page_title: LSWR S15 class
section_title: LSWR and Southern Railway
hierarchical_section_title: LSWR S15 class / Livery and numbering / LSWR and Southern Railway
caption_attribution_description: No. 825 Southern Railway Class S15 approaching Levisham Station, North Yorks Moors Railway * Richard Maunsell?s Southern Railway S15 locomotives, intruduced to service around 1920, were a regular sight on London and South Western Railway. They spent most of their lives on parcels and freight trains on the main lines from London to Southampton and the West Country. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway provides some 18 miles of preserved steam railway running through the spectacular scenery of the North Yorkshire Moors, UK. The line is owned by the North Yorkshire Historical Railway Trust who have run the line as a living museum since 1974.
context_page_description: The LSWR S15 class was a British 2-cylinder 4-6-0 freight steam locomotive designed by Robert W. Urie, based on his H15 class and N15 class locomotives. The class had a complex build history, spanning several years of construction from 1920 to 1936. The first examples were constructed for the London and South Western Railway, where they hauled freight trains to the south coast ports and further west to Exeter, as well as occasional passenger work in conjunction with their larger-wheeled N15 class counterparts.
  Following the Grouping of railway companies in 1923, the LSWR became part of the Southern Railway, and the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the newly formed company, Richard Maunsell, increased the S15 class strength to 45 locomotives. Maunsell incorporated several improvements, notably to the steam circuit and the locomotive's loading gauge, allowing it to operate on routes with height and width restrictions.
  The new locomotives were built in three batches at Eastleigh, and were in service with the Southern Railway for 14 years. The locomotives continued in operation with the Southern Region of British Railways until 1966.
context_section_description: Under LSWR ownership the S15s were painted in the late LSWR dark Holly Green livery, with the same black and light green lining applied to most of the LSWR's freight designs. Gilt lettering and numbering was located on the tender and cabside respectively. The initials "LSWR" were located on the tender.
  The first Southern Railway livery continued that of the LSWR, but with the number displayed on the tender. However, from 1925, a darker Olive-type green was substituted, and the entire class was so painted.
  Wheels were green with black tyres, and the cabside numbers were replaced by a cast oval plate with "Southern Railway" around the edge and the number in the centre. Primrose Yellow "Southern" and locomotive number transfers were placed on the tender tank. From 1927 the Maunsell locomotives were given black livery with green lining, and remained in that guise with little modification until nationalisation.
  The only slight livery modification occurred before the Second World War, when Oliver Bulleid introduced the "Sunshine Yellow" lettering and numbering. A further modification was the application of a green shaded "Sunshine" lettering during the war. This was finally reverted to "Sunshine Yellow" lettering and numbering after the war. Nos.496–515 were built between 1919 and 1921, Nos.823–837 were delivered from Eastleigh during 1927 and 1928 and a further ten, No.838–847, were authorised in 1931.
caption: 825 approaching Levisham Station on the North Yorkshire Moors railway
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