The Southern Railway inherited a small number of oddity locomotives including three from the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway (PD&SWJR) that were ordered from Hawthorn Leslie and Company . It was these locomotives, especially the 0-6-0T No. 756 “A. S. Harris” that first inspired this, albeit larger, quick win ‘might have been’ project along with 0-8-0T “Hectate”, to run on Canute Road Quay, using a Planet Industrials model Kerr Stuart “Victory” locomotive.
Taken over by the Southern Railway at the time of the grouping the PD&SWJR had been formed in 1883 to construct a railway from Lydford to Devonport, on a route via Tavistock, Bere Alston and St Budeaux. Work started in March 1887 and the railway opened to traffic on 2 June 1890.
From the outset the PD&SWJR line was leased to the LSWR which gave the LSWR an independent access to Plymouth. The line was worked by the LSWR as part of its own system.
The PD&SWJR also adopted the East Cornwall Mineral Railway which connected Kelly Bray and Calstock, and connected it to the main line at Bere Alston, that became the Callington branch.
In addition to 0-6-0T No. 756 “A. S. Harris” (PD&SWJR No. 3) the two other locos that entered SR service were two 0-6-2Ts No. 757 “Earl of Mount Edgecumbe” (PD&SWJR No. 4) and No. 758 “Lord St Leven (PD&SWJR No. 5).
The two 0-6-2Ts Nos. 757 and 758, became 30757 and 30758 in 1948, continued to work on the Callington Branch largely on goods services but quite often substituting on passenger trains. The arrival of Ivatt 2-6-2Ts in September 1952 made them redundant on the Callington Branch but they worked intermittently in the Plymouth area until moving to Eastleigh in mid-1956. “Earl of Mount Edgecumbe” acted as shed and works pilot until both were withdrawn at the end of 1957.
Unlike the two 0-6-2Ts “A. S. Harris” led a bit of a nomadic existence until becoming shed pilot at Nine Elms from 1931 to 1939, and was finally withdrawn at Stewarts Lane in August 1951.
Another Hawthorn Leslie locomotive that the Southern Railway indirectly obtained is No. 949 “Hectate” a larger 0-8-0T. Delivered new to the Kent and East Sussex Railway in 1905 however she was really too large for the line, so in 1915 was hired to the East Kent Railway working in Tilmanstone Colliery Yard and trains to Shepherdswell. In a deal with the Southern Railway in 1933, in exchange for a 0330 class 0-6-0ST No. 0335, a spare boiler and two ex LSWR carriages, the SR took ownership, becoming No. 949. After use at Tonbridge and Guildford she took up work in the goods yard at Nine Elms, finally, after a replacement boiler in 1939, being withdrawn in March 1959.
After hearing some good reports of the Planet Industrials model Kerr Stuart “Victory” locomotive this then led me to bend a bit of history and assumed that the Southern Railway also inherited one of these 0-6-0Ts from one of the wharf owners in the Southampton area.
Logically, of course, the previous wharf owners had called their loco “Canute” and as with the other ‘inherited’ locomotives the Southern Railway kept the name and numbered her No.849 being a ‘spare’ number (and for my model also a nod to “Hetate”).
Just like “A. S. Harris” the SR repainted “Canute” into black with Sunshine lettering during the war, and like the Adams B4 worked within Southampton Docks until finally being displaced by the USA Tanks in the late 1940s.
For this quick win ‘might have been’ I purchased one the Planet Industrials model Kerr Stuart “Victory” locomotive locos, conveniently available in unlettered plain black, and applied Southern ‘Sunshine’ lettering and numbers using HMRS Pressfix transfers and etched nameplates from friend Brian at 247 Developments.
Conveniently “Canute” was a proposed name for the unbuilt Clan class number 72012, and all these planned names are also available from 247 Developments.
As well as a simple lettering and naming, I also added the middle pair of smokebox / bunker rear lamp irons, as per the Southern Railway norm for their six position engine head signals, these were fashioned in my usual way using bambie staples cut and bent to shape.
Once tested on Canute Road Quay I also replaced the supplied tension lock couplings with slightly shorter versions from Bachmann (part 36-061).
Whilst I dont usually go in for SR ‘might have beens’ I do have two Hornby B2 Peckett 0-6-0ts named “Leader” and “O.V.S Bulleid” so my own ‘Rule One’ sometimes applies.
All in all this quick ‘might have been’ took about thirty minutes to complete, although she now awaits some crew and suitable weathering.
Given the production of some lovely SR locos by KMRC,
is it odd that no PDSWR types have ever been produced?
Never say never
It is a lovely loco to shunt with I have to say, it is my favourite now 🙂