LB&SCR E3 class
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2016}}
{{refimprove|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox Locomotive
|powertype=Steam
|name = LB&SCR E3 class
|image = File:LB&SCR E3 class No. 456 Aldingbourne.jpg
|caption =
|designer = William Stroudley (prototype), later R. J. Billinton
|builder = Brighton Works
|builddate = 1891 and 1894–1895
|totalproduction = 17
|whytetype = 0-6-2T
|gauge = {{track gauge|uksg|allk=on}}
|driverdiameter = {{convert|4|ft|6|in|m|3|abbr=on}}
|trailingdiameter = {{convert|4|ft|0|in|m|3|abbr=on}}
|length =
|locoweight = {{long ton|56|15}}
({{convert|57.7|t|ST|1|disp=output only}})
|fueltype = Coal
|fuelcap = {{convert|2.5|t|abbr=on}}
|watercap = {{convert|1377|impgal|abbr=on}}
|cylindercount = Two, inside
|cylindersize = {{convert|18|x|26|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}, later {{convert|17.5|x|26|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|firearea =
|boilerpressure = 158: {{convert|150|psi|MPa|2|abbr=on}}
453–462: {{convert|160|psi|MPa|2|abbr=on}}
165–170: {{convert|170|psi|bar MPa|2|abbr=on}}
|tractiveeffort = 453–462: {{convert|20055|lbf|kN|1|abbr=on}}
165–170: {{convert|21305|lbf|kN|1|abbr=on}}
|operatorclass = E3
|fleetnumbers = LBSC: 158, 453–462, 165–170
|powerclass = BR: 3F
|withdrawndate = 1934, 1949–1959
|disposition = All Scrapped
}}
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway E3 class were 0-6-2T side tank steam locomotives. One prototype was designed by William Stroudley shortly before his death, but was completed by R. J. Billinton, who later built sixteen further locomotives.
Background
In the summer of 1889, Stroudley designed a class of 0-6-2 radial tanks to replace his earlier E1 class 0-6-0T for short-distance goods and shunting duties. One locomotive was under construction at the time of his death in the December of that year. Intermittent progress on this locomotive was made until August 1891 when Stroudley's successor, R. J. Billinton ordered that further work be delayed whilst he made detailed modifications. This prototype locomotive, No. 158 West Brighton, appeared in traffic on 27 October 1891.{{cite book| last=Bradley| first=D.L.| title=Locomotives of the London Brighton & South Coast Railway: Part 2| publisher=Railway Correspondence and Travel Society| location=London| year=1972| isbn=0-901115-21-5| page=47}} The new locomotive was originally classified as F class.
Once the teething troubles had been rectified, Billinton ordered a further sixteen locomotives to a broadly similar design but with increased boiler pressure. These were originally classified 'E-special' and entered traffic between November 1894 and December 1895.{{cite book| last=Bradley| first=D.L.| title=Locomotives of the London Brighton & South Coast Railway: Part 2| publisher=Railway Correspondence and Travel Society| location=London| year=1972| isbn=0-901115-21-5| pages=118–119}} All were rebuilt with new boilers and extended smokeboxes from 1918 and some had increased boiler pressure.
Both classes were later re-classified as 'E3' by D. E. Marsh, but were often referred to as 'Small Radials'. The cylinder diameter was later reduced from {{convert|18|to|17.5|in|mm|0}} by the Southern Railway.
Use
The class was found to be useful on the freight and shunting duties for which they were designed, but the small wheels limited their usefulness on suburban passenger duties. As a result, further construction of radial tanks was of the larger wheeled E4 class (known as 'Large Radials) introduced in 1897.
The prototype No. 158 was withdrawn in 1934, but the remainder of the class entered British Railways service in 1948 and were numbered 32165–32170 and 32453–32462. The final E3 was withdrawn in 1959 and all were scrapped.
References
{{reflist}}
Other sources
- {{cite book| last=Burtt| first=F.| year=1903| title=The locomotives of the London Brighton & South Coast Railway 1839-1903| publisher=The Locomotive Publishing Company}}
- {{cite book| title=Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, part 2| year=1949| pages=33–34}}
External links
- [http://www.railuk.info/steam/getsteamclass.php?item=E3 Rail UK database entry]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706131139/http://www.lbscr.demon.co.uk/locos/E3.html LB&SCR online — E3 locomotives]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706131059/http://www.lbscr.demon.co.uk/locos/F.html LB&SCR online — F locomotive No. 158]
{{LB&SCR locomotives}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:LBandSCR E3 class}}
Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1891