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SR USA class

November 28, 2023

The SR USA class are some ex-United States Army Transportation Corps S100 Class steam locomotives purchased and adapted by the Southern Railway (SR) after the end of the Second World War to replace the LSWR B4 class then working in Southampton Docks. SR staff nicknamed them "Yank Tanks".[3][4]

Southern Railway USA class
USA class locomotive No. 30073 at Eastleigh MPD in August 1966.
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerCol. Howard G. Hill.
Builder
ModelS100
Build date1942-43
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte0-6-0T
 • UICC n2t
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.55.2 in (1.402 m)
Wheelbase10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
Length29 ft 8 in (9.04 m)
Loco weight46 long tons 10 cwt (47.2 t; 52.1 short tons)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity17.8 short hundredweight (0.81 t; 0.79 long tons)
Water cap.1,000 imp gal (4,500 L; 1,200 US gal)
Boiler pressure210 psi (1.45 MPa)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size16+1⁄2 in × 24 in (419 mm × 610 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Valve type8 in (203 mm) piston valves
Performance figures
Tractive effort21,630 lbf (96.22 kN)
Career
Operators
ClassSR: USA
Power classBR: 3F
Number in class14 (plus one bought for spares)
NicknamesYank Tanks
LocaleSouthampton Docks
Withdrawn1962–1967
Preserved30064, 30065, 30070, 30072, others of base S100 class
DispositionFour preserved, remainder scrapped
Sources: [1][page needed] and [2]

Origins edit

Main article: USATC S100 Class

The United States Army Transportation Corps built 382 S100 Class 0-6-0 tank engine for use in the Second World War. They were shipped to the British War Department in 1943, and stored awaiting the invasion of Mainland Europe. Most went overseas but some remained in store.[2]

By 1946 the SR needed either to renew or replace the ageing B4, D1 and E1 class tanks used in Southampton Docks, but Eastleigh Works was not in a position to do so in a timely manner or at an economic price. The replacement locomotives would need to have a short wheelbase to negotiate the tight curves found in the dockyard, but be able to haul heavy goods trains as well as full-length passenger trains in the harbour area.[1][page needed] The railway's Chief mechanical engineer, Oliver Bulleid therefore inspected the surplus War Department tank locomotives. The Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST locomotives stored at the Longmoor Military Railway proved to be unsuitable for dock work because of their 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) wheelbase and inside cylinders, and also many of the survivors were in poor condition.[2] However, the S100s stored at Newbury Racecourse had a 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) wheelbase, outside cylinders and had hardly been used. Those available for sale had been built by the Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania and H. K. Porter, Inc, of Pittsburgh.

Bulleid therefore took Vulcan-built locomotive WD4236[5] on approval in May 1946 and tested it thoroughly over the next few months. When it was found to be suitable, this locomotive and a further thirteen were purchased in 1947 for £2500 each.[5] Six of these had been built by Porter and the remainder by Vulcan. However, when it was discovered that there were differences in dimensions between the locomotives from different builders the SR exchanged its Porter built locomotives for Vulcans, but could only do so with five examples. The railway therefore accepted one Porter locomotive at a reduced price and purchased another to provide spare parts.[2] Thus, the thirteen further locomotives entered traffic between April and November 1947 as soon as they had been adapted.

Construction and adaptation edit

 
Original drawings for the S100, dated 29 November 1941.

Following purchase, members of the class were fitted with steam heating, vacuum ejectors, sliding cab windows, additional lamp irons and new cylinder drain cocks.[6][1][page needed] Further modifications became necessary once the locomotives started to enter traffic, including large roof-top ventilators, British-style regulators (as built they had US-style pull-out ones), three rectangular cab-front lookout windows, extended coal bunkers, separate steam and vacuum brake controls and wooden tip-up seats. This meant that it took until November 1947 for the entire class to be ready for work.[7][8] Radio-telephones were later installed on the footplate to improve communication on the vast network of sidings at Southampton.[8]

The class was allocated the British Railways (BR) power classification 3F following nationalisation in 1948.

Numbering edit

The original locomotive carried the War Department number 4326, and the subsequent purchase were numbered between 1264 and 1284 and between 1952 and 1973. Thirteen of the locomotives were re-numbered in a single sequence from 61 to 73 by SR but 4326 retained its War Department number. The locomotive used for spares was not numbered. After 1948 they were renumbered 30061–30074 by BR. Six examples were transferred to departmental (non-revenue earning) use in 1962/3 and renumbered DS233–DS238.

