LB&SCR K class

Infobox Locomotive
name=London Brighton and South Coast Railway K class
powertype=Steam
whytetype=2-6-0
firstrundate=February 1913
driversize=5 ft 6 in
length=50 ft
weight=78 tons 8 cwt
cylindercount=2
cylindersize=21 in x 26 in
boilerpressure=170 lb/in²
tractiveeffort=26,580 lbs
railroad=London Brighton and South Coast Railway, Southern Railway (Great Britain), Southern Region of British Railways
locale=Great Britain
railroadclass=4P/5F

London Brighton and South Coast Railway Class K or LB&SCR K Class were powerful 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotives were designed by L. B. Billinton of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway in February 1913.

Construction

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 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, and these appeared in traffic between December 1920 and March 1921.

Post-grouping

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 the alternatives and so no more were built. The seventeen examples spent the remainder of their years primarily working on the lines of the Central Section of the Southern Railway, latterly the Southern Region of British Railways.

Withdrawal

The class was withdrawn en-bloc during November and December 1962. The early Bluebell Railway had hoped to purchase an example for preservation, but were unable to do so, and the class became extinct.

External links

* [http://www.semgonline.com/steam/kclass_01.html Southern e-group article]