other rolling stock on and off the new train ferries, always bringing in the Wagon-Lits stock for the Night Ferry and then bank the train to Chatham. The E2s allocated to shunting the train ferries from France ceased doing so at the outbreak of World War II in 1939.[11] During World War II the E2 class were assigned to Stewarts Lane, Nos. 2108 and 2109 temporarily filling-in for an SR Z class at Hither Green marshalling yard; the Z class heaving been loaned to the War Department, but they were not very well received and were moved to Dover in 1944 when the Second Front was opened.[11]
BR No. 32106 on a goods train.
After World War II, in 1948, the Southern Railway absorbed into British Railways, and the weir pump on the E2 class was discarded and replaced by injectors. The class were reallocated to Southampton Docks to replace withdrawn E1 class engines on trip working and shunting in the mid-1950s, working alongside USATC S100 tank engines.[18] Six examples were retained for this purpose and were found to be quite well suited in this niche before being replaced by BR class 07 diesel shunters in 1962.[4]:129-131
When the E2 class was retired it was among one of the last classes of the LB&SCR to be withdrawn, along with the E4 and A1 classes, all of which were retired in 1963.[19] The top mileage for the class was 799,110.000 miles (1,286,042.884km) other members had a similar mileage,[20] none survived into preservation, the last two engines being retired in April 1963 and scrapped that same year.
Hornby produced the locomotive in its earliest form as an OO gauge model. Production lasted from 1979 to 1985 in three distinct variants with four reference numbers.[24]
Notes
↑Billinton deemed the superheaters unnecessary for use on the E2s, whilst on shunting duties.[5]
↑Billinton deemed the superheaters unnecessary for use on the E2s, whilst on shunting duties.[5]
References
↑"LBSCR E3 Class". SREMG.org. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
↑Cocks, C. S. (1949). History of Southern Railway Locomotives to 1938 (Dimensions of Locomotives) (1sted.). The Institution of Locomotive Engineers, London. p.16. ISSN2058-3370.
↑"Thomas the Tank Engine". (The real prototype locomotives that inspired the Rev W Awdry). The Real Lives of Thomas the Tank Engine. Archived from the original on 13 December 2004. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
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