Livery edit

During the Second World War they were painted USATC black with white numbering and lettering 'Transportation Dept.' on the tank sides. Prior to nationalisation, the locomotives were painted in Southern black livery with 'Southern' in "Sunshine Yellow" lettering. The lettering on the tank sides was changed to 'British Railways' during 1948 as a transitional measure. Finally, the class was painted in BR Departmental Malachite livery, with BR crests on the water tank sides and numbers on the cab sides.

Operational details edit

 
30069 at Eastleigh Works in 1966

For fifteen years the entire class was used for shunting and carriage and van heating in Southampton Docks. They performed well and were popular with the footplatemen, but the limited bunker capacity often necessitated the provision of relief engines for some of the longer duties. Two examples were fitted with extended bunkers to address this problem in 1959 and 1960, but a more ambitious plan to extend the frames and build larger bunkers was abandoned in 1960 due to the imminent dieselization of the docks.[9] They also often suffered from overheated axleboxes which was less of a problem when shunting but prevented them from being used on longer journeys.[8]

A more serious issue was the condition of the steel fireboxes originally fitted to the class which rusted and fatigued quickly. This was partly due to their construction under conditions of austerity, and the hard water present in the docks. This came to a head in 1951 when several had to be laid aside until new fireboxes could be constructed.[8][1][page needed] Thereafter there were no further problems.

The class was replaced from their shunting duties at Southampton from 1962 by British Rail Class 07 diesel-electric shunters, when the first member of the class was withdrawn, but the remainder were still in fairly good condition. The survivors were used for informal departmental purposes such as providing steam heating at Southampton or shunting at Eastleigh Motive Power Depot, before the withdrawal. 30072[5] became the pilot locomotive at Guildford Motive Power Depot and continued to carry out this duty until the end of steam on the Southern in July 1967.[5] Six examples were officially transferred to ‘departmental’ duties and renumbered. These went to Redbridge Sleeper Depot (DS233), Meldon Quarry (DS234), Lancing Carriage Works (DS235 and DS236), and Ashford wagon works (DS237 and DS238; where they were named Maunsell and Wainwright).[10]

Nine examples remained in service until March 1967[11] and five of these survived until the end of steam on the Southern Region four months later.[1][page needed] Two of these engines, 30065/DS237 and 30070/DS238, were sold to Woodham Brothers in South Wales in March 1968. However, before they could make their journey, their bearings ran hot and were declared "unfit for travel" which lead to the two tank engines being dumped at Tonbridge. Five months later, they were taken to Rolvenden where they were purchased for preservation.[12][13][14]

Stock list edit

USATC No. SR No. BR No. Dept No. Builder Year Withdrawn Notes
1264 61 30061 DS 233 Porter 7420 1942 03.1967
1277 62 30062 DS 234 Vulcan 4375 1942 03.1967
1284 63 30063 Vulcan 4382 1942 05.1962 Withdrawn due to collision damage
1959 64 30064 Vulcan 4432 1943 07.1967 Preserved
1968 65 30065 DS 237 Vulcan 4441 1943 08.1965 Preserved
1279 66 30066 DS 235 Vulcan 4377 1942 08.1965
1282 67 30067 Vulcan 4380 1942 07.1967
1971 68 30068 Vulcan 4444 1943 06.1964
1952 69 30069 Vulcan 4425 1943 07.1967
1960 70 30070 DS 238 Vulcan 4433 1943 10.1962 Preserved
1966 71 30071 Vulcan 4439 1943 07.1967
1973 72 30072 Vulcan 4446 1943 07.1967 Preserved
1974 73 30073 Vulcan 4437 1943 12.1966
4326 74* 30074 DS 236 Vulcan 4488 1943 8.1965 Never carried SR number[15]

Preservation edit

 
Former 30070 in preservation with Longmoor Military Railway livery

Four British examples of the USA class have been preserved:

Two JŽ class 62 locomotives built by the former Yugoslav Railways to foreign design have been acquired for use on the North Dorset Railway and given British liveries. There are minor technical differences.

