WADDON ’S WHEELS BENEATH BOXHILL
Thank you for the interesting articles about William Stroudley and the ‘Terriers’ (SR505).
One little-reported fact came to my notice first in a book about the class by the author Tom Middlemass. In it he recorded a discussion with an old Brighton hand who, upon seeing the preserved Boxhill, exclaimed “she’s left-leading!” (i.e. the left-hand cranks when running forwards were 90º ahead of those on the right). The Brighton was a ‘right-leading’ line, but the South Eastern & Chatham was ‘left-leading’.
The apparent explanation is interesting. Engine No. 654, ex-Waddon, was sold to the SECR by the LBSCR for operating the Sheppey Light Railway, but within a week of entering service there, as recorded by Handel Kardas in his book Portrait of the Terriers (Ian Allan), it broke its crank axle and a replacement was supplied free of charge by Brighton Works.
The change could have been made at this time, though one wonders if the work of removing at least two of the other coupled wheels from their axles was worth the trouble.
As SECR No. 751, Southern No. A751 and later No. 680S, (Lancing Works shunter), Waddon continued in service until the opportunity was taken to overhaul and repaint it in Stroudley livery in 1947, along with Boxhill, which had been in departmental stock for years as No. 377S and was scheduled for preservation after restoration for the Waterloo centenary celebrations. During the work cracks were discovered in the spokes of Waddon’s wheels, so as Boxhill was intended only for static preservation, the wheelsets were exchanged and Waddon resumed work.
Thus Boxhill is preserved with the left-leading wheels from Waddon while her own have gone with that engine to Canada. George Moon, by email
BOXHILL IS PRESERVED WITH THE WHEELS FROM WADDON