Talking Stock #17 Drummond’s 4-4-0s more than just T9s!

Entry posted by Graham_Muz November 4, 2012

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This post highlights some of the examples of Dougal Drummond of the LSWR 4-4-0s that I have models of (some of his other classes will no doubt be the subject of future posts) and can sometimes be seen running on Fisherton Sarum. Many of these these examples have been kit built.

Although not his first 4-4-0 design for the LSWR, that was the C8 class, his second is probably his most well known and much loved being the T9 class known as ‘greyhounds’. First introduced in 1899 the 66 strong class had a 10' wheel base and a 7’4" firebox (both 1ft longer than the C8) with 6’7" driving wheels. once superheated during the 1920?s their performance was legendary. The first twenty engines were built at Nine Elms between June 1899 and February 1900. At the same time thirty engines were built by Dubs & Co A further fifteen engines were built at Nine Elms between December 1900 and October 1901.This batch were identifiable by having wider cabs and splashers which enclosed the throw of the coupling rods unlike the earlier batches with narrow cabs and separate additional smaller splashers for the rods.

Whilst most people associate this class with the Drummond 4000 gallon inside bearing ‘watercart’ tenders a number were paired to 6 wheel 3500 gallon tenders and these weere swapped about during the lifetime of the class.

In 1901/2 Drummond introduced the K10 class known as “Small Hoppers”, a class of 40 which shared the same cylinders, boiler and firebox as the earlier C8 class but with 5’7" driving wheels for mixed traffic duties. Like the C8 class their steaming ability was not great so they generally were kept on secondary routes.

1903 saw the introduction of the ‘Large Hoppers’ officially the L11 class again of 40 locomotives, these were in effect the slightly larger brother of the K10 class, still with 5’7" driving wheels but with the same longer wheel base and firebox of the T9 class. Like the K10 they were never superheated.

1903 also saw the introduction of the 10 locos of the S11 class essentially an adaptation of the T9, also superheated but with smaller 6' drivers and larger 4’9" boiler. This class was followed by the L12 class of 20 locos in 1904 that was a further adaption of S11 class with the larger boiler but higher pitched on the essentially same chassis as the T9. I am yet to add these classes to my fleet.

The final 10 Drummond 4-4-0s introduced were the D15 class which was a verson of the L12 class but with a longer boiler and firebox, with an overall 18" longer wheelbase than the T9. The D15s performed exceptionally well and were put to work on the Bournemouth line run where, apparently, many drivers preferred them to the less successful Drummond 4-6-0s designs. They latterly saw extensive use on the Portsmouth line.