  • *30075 (formerly 62-669 built 1960- (Undergoing overhaul)[17]
  • *30076 (formerly 62-521 built 1954- Stored).[17]

In fiction edit

An engine of this class appears in the Thomas & Friends TV series as Rosie.[18]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Longworth 2005.
  2. ^ a b c d Bradley 1975, p. 66.
  3. ^ "USA 0-6-0T". Southern Railway E-Group. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Yank Tanks in Southampton". 25 May 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2022 – via PressReader.
  5. ^ a b c d Ballantyne, Hugh (1985). Southern steam in colour. London: Jane's publishing company Ltd. p. 15. ISBN 0-7106-0336-3.
  6. ^ Tourret 1995, pp. 213–214.
  7. ^ Tourret 1995, p. 214.
  8. ^ a b c d Bradley 1975, p. 67.
  9. ^ Bradley 1975, p. 68.
  10. ^ Kidner 1993, p. 61.
  11. ^ Bradley 1975, p. 70.
  12. ^ Glasspool, David. "SR USA Class 0-6-0T". Kent Rail. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  13. ^ "30065 (WD 1968, SR 65, BR DS 237 & BR 30065)". Preserved British Steam Locomotives. WordPress.com. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  14. ^ "30070 (WD 1960, SR 70, BR DS 238 & BR 30070)". Preserved British Steam Locomotives. WordPress.com. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  15. ^ "SREmG".
  16. ^ "New home for Bluebell Railway's USA Dock Tank steam locomotive".
  17. ^ a b . Project 62. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  18. ^ "Rosie - Character Profile & Bio". Thomas & Friends - Official Website. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  • Bradley, D.L. (1975). Locomotives of the Southern Railway: Part 1. London: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. ISBN 0-86093-593-0.
  • Kidner, R.W. (1993). Service Stock of the Southern Railway. Headington, Oxford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-429-6.
  • Longworth, Hugh (2005). British Railway Steam Locomotives: 1948-1968. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86093-593-0.
  • Tourret, R. (1995). Allied Military Locomotives of the Second Works War. Abingdon, Oxon: Tourret Publishing. ISBN 0-905878-06-X.

Further reading edit

  • Sprenger, J. Howard; Robertson, K.J.; Sprenger, C.C. (23 July 2004). The Story of the Southern USA Tanks. Southampton: KRB Publications. ISBN 978-0-9544859-3-1.
  • Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives. Winter 1959–1960.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to SR USA class.
  • Project 62 Project 62 - owners of 30075 and 30076
  • USA 0-6-0T Southern E-Group
  • SR USA Dock Tank SR "USA" class Dock Tank No.WD 1959 (BR 30064) Bluebell Railway

