<kuid:4468:1272> 4-6-0 SR N15 King Arthur Class

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4-6-0 N15 King Arthur Class.

453 King Arthur 772 Sir Percivale
777 Sir Lamiel 791 Sir Uwaine
795 Sir Dinadan 796 Excalibur
779 Red Knight 774 Sir Lancelot
778 Sir Gewaine 770 Sir Galahad

In the autumn of 1918 the LSWR's works at Eastleigh turned out the first 4-6-0 N15s and were soon pulling express trains out of Waterloo station. The new locomotives were initially welcomed by the operating department however at that time the schedules of the principal expresses they were working were undemanding with a maximum speed of 60mph. However when timings were accelerated they proved to be poor performers since they were not free steamers and they could not sustain high power outputs.

Upon assuming the job of C.M.E. of the Southern Railway Richard Maunsell undertook a review of the existing locomotive stock. Although he had his own new designs planned the need to maintain services before they became available led to an improvement programme on existing designs. A revised front end design applied to the N15s including increasing the area of the steam and exhaust ports, a higher boiler pressure of 200 psi insteaad of 180 psi, fitting a modified chimney and blastpipe significantly improved the class' performance.

An order for 20 engines of Maunsell's N15 design was placed with the North British Locomotive Company. These were built and supplied in record time and this batch became nicknamed by crews as 'Scotchmen'. Simultaneously Eastleigh built a batch of 10 N15s to replace the Drummond G14 class and they adopted their numbers and tenders.

During this time the Board of the Southern Railway decided that all express passenger locomotives would be named. In view of the Southern's connections with the West Country and the class' association with West of England expresses the N15 class was named after personalities and places associated with the King Arthur and the Round Table Legend. The first of the G14 replacement engines E453 was named King Arthur, and all members of the class including the original Urie builds and the Scotchmen received names.

The order with the North British was extended to a total of 30 and a further 14 Arthurs were built at Eastleigh in 1926 and coupled with six wheeled tenders for use on the Brighton section (where the turntables were smaller). Smoke deflectors were fitted to all of the class during the mid 1930s.

Early batches came originally with 4300 gallon Drummond 'watercart' tenders, a design which was modified by Urie with outside bearing bogies and an increased 5000 gallon capacity. The six wheeled tenders for Brighton line had a capacity of 3500 gallons and these required a higher intermediate draw gear than the bogie tenders. Over time tenders were swapped around not only within the class but also with S15 class, the Schools class (which received their six wheeled tenders) and with the Lord Nelson class (some lost their newer flat sided bogie tenders and received an earlier Urie version).

After a poor start this class emerged as one of the greatest designs of its day. They were popular with their crews and had a reputation for both being reliable and having an impressive performance. Introduction of electrification, particularly on the Brighton lines, the introduction of the Lord Nelson class and ultimately the Bulleid Pacifics relegated them from top express work after only a comparatively short time. The first withdrawal was in 1953 and all had been withdrawn by 1962. Only one engine 30777 (777) Sir Lamiel, owned by the National railway Museum survives in preservation.

Details for Sir Lamiel
Designer R. E. L. Maunsell
Class King Arthur
Builder North British Locomotive Co.
Year 1925
Works Number 23223
Original Owner SR
Wheel Arrangement 4-6-0
Tractive Effort 25,320 lbs
Weight 138 tons, 14 cwt.
Leading Wheel 3ft 7in
Driving Wheel 6ft 7in
Length 66ft 5in
Boiler Pressure 200 psi
Flue and tube area 1,716 ft²
Firebox area 162 ft²
Superheater area 337 ft²
Grate area 30 ft²
Cylinders - number 2
Bore x Stroke 20½in x 28in
Valve gear Walschaerts
Coal capacity 5 tons
Water capacity 5,000 gallons

info sourced from http://www.semg.org.uk/steam/n15class.html and http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/locos/e777.htm