S&D pre 1950

[Guest]

Does anyone know what southern engines were used on the Somerset and Dorset  pre 1950s ? I have plenty of books on the line but all from the 50s and 60s till closure.

[PenrithBeacon]

In addition to the SDJR residents, Black 5, Ivatt 4 Mogul (with double chimney) and Horwich Crab were reasonably common

[Guest]

No I mean other than the west country / battle of Britain light Pacific's which were introduced about 1950/1 on the s&d what southern engines were used before , if any. Or was it just midland motive power in the 30s and 40s?

[LMS2968]

I think the agreement was that the Southern provided the rolling stock and the LMS the motive power, but the S&D is a bit outside my area.

[Blandford1969]

Just now, LMS2968 said:

I think the agreement was that the Southern provided the rolling stock and the LMS the motive power, but the S&D is a bit outside my area.

That is correct. SR locos on the S&D was very rare prior to nationalisation. Photos from the 30s and 40s show only S&D, LMS and MR engines. I seem to remember a K10 or L11 may have got up the line. 

[Guest]

Thanks chaps.

I do wonder what a Gresley V2 would have performed like up the bank out of bath. 

Even the West country / battle of Britain s struggled with more than 8 on.

[Innerhome]

The Somerset and Dorset Railway 1935 - 1966 Mike Arlett & David Lockett - has some short sections pre 1950.  The text says that pre WW2 - basically LMS.  Then at outbreak of WW2 Southern S11 and T9 4-4-0s and T1 0-4-4Ts - (but no photographs included). At end of WW2 southern stock goes back - and not until early 50s does the wonderful mix of different locomotive types start to happen. 

[Guest]

Cheers that just the sort of info I needed.

[The Johnster]

4 hours ago, matto3868 said:

Thanks chaps.

I do wonder what a Gresley V2 would have performed like up the bank out of bath. 

Even the West country / battle of Britain s struggled with more than 8 on.

Conjecture of course, but depending on what the limiting factor was with a Spam Can, adhesion or power, a V2 might have done a coach better.  A prairie has better weight distribution over the drivers than a pacific, and is less likely to slip.  Power wise there isn't a lot to choose between them; both are 3 cylinder locos with driving wheels around the same size.

 

But this sort of comparison depends on 'other things being equal' which they never are.  A WD 2-8-0 was trialled on the S & D and found to be inferior to the Derby built 2-8-0s, though nominally more powerful.  But the trials were done with Green Park crews unfamiliar with the loco, so the best was never going to be got out of her.  A crew familiar with WD's would equally not have got the best possible performance out of her on the unfamiliar route, and two crews might have been a case of chiefs and indians.

[LMS2968]

As far as goods engines were concerned, the main criterion was the ability to stop, and the S&D 7Fs had a very good brake, better than the WDs and even the 8Fs. I suspect that's why, in the early 1960s, they had 9Fs on two-coach local passenger turns rather than the heavy goods trains the aging 7Fs were still dealing with. I doubt the performance as far as pulling power went was an issue with the WDs; whatever their many other faults they were strong engines and excellent steamers, the latter an attribute which could not be applied to the 7Fs.