Loco spotlight

The tale of William Stroudley’s masterful 0‑6‑0Ts was given an extra twist when they were sold to other railways. Chris Gadsby investigates.

Part 2: There was a twist in the tale when Stroudley’s ‘Terrier’s’ were sold to other railways.

The lives and careers of William Stroudley’s ‘Terrier’ 0‑6‑0T are complicated enough, but the tale is made even more complex by the fact that the London Brighton & South Coast Railway soon realised that it had a locomotive on its hands that others wanted to buy. It’s a story unlike any other in the annals of British railway history. Two even ended up in South America. The ‘Terriers’ were victims of their own success. The popularity they brought to London led to the expansion and upgrading of many of its lines and stations, which meant that they could no longer cope with traffic demands. The LBSCR’S Locomotive Committee decided, in 1899, to reduce the fleet to just 15. The plan was to withdraw the locomotives when they required an overhaul. But the committee had overlooked the saleable commodity that the ‘Terrier’ had become.

THE PENNY DROPS

Pioneer ‘Terrier’ Fenchurch was the first to be sold. Newhaven harbour was the LBSCR’S premier port and it competed with Dover and Southampton. It was, due to legal issues, an independent company and it bought No. 672 in 1898. It was only when the Isle of Wight Central Railway had to almost beg to be allowed to buy a ‘Terrier’ that the LBSCR finally realised that the class could find buyers on other railways. A staggering 21 ‘Terriers’ were purchased by other operators between 1898 and 1920. Here’s how their individual stories unfolded.

THOMAS BRIGHT/SR A locomotive with more owners than a 1970s Ford Cortina… No. W8 was sold by the LSBCR to the LSWR, which sold it back to the FYNR. It then became part of the Southern and BR fleets and, after being owned by a brewery in the 1960s, is now back on the...