Former SER R Class 0-6-0T locomotive as Southern Railway 1155 at Ashford in about 1936
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. 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, Nº1010 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 The first loco to be withdrawn was Nº341 as early as 1914, but no more were withdrawn until 1934.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survived the war years, but all thirteen of the R1 Class survived into British Railways' ownership, with the last being withdrawn in March 1960. (ex-SER 155) was built in 1894 and withdrawn in 1939
Size: 4126px × 2594px
Location: Ashford, Kent, UK
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1155, ashford, class, engine, locomotive, railway, ser, southern, sr, steam, stirling, tank