November 28, 2023
class, some, united, states, army, transportation, corps, s100, class, steam, locomotives, purchased, adapted, southern, railway, after, second, world, replace, lswr, class, then, working, southampton, docks, staff, nicknamed, them, yank, tanks, southern, rail. The SR USA class are some ex United States Army Transportation Corps S100 Class steam locomotives purchased and adapted by the Southern Railway SR after the end of the Second World War to replace the LSWR B4 class then working in Southampton Docks SR staff nicknamed them Yank Tanks 3 4 Southern Railway USA classUSA class locomotive No 30073 at Eastleigh MPD in August 1966 Type and originPower typeSteamDesignerCol Howard G Hill BuilderVulcan Iron Works USA 13 H K Porter Inc USA 2 ModelS100Build date1942 43SpecificationsConfiguration Whyte0 6 0T UICC n2tGauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeDriver dia 55 2 in 1 402 m Wheelbase10 ft 0 in 3 05 m Length29 ft 8 in 9 04 m Loco weight46 long tons 10 cwt 47 2 t 52 1 short tons Fuel typeCoalFuel capacity17 8 short hundredweight 0 81 t 0 79 long tons Water cap 1 000 imp gal 4 500 L 1 200 US gal Boiler pressure210 psi 1 45 MPa CylindersTwo outsideCylinder size16 1 2 in 24 in 419 mm 610 mm Valve gearWalschaertsValve type8 in 203 mm piston valvesPerformance figuresTractive effort21 630 lbf 96 22 kN CareerOperatorsSouthern RailwayBritish RailwaysClassSR USAPower classBR 3FNumber in class14 plus one bought for spares NicknamesYank TanksLocaleSouthampton DocksWithdrawn1962 1967Preserved30064 30065 30070 30072 others of base S100 classDispositionFour preserved remainder scrappedSources 1 page needed and 2 Contents 1 Origins 2 Construction and adaptation 3 Numbering 4 Livery 5 Operational details 6 Stock list 7 Preservation 8 In fiction 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External linksOrigins editMain article USATC S100 Class The United States Army Transportation Corps built 382 S100 Class 0 6 0 tank engine for use in the Second World War They were shipped to the British War Department in 1943 and stored awaiting the invasion of Mainland Europe Most went overseas but some remained in store 2 By 1946 the SR needed either to renew or replace the ageing B4 D1 and E1 class tanks used in Southampton Docks but Eastleigh Works was not in a position to do so in a timely manner or at an economic price The replacement locomotives would need to have a short wheelbase to negotiate the tight curves found in the dockyard but be able to haul heavy goods trains as well as full length passenger trains in the harbour area 1 page needed The railway s Chief mechanical engineer Oliver Bulleid therefore inspected the surplus War Department tank locomotives The Hunslet Austerity 0 6 0ST locomotives stored at the Longmoor Military Railway proved to be unsuitable for dock work because of their 11 ft 0 in 3 35 m wheelbase and inside cylinders and also many of the survivors were in poor condition 2 However the S100s stored at Newbury Racecourse had a 10 ft 0 in 3 05 m wheelbase outside cylinders and had hardly been used Those available for sale had been built by the Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania and H K Porter Inc of Pittsburgh Bulleid therefore took Vulcan built locomotive WD4236 5 on approval in May 1946 and tested it thoroughly over the next few months When it was found to be suitable this locomotive and a further thirteen were purchased in 1947 for 2500 each 5 Six of these had been built by Porter and the remainder by Vulcan However when it was discovered that there were differences in dimensions between the locomotives from different builders the SR exchanged its Porter built locomotives for Vulcans but could only do so with five examples The railway therefore accepted one Porter locomotive at a reduced price and purchased another to provide spare parts 2 Thus the thirteen further locomotives entered traffic between April and November 1947 as soon as they had been adapted Construction and adaptation edit nbsp Original drawings for the S100 dated 29 November 1941 Following purchase members of the class were fitted with steam heating vacuum ejectors sliding cab windows additional lamp irons and new cylinder drain cocks 6 1 page needed Further modifications became necessary once the locomotives started to enter traffic including large roof top ventilators British style regulators as built they had US style pull out ones three rectangular cab front lookout windows extended coal bunkers separate steam and vacuum brake controls and wooden tip up seats This meant that it took until November 1947 for the entire class to be ready for work 7 8 Radio telephones were later installed on the footplate to improve communication on the vast network of sidings at Southampton 8 The class was allocated the British Railways BR power classification 3F following nationalisation in 1948 Numbering editThe original locomotive carried the War Department number 4326 and the subsequent purchase were numbered between 1264 and 1284 and between 1952 and 1973 Thirteen of the locomotives were re numbered in a single sequence from 61 to 73 by SR but 4326 retained its War Department number The locomotive used for spares was not numbered After 1948 they were renumbered 30061 30074 by BR Six examples were transferred to departmental non revenue earning use in 1962 3 and renumbered DS233 DS238 Livery editDuring the Second World War they were painted USATC black with white numbering and lettering Transportation Dept on the tank sides Prior to nationalisation the locomotives were painted in Southern black livery with Southern in Sunshine Yellow lettering The lettering on the tank sides was changed to British Railways during 1948 as a transitional measure Finally the class was painted in BR Departmental Malachite livery with BR crests on the water tank sides and numbers on the cab sides Operational details edit nbsp 30069 at Eastleigh Works in 1966For fifteen years the entire class was used for shunting and carriage and van heating in Southampton Docks They performed well and were popular with the footplatemen but the limited bunker capacity often necessitated the provision of relief