SREmG
 

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SER R and R1 classes, 0-6-0T

photograph: Mike Morant collection

R1 Class N°1010 in Southern Railway days, complete with shortened chimney.

The SER R Class 0-6-0T was the first of a series of 0-6-0 tanks provided for the SER by J. Stirling. Prior to this the SER had been the only line of its size in Britain not using tank locomotives of this wheel arrangement, although three had been trialled many years earlier on the Folkestone Harbour branch. Principally built for shunting, the R Class was rarely seen in London being used in the main in Kent for such duties, also some passenger trains on the Whitstable branch and the Elham Valley line. Built with round-top cabs they were the only Stirling locos so treated, all his other classes having the more usual square type of cab. The boiler was the same as on the Q Class and the frames were the same as on the O Class tender locomotive.

Wainwright subsequently fitted two of the class, numbers 153 and 336, with new boilers pitched 73/8" higher to accommodate a deeper firebox.

Starting in 1910 Wainwright then rebuilt another thirteen locos as class R1 with his domed boiler and "Pagoda" cab ¶. Leading sandboxes under the footplate were provided on some of the locos, whilst those assigned for working the Folkestone Harbour branch had additional sandboxes in front of the driving wheels. This added to the confusion of class identities within the SECR as there had already been a SECR R1 Class in existence since 1900, being a larger version of the LCDR R Class locos!

¶ Locos numbered 10, 107 and 147 kept their Stirling rounded cabs and had their chimneys cut down for working through Tyler Tunnel on the Whitstable branch.

In 1938 Bulleid gave one locomotives, N°1010 a replacement boiler with "Ross" safety valves and Urie stove pipe chimney. Later two more, numbers 1147 and 1339 were given the same treatment.

The first loco to be withdrawn was N°341 as early as 1914, but no more were withdrawn until 1934. None of the R Class survived the war years, but all thirteen of the R1 Class survived into British Railways' ownership, with the last being withdrawn in March 1960. These locos had been particularly well known for their work on the Folkestone Harbour boat trains. It could take as many as four locos to lift a heavy train up the gradient from the Harbour station.

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  • 1070
     
    R Class N°1070, date and location unknown. Note the height of the "normal" chimney when compared with that fitted to N°1010 at the top of this page.
    Photograph: Mike Morant collection.
  • 31107
    Folkeston Hbr
    R1 Class N°31107 at Folkestone Harbour. From the direction of the smoke it would appear this loco was banking the train up the gradient.
    Photograph: Mike Morant collection.
  • 31128
    Boiler Empty
    R1 Class N°31128, date and location unknown. The writing chalked on the tank proclaims, "Boiler Empty".
    Photograph: Mike Morant collection.

Technical Details

 

Introduced:
Driving Wheel:
Water Capacity:
Cylinders (2):
Boiler Pressure:
Tractive Effort:
Coal Capacity:
Weight:

R

1888
5 ft 2 ins
750 gals
18 in x 26 in
140 lb sq in
16,170 lb
1 ton 15 cwt
42 tons 10 cwt

R1

1910
 
 
 
160 lb sq in
18,480 lb

Data

The SER was, if anything, the worst of the Southern Companies when it came to numbering locomotive classes out of consecutive order and the R and R1 Classes were no exception! The following table is set out in order of build:
 
SER/SE&CR N° SR N° # BR N° Built Rebuilt as R1 Withdrawn
335 1335 31335 Jun 1888 1915 Jul 1955
336 1336 - Jun 1888 - Jun 1941
337 1337 31337 Jun 1888 1922 Feb 1960
338 1338 - Jun 1888 - Mar 1934
339 1339 31339 Feb 1889 1911 Jun 1958
340 1340 31340 Mar 1889 1913 Feb 1959
341 - - 1889 - 1914
342 1342 - Apr 1889 - Jul 1931
77 1077 - Nov 1890 - Dec 1932
147 1147 31147 Nov 1890 1912 ¶ Sep 1958
10 1010 31010 Dec 1890 1913 ¶ Aug 1959
152 1152 - Jul 1892 - Jan 1934
153 1153 - Jul 1892 - Mar 1935
154 1154 31154 Jul 1892 1912 Aug 1955
124 1124 - Oct 1892 - Sep 1943
128 1128 31128 Oct 1892 1913 Aug 1959
174 1174 31174 Oct 1892 1914 Aug 1959
47 1047 31047 Aug 1895 1913 Mar 1960
125 1125 - Sep 1895 - Mar 1937
127 1127 31127 Aug 1895 1914 Jan 1949
126 1126 - Sep 1895 - Mar 1934
69 1069 31069 Jun 1898 1910 Jun 1958
70 1070 - Jun 1898 - Apr 1942
107 1107 31107 Jun 1898 1914 ¶ Aug 1959
155 1155 - Jun 1898 - Oct 1939
¶    Kept Stirling rounded cab and had chimney cut down for working through Tyler Tunnel on the Whitstable branch.
#     Between 1923 and 1928 SR numbers were the SE&CR numbers with the prefix A. However, the new SR numbers may not have been carried until some time later.

This page was created 4 April 2008

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