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LSWR Drummond S11 class 4-4-0

photograph: Mike Morant collection

S11 Class N°397 on shed in Southern Railway days.
In the early years of LSWR services to the west of Salisbury Joseph Beattie established the policy of using smaller wheeled locomotives to handle the steep gradients, a policy that continued until Dugald Drummond arrived on the scene and sent his T9s to work these services. However, after a while he, too, came to the conclusion that smaller wheels were better for the difficult working conditions there and was persuaded to build ten 4-4-0s with 6' 1" driving wheels in 1903. Completed by the end of this year, this S11 class was nothing more than the late build T9s with smaller wheels and 4' 9" diameter boilers. Originally rostered to the West Country, the smaller wheels and larger boilers offered no advantage over the Greyhounds on the banks with crews preferring the latters' considerably higher speeds on downgrades and level stretches of line. The S11s were also thirstier, an important factor on a railway with no water troughs! Their higher pitched boiler affected the ride to such an extent that drivers were not inclined to approach junctions or speed restrictions at the same rate as they would in a T9. With this point in mind it is, perhaps, unfortunate that an S11 wasn't rostered for the Ocean Mail special on 10th June 1906! The S11s were, however, generally good locomotives that served the LSWR well and were not displaced until the Urie N15 class 4-6-0s came on the scene in 1918.

An important technical advance made by Drummond with the S11 class was the use of a built-up mild steel crank axle in which the crank webs were extended in a direction contrary to the crank pins, with the 'tail' so formed avoiding the need for balance weights on the driving wheels. The S11s were the first British locomotives to be balanced in this way. Starting in 1920 the locomotives were all fitted with Eastleigh style superheaters, which were subsequently replaced by those of the Maunsell variety, starting from 1925.

In 1941 all ten locomotives of this class were lent to the LM&SR, shedded mainly on the S&DJR but with occasional workings from Saltley, Burton and Peterborough. 403 and 404 returned to the Southern on 30th December 1944, 395, 396 and 397 on 6th January 1945, 402 on 3rd March 1945 with the final four returning during April 1945.
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  • 395
    Yeovil
    N°395 photographed on shed at Yeovil during SR days, with sister engine N°396 next in the line.
    Photograph: Dr. Ian C. Allan/Mike Morant collection.
  • 30399
     
    N°30399 captured in early BR livery, quite possibly in a line of withdrawn engines. The larger diameter boiler looks quite bulky from this angle.
    Photograph: Mike Morant collection.

Technical Details

Introduced: 1903
Driving Wheel:
Bogie Wheel:
Length:
   With 6 wheel tender
Weight:
   After Superheating:
Water Capacity:
Cylinders (2):
Boiler Pressure:
Tractive Effort:
Coal Capacity:
SR Power Classification:
LMS and BR Power Classification:		 1903
ft 1 ins
3 ft 7 in
57 ft 5/8 ins
   55 ft 11 in
96 tons 17 cwt
   97 tons 32 cwt
4,000 gals
19 in x 26 in
175 lb sq in
19,126 lb
5 ton 0 cwt
E
2-P

Data

LSWR & SR N° BR N° Built Eastleigh S/H Maunsell S/H Withdrawn
395 30395 Jun 1903 Jul 1921 Feb 1930 Sep 1951
396 30396 Jun 1903 Apr 1922 Nov 1925 Nov 1951
397 30397 Jul 1903 Aug 1921 Jan 1931 Nov 1951
398 30398 Jul 1903 Jul 1922 May 1930 Nov 1951
399 30399 Aug 1903 May 1920 Jan 1931 Nov 1951
400 30400 Sep 1903 Jul 1921 Nov 1931 Oct 1954
401 30401 Nov 1903 Feb 1922 Apr 1930 Aug 1951
402 30402 Nov 1903 Jul 1922 Mar 1929 Feb 1951
403 30403 Dec 1903 Oct 1921 Oct 1929 Sep 1951
404 30404 Dec 1903 Dec 1921 Feb 1931 Nov 1951

This page was last updated 13 July 201

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