engines for some of the longer duties Two examples were fitted with extended bunkers to address this problem in 1959 and 1960 but a more ambitious plan to extend the frames and build larger bunkers was abandoned in 1960 due to the imminent dieselization of the docks 9 They also often suffered from overheated axleboxes which was less of a problem when shunting but prevented them from being used on longer journeys 8 A more serious issue was the condition of the steel fireboxes originally fitted to the class which rusted and fatigued quickly This was partly due to their construction under conditions of austerity and the hard water present in the docks This came to a head in 1951 when several had to be laid aside until new fireboxes could be constructed 8 1 page needed Thereafter there were no further problems The class was replaced from their shunting duties at Southampton from 1962 by British Rail Class 07 diesel electric shunters when the first member of the class was withdrawn but the remainder were still in fairly good condition The survivors were used for informal departmental purposes such as providing steam heating at Southampton or shunting at Eastleigh Motive Power Depot before the withdrawal 30072 5 became the pilot locomotive at Guildford Motive Power Depot and continued to carry out this duty until the end of steam on the Southern in July 1967 5 Six examples were officially transferred to departmental duties and renumbered These went to Redbridge Sleeper Depot DS233 Meldon Quarry DS234 Lancing Carriage Works DS235 and DS236 and Ashford wagon works DS237 and DS238 where they were named Maunsell and Wainwright 10 Nine examples remained in service until March 1967 11 and five of these survived until the end of steam on the Southern Region four months later 1 page needed Two of these engines 30065 DS237 and 30070 DS238 were sold to Woodham Brothers in South Wales in March 1968 However before they could make their journey their bearings ran hot and were declared unfit for travel which lead to the two tank engines being dumped at Tonbridge Five months later they were taken to Rolvenden where they were purchased for preservation 12 13 14 Stock list editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed March 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message USATC No SR No BR No Dept No Builder Year Withdrawn Notes1264 61 30061 DS 233 Porter 7420 1942 03 19671277 62 30062 DS 234 Vulcan 4375 1942 03 19671284 63 30063 Vulcan 4382 1942 05 1962 Withdrawn due to collision damage1959 64 30064 Vulcan 4432 1943 07 1967 Preserved1968 65 30065 DS 237 Vulcan 4441 1943 08 1965 Preserved1279 66 30066 DS 235 Vulcan 4377 1942 08 19651282 67 30067 Vulcan 4380 1942 07 19671971 68 30068 Vulcan 4444 1943 06 19641952 69 30069 Vulcan 4425 1943 07 19671960 70 30070 DS 238 Vulcan 4433 1943 10 1962 Preserved1966 71 30071 Vulcan 4439 1943 07 19671973 72 30072 Vulcan 4446 1943 07 1967 Preserved1974 73 30073 Vulcan 4437 1943 12 19664326 74 30074 DS 236 Vulcan 4488 1943 8 1965 Never carried SR number 15 Preservation edit nbsp Former 30070 in preservation with Longmoor Military Railway liveryFour British examples of the USA class have been preserved 30064 Privately owned Previously preserved at the Bluebell Railway but left in 2022 after being purchased by a private buyer with plans to restore to working order 16 30065 Kent and East Sussex Railway Under overhaul 30070 Kent and East Sussex Railway Operational Returned to service in December 2017 following overhaul and outshopped in Longmoor Military Railway Lined Blue as No 300 Frank S Ross 30072 Ribble Steam Railway Undergoing major boiler repairs Two JZ class 62 locomotives built by the former Yugoslav Railways to foreign design have been acquired for use on the North Dorset Railway and given British liveries There are minor technical differences 30075 formerly 62 669 built 1960 Undergoing overhaul 17 30076 formerly 62 521 built 1954 Stored 17 In fiction editAn engine of this class appears in the Thomas amp Friends TV series as Rosie 18 References edit a b c d e Longworth 2005 a b c d Bradley 1975 p 66 USA 0 6 0T Southern Railway E Group Retrieved 3 November 2018 Yank Tanks in Southampton 25 May 2018 Retrieved 10 August 2022 via PressReader a b c d Ballantyne Hugh 1985 Southern steam in colour London Jane s publishing company Ltd p 15 ISBN 0 7106 0336 3 Tourret 1995 pp 213 214 Tourret 1995 p 214 a b c d Bradley 1975 p 67 Bradley 1975 p 68 Kidner 1993 p 61 Bradley 1975 p 70 Glasspool David SR USA Class 0 6 0T Kent Rail Retrieved 15 November 2020 30065 WD 1968 SR 65 BR DS 237 amp BR 30065 Preserved British Steam Locomotives WordPress com 21 June 2017 Retrieved 15 November 2020 30070 WD 1960 SR 70 BR DS 238 amp BR 30070 Preserved British Steam Locomotives WordPress com 21 June 2017 Retrieved 15 November 2020 SREmG New home for Bluebell Railway s USA Dock Tank steam locomotive a b Home Project 62 Archived from the original on 7 July 2013 Retrieved 24 May 2016 Rosie Character Profile amp Bio Thomas amp Friends Official Website Retrieved 26 August 2017 Bradley D L 1975 Locomotives of the Southern Railway Part 1 London Railway Correspondence and Travel Society ISBN 0 86093 593 0 Kidner R W 1993 Service Stock of the Southern Railway Headington Oxford The Oakwood Press ISBN 0 85361 429 6 Longworth Hugh 2005 British Railway Steam Locomotives 1948 1968 Oxford Oxford Publishing Company ISBN 0 86093 593 0 Tourret R 1995 Allied Military Locomotives of the Second Works War Abingdon Oxon Tourret Publishing ISBN 0 905878 06 X Further reading editSprenger J Howard Robertson K J Sprenger C C 23 July 2004 The Story of the Southern USA Tanks Southampton KRB Publications ISBN 978 0 9544859 3 1 Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives Winter 1959 1960 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to SR USA class Project 62 Project 62 owners of 30075 and 30076 USA 0 6 0T Southern E Group SR USA Dock Tank SR USA class Dock Tank No WD 1959 BR 30064 Bluebell Railway Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title SR USA class amp oldid 1181901162, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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