LB&SCR E2 Class

The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) E2 Class was a class of 0-6-0T steam locomotives designed by Lawson Billinton, intended for shunting and short distance freight trains. Ten examples were built between 1913 and 1916 and were withdrawn from active service and scrapped between 1961 and 1963.
==Background==
By 1910, many of the Stroudley E1 class locomotives were worn out or inadequate for the heavier duties required of them. D. E. Marsh intended to rebuild some examples with a larger boiler, but only one E1 Class has been rebuilt as an E1-X, and the process had been completed by the time of his unexpected retirement. Marsh's successor, Billinton, later cancelled the order, went against Marsh's wishes, and instead ordered five new, more powerful locomotives from Brighton Works. The new class included several features found on other LB&SCR classes, including an LB&SCR I2 Class 4-4-2T Atlantic-type configuration engine's original boiler design. They were delivered between June 1913 and January 1914.
=== Second Series===
The new design was judged to be successful, except that it was found to have an inadequate water supply. Thus, when a further order for five locomotives was placed, they were given extended side tanks. The second batch was delayed by the onset of the war but were eventually delivered between June 1915 and October 1916.
==Operation History==
The E2 class locomotives were mainly used for heavier shunting and short-distance freight duties in the London area and on the south coast, as their small coal bunkers made them unsuitable for long trips. These included empty stock workings at Victoria and London Bridge Stations.
Two were tried in 1914 as passenger locomotives on push-pull duties with the locomotives in the middle of a rake of six coaches, but the experiment was abandoned during the same year as they had insufficient coal capacity.
Following the electrification of the Brighton line in 1936, the class was used as replacements for the former London Chatham and Dover Railway T class at the Herne Hill marshalling yard, around Victoria station, and at Dover Harbour. During the Second World War they also replaced the SR Z class at Hither Green marshalling yard.
In the mid-1950s, the class was tried out as shunters at Southampton Docks and were found to be useful. Six examples were retained for this purpose until they were replaced by British Rail Class 07 diesel shunters in 1962.
Withdrawal of the class took place between February 1961 and April 1963, and they were all scrapped. None have survived to preservation.
== Locomotive summary==
LB&SCR No.	Date Built 	S.R. No.	B.R. No.	Date Withdrawn	Image
100 	June 1913 	2100 	32100 	November 1961 	
101 	August 1913 	2101 	32101 	September 1962	Frameless
102 	October 1913 	2102 	32102 	October 1961 	Frameless
103 	December 1913 	2103 	32103 	October 1962 	Frameless
104 	January 1914 	2104 	32104 	April 1963 	
105 	June 1915 	2105 	32105 	September 1962	
106 	September 1915	2106 	32106 	October 1962 	
107 	March 1916 	2107 	32107 	February 1961 	
108 	July 1916 	2108 	32108 	June 1962 	
109 	October 1916 	2109 	32109 	April 1963 	
==00 Gauge models==
Trix produced a model of the first series, Class E2, in 1961. It was designed for the Trix Twin 3-rail system but could be converted to 2-rail using the optional 2-rail pick up included with the locomotive.
Hornby produced the locomotive in its earliest form as an 00 gauge model. Production lasted from 1979 to 1985 in three distinct variants with four reference numbers. In 1985, the tooling was retired and after some alterations, was instead used as the basis for the Thomas the Tank Engine model.
Bachmann has produced retooled E2s in three variants in their Junior Range. These take the shape as a "freelanced" version of the E2.
== Withdrawal and Disposition ==
Only 10 of these tank engines were ever produced and none of them survived into preservation, and they were all withdrawn and were replaced by the USATC S100/SR USA Tanks and later the BR Class 07 when British Rail had dieselized.
== Trivia==
*Ironically, even though they were built to replace the Stroudley A1's and E1's. The A1's (a quarter having been rebuilt to A1x's) had outlasted them. Ten of the A1 'Terriers' have been preserved, plus one E1.
*The E2s had a similar boiler to those on the LB&SCR I2s.
*This locomotive is very popular, as it is the basis for Thomas the Tank Engine in the Thomas and Friends franchise.
*Underneath the photograph of LB&SCR No. 100, underneath it reads as follows: "Fig. 108, E2 No. 100 in Works Grey, June 1913, Short Side Tanks & Lever Reverser," suggesting the idea that the LB&SCR E2 Class had a mechanical lever-reverse System making the LB&SCR E2 Class technically speaking: a Lever-Drive Locomotive.
==See also==
*Gallery
*Videos
==External links==
*Railuk database
*LB&SCR online, E2 class
*Southern E-Group – LB&SCR E2 Class page
Category:0-6-0 locomotives
Category:0-6-0T steam locomotives
Category:0-6-0 steam locomotives
Category:0-6-0T locomotives
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Category:Six-coupled locomotives
Category:United Kingdom
Category:Side tank locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:LB&SCR locomotives
Category:Southern Railway (UK) locomotives
Category:Built in 1913
Category:Non-Standard Locomotives
Category:Freight locomotives
Category:British Rail locomotives
Category:British steam locomotives
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Category:Built in 1916
Category:Switcher locomotives
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:4 foot 8 1⁄2 inch gauge
Category:Brighton Works locomotives
Category:Scrapped steam locomotives
Category:Scrapped in 1961
Category:Scrapped in 1962
Category:Scrapped in 1963