These American built shunting
locomotives are two of 382 that were built for the United
States Army Corps of Engineers during World War 2 for service
overseas. The class saw service in England, North Africa,
the Middle East, Italy and Western Europe after D-Day. Post-war,
survivors were employed in a number of countries including
France ,Austria, Greece, Egypt, Palestine Iraq and Yugoslavia
.
After the war, the 42 members of the class which had been
loaned to the War Department were placed in store at Newbury
Racecourse station. 15 were purchased by the Southern Railway,
at £2500 apiece,and 14 of them were put into service
at Southampton Docks where their short wheelbase was well
suited for working over the sharp curves around the dock lines.
The SR found that several of the locomotives had not been
steamed since their trial runs. The locomotives now on the
K&ESR were War Department Nos. 1960 and 1968 and were
put into service by the SR in April and November 1947 as Nos.
70 and 65 respectively.
They have been subject to various modifications for British
conditions including ancillary equipment, bunker capacity
and cab alterations for greater crew comfort. Despite these
alterations the locomotives still had the appearance of typical
American ‘switchers’ with bar frames, no running
plates, stove-pipe chimneys and sand domes. Outside valve
gear and cylinders driving on to the rear axle are also distinctive
features.
The USA tanks acquitted themselves well around Southampton
Docks, their only major failing being a tendency to suffer
hot bearings when running journeys of more than a few miles.
Their dockside service lasted until 1962 when diesel shunters
replaced them. The locomotives spent a while in store or were
put on menial duties such as supplying steam to ships in dry-dock.
In August 1963, however, No. 30070 was transferred to departmental
stock, renumbered DS238 and sent to Ashford Wagon Works. It
was painted green and named Wainwright after
the SE&CR’s first locomotive superintendent. The
journey from Eastleigh to Ashford took a month to complete
because of the inevitable hot box trouble encountered en route.
No. 30065 was similarly transferred to Ashford in November
1963 as DS237, also painted green and named Maunsell
after the Southern Railway’s first Chief Mechanical
Engineer.
The pair were kept busy at Ashford until April 1967 when DS237
was laid aside followed two months later by DS238. In March
1968 they were sold to Woodham’s scrapyard at Barry
in South Wales but, as usual, ran hot whilst under tow and
didn't’t get further than Tonbridge. There they remained
on the site of the former locomotive shed until resold to
the K&ESR in August 1968, arriving at Rolvenden a month
later. DS238 became K&ESR No. 21 and DS 237 No. 22.
No. 22 was the first large locomotive in service in 1974,
proving itself very capable of hauling five coach trains up
Tenterden bank. She was fitted with an extended bunker and
a mechanical lubricators to overcome its bearing problems.
In 1978 it exchanged boilers with No. 21 and after overhaul
re-entered service in April 1981 in black livery lined out
in red. Various mechanical problems occurred and were overcome
before the boiler certificate again expired and the locomotive
was taken out of traffic at the end of the 1990 season. Another
extensive overhaul followed, the locomotive re-entering service
as Southern Railway No. 65 in the summer of 1997. Its original
post-war livery of black with sunshine lettering was now carried.
However by 2002 a new firebox was required and she is currently
having this fitted and receiving a further overhaul.
After many years
out of use, restoration work to No. 21 began in 1988. Wainwright
entered traffic in 1994 as DS 238. Although finished in a
correct malachite green livery, extensive modifications were
made to the cab and bunker .In regular service since she represented
the railway at the 150th Anniversary of railways at the National
Railway Museum , York in 2004.
TECHNICAL DATA
Class: USA
Weight: 46 tons 10 cwt
Tractive effort: 21,600 lbs
Cylinders (2) 161/2 ins. dia. x 24 ins. stroke
Boiler pressure: 210 lbs.
Tank Capacity: 1000 gals
Wheels: 4ft. 6 ins. dia.
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