LB&SCR A1 Class

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Boxhill is preserved as part of the National Collection at the National Railway Museum.

The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) A1 Class is a class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive generally known as Terriers. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 were built in 1872 and 1874-1880. They were designed for hauling commuter trains, mainly in South London, but were soon made obsolete and put on other work, often finding use on branch line passenger and freight workings and as shunting engines. Between 1911 and 1913, 12 were reboilered, with another four following suit after the Great War; these engines forming the A1X Class. Many however were withdrawn between 1898-1920.

Fifteen of the class entered British Railways stock in 1948, and BR gave them the power classification 0P. They lasted longer than most classes of pre-grouping tank engine due to the presence of several light railways in the Southern Region's jurisdiction, which needed small engines such as the 'Terrier' class due to severe weight restrictions. The most notable of these lines were the Kent & East Sussex Railway and the Hayling Island branch.

1 Preservation
2 The A1 class in fiction
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Preservation

The following members of the class (10 in total) have been preserved, and may be seen at a number of lines in the South of England. The engines are listed in order of their LB&SCR identity; the identity in bold is their current running identity as of September 2006.

40 Brighton (preserved at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway as W11 Newport )
46 Newington (preserved at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway as W8 Freshwater )
50 Whitechapel (preserved at the Kent & East Sussex Railway, on loan to the Spa Valley Railway as no. 32650 Sutton )
54 Waddon (preserved in Canada)
55 Stepney (preserved at the Bluebell Railway)
62 Martello (preserved at the Bressingham Steam Museum as 662 Martello )
70 Poplar (preserved at the Kent & East Sussex Railway as 3 Bodiam )
72 Fenchurch (preserved at the Bluebell Railway as 672 Fenchurch )
78 Knowle (preserved at the Kent & East Sussex Railway as 32678)
82 Boxhill (presevred at the National Railway Museum)

Late in their LB&SCR careers, the two-digit numbers were prefixed by a 6 and their names replaced the inscription LBSC on their side tanks (so 55 became 655).

In Southern Railway ownership the class were renumbered with a 2 prefix (so 670 became 2670)

A further renumbering in BR ownership saw the remaining members of the class gain a 3 at the start (2678 becoming 32678, for instance).

[edit] The A1 class in fiction

A1 Class Stepney, as portrayed in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends

An A1 class locomotive, Stepney takes a leading role in Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine, one of the books in The Railway Series of children's books written by Rev. W. Awdry. This character also appeared in the television series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

[edit] Trivia

No.40 Brighton (later 640, 2640, 32640 and W11) was hand-chosen by William Stroudley to represent the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway at the Paris Exhibition of 1878, and won a gold medal for her workmanship.

No.72 Fenchurch was sold to the Newhaven Harbour Board in 1898 for use on the company's branch line and yards around Newhaven Harbour. When the company was absorbed into the Southern Railway in 1923, the obvious number, 2678, had already been allocated, so the engine reverted to the vacant 2636 number, which she would retain throughout her career.

No.55 Stepney (as no. 32655) was the first engine to arrive at the first standard gauge preserved line in the UK, the Bluebell Railway in April 1960, joined by sister 'Terrier' no.32636 (formerly no.72 Fenchurch) in 1963, effectively making her the doyen of the current heritage railway movement.

There were plans during her restoration in the early 2000s to restore no.662 Martello to full mainline standards to allow her to appear at Open Days on the mainline in steam, but the costs involved prevented this.

At the time of her withdrawal in late 1962, No.32636 (formerly 72 Fenchurch) was widely acclaimed as the oldest working steam engine in British Railways ownership.