LSWR D15 Class

The Class D15 4-4-0's were a class of passenger engines built in 1912 for service on the London and South Western Railway.
==Introduction==
Following the introduction of the highly-successful T9 Class, a more powerful express engine was needed. They tried the L12's, but the LSWR felt that they were more suited for mixed-traffic work. Next, they tried moving to the 4-6-0 wheel arrangement. Although all of Drummond's 4-6-0's were failures, the T14's were the most successful of Drummond's follies. Tired of the 4-6-0's failing to steam properly and always heavy on coal and water, Drummond moved back to the 4-4-0 arrangement, which would turn out to be his final design. On November the 7th, 1912, just as the last three engines were finished, Drummond scalded himself severely, and had to have his leg amputated. Though he was in good health for a 72-year-old man, the shock was enough to kill him the next day. His successor, Robert Urie, was impressed by the D15's, but preferred the 4-6-0 arrangement over the 4-4-0.
The D15's had the same boiler (albeit higher pitched than the T9 and tinkered a little) and same driving wheels, but looked as modern as the 4-6-0's that were apt to replace older, less powerful engines.
==Service==
The D15 class was the last in a long line of 4-4-0's, built at Eastleigh Works in two batches (463-467 and 468-472), and were actually very versatile and capable engines. All passed into Southern Railway ownership (some being given superheaters; a few were already given the treatment), and then to British Railways in 1948. 463 was converted to oil burning after the war, but was withdrawn in 1951 after two years in storage; it was one of the first two D15's to be withdrawn. Some engines were withdrawn with six-wheeled tenders. The last D15 - numbered 30465 - was withdrawn by January 1956, and none have been preserved.
Category:4-4-0 steam locomotives
Category:4-4-0 locomotives
Category:Four-coupled locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:United Kingdom
Category:LSWR locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Built in 1912
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:Southern Railway (UK) locomotives
Category:British Rail locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Passenger locomotives
Category:Scrapped steam locomotives