LMS Route: Stratford Midland Junction - The Shakespeare Route

E&WJR and SMJ - Locomotives and Rolling Stock: smjsa301

SMJ 0-6-0 No 7, a former London Brighton & South Coast Railway C1 class locomotive, stands alongside the original E&WJR timber built engine shed. Built Brighton works as LBSC No 428 in June 1884, it was withdrawn in November 1920 to be sold to the SMJ in 1921 and after grouping was allocated the No 2303 which it carried until withdrawn by the LMS in June 1925. The early years of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway didn't see much requirement for heavy goods haulage and the locomotives provided by Craven handled such traffic as there was quite competently. These did not, of course, last for ever so in 1882 Stroudley introduced his C1 class 0-6-0, a development of his first design, the C class of 1871. The new locomotives were also variously known as "New C" and "Jumbos". Twelve locomotives were built by Brighton Works between 1882 and 1887, based upon Stroudley's disappointing C class 0-6-0 design of 1873–74, but incorporating a larger boiler. One oddity of the class was the provision of just ten tenders! These were shared amongst the twelve engines as required, though in later years an eleventh tender, of passenger locomotive design, was acquired for No 423.

Built in three batches, in 1882, 1884 and 1887, slight differences appeared with those built in 1884 and onwards having air operated reversing gear. In summer the locomotives were frequently co-opted for heavy excursion traffic, for which duties they received speed indicators and Westinghouse air brakes. It has to be said that these locomotives were not as successful as Stroudley's other designs for passenger locomotives with inadequate feed arrangements, bad boiler circulation and poor braking and all bar two were withdrawn between 1907 and 1911, without any re-building; no further examples were built. One that lasted longer was No 423, SMJ No 7 seen above. The other survivor, No 430, remained at Fratton for many years, but was sent from there to New Cross, to be withdrawn by the Southern Railway in 1924 and scrapped the following year.

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