LB&SCR H2 class

The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway H2 class was a class of 4-4-2 steam locomotives for express passenger work. They were designed when D. E. Marsh was officially Locomotive Superintendent, and were built at Brighton Works in 1911 and 1912. 
==Background==
In 1911, D. E. Marsh was on leave of absence due to sickness, and his assistant Lawson Billinton was granted authority to construct a further six 4-4-2 'Atlantic' locomotives similar to the Marsh H1 class but incorporating the Schmidt superheater.
==Construction and use==
The new H2 class locomotives built by Brighton railway works and introduced between June 1911 and January 1912. They were an immediate success and shared with the H1 class the London to Brighton express trains including the heavily loaded Pullman services the Brighton Limited, and the Southern Belle, which the LB&SCR described as "the most luxurious train in the World". 
As with the non-superheated class they were gradually replaced on the London-Brighton express trains in 1925/6 by the "King Arthur" and "River" classes, but there was still plenty of work for them on other express services, including boat trains connecting with the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry service. At the same time they were all named after geographical features of the south coast.
Oliver Bulleid, familiar with the class from his time at the LNER, increased the boiler pressure of the H2 class from 170 psi to 200 psi starting in 1938 to match the H1.
Following the cessation of the cross-channel ferries after 1940, as a result of the Second World War, the class were left with little work to do and several were put into store or else moved to miscellaneous duties in southern England. The H2 class however returned to the boat trains after the end of the war and continued until the mid-1950s.
==Withdrawal==
One member of the class was withdrawn in 1949, but the remainder continued in regular use until 1956. No. 32424 "Beachy Head" was the last survivor, it was withdrawn in April 1958 and none were preserved expect for one name plate from South Foreland which is at the Danum Gallery, Library and Museum.
==Preservation==
No examples of the H2 class were preserved, but on 29 October 2000 the Bluebell Railway announced its intention to reconstruct a replica of SR/BR period Beachy Head. At the time of writing many surviving locomotive parts had been assembled including an ex-GNR 'Atlantic' boiler, and an ex-LB&SCR B4 class tender chassis. The boiler was tested around August 2018.
==Models==
Bachmann Branchline are producing an OO scale model of the class in three variations.
31-920 H2 Class Atlantic 4-4-2 No. 2421 South Foreland in Southern Railway olive green livery; 31-921A No. 32425 Trevose Head in BR black livery with early emblem. and 31-922 No. 422 in LB&SCR Lined Umber.
==Locomotive Summary==
H2 class fleet summary
Image	LB&SC Number	Built 	S.R. Number	Name 	B.R. Number	Withdrawal
 	421 	June 1911 	2421 	South Foreland 	32421 	August 1956
 	422 	July 1911 	2422 	North Foreland 	32422 	September 1956
 	423 	September 1911	2423 	The Needles 	32423 	May 1949
 	424 	September 1911	2424 	Beachy Head 	32424 	April 1958
 	425 	December 1911 	2425 	Trevose Head 	32425 	September 1956
 	426 	January 1912 	2426 	St. Alban's Head	32426 	August 1956
==Gallery==
File:The boiler of BR 32424 "Beachy Head".jpg
==Sources==
*Bradley, D.L. (1974) Locomotives of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway Part 3, Railway Correspondence and Travel Society.
==External links==
*-A Rail UK database, H2
*View of no. 32424 Beachy Head on a LCGB "Southern Counties Limited" special on 24 February 1957
Category:4-4-2 steam locomotives
Category:4-4-2 locomotives
Category:New-build steam locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Scrapped steam locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Brighton Works locomotives
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain
Category:LB&SCR locomotives
Category:Built in 1911
Category:Built in 1912
Category:Passenger locomotives