SECR C class

The South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) C Class is a class of 0 6 0 steam locomotive, designed by Harry Wainwright and built between 1900 and 1908. They were designed for freight duties, although occasionally used for passenger trains. They operated over the lines of the railway in London and south east England until the early 1960s. One example was rebuilt as an S Class saddle tank.

The SECR held trials in November 1898 to decide on a standard freight locomotive design. Two existing 0 6 0 locomotives were tested: former London, Chatham and Dover Railway B2 class No. 194 designed by William Kirtley; and former South Eastern Railway O class No. 436 designed by James Stirling. The Kirtley design proved superior and a new order for 40 locomotives based on it was placed. These new locomotives were designed by Harry Wainwright, the new Chief Mechanical Engineer of the railway, and formed the first of the C class. The first fifteen locomotives were constructed by Neilson, Reid and Company and delivered in June 1900, followed by a further fifteen from Sharp, Stewart and Company. The remainder were built by the SECR workshops at Ashford (70 examples 1900–1908) and Longhedge Works (9 examples 1903–4).

The locomotives were used on freight services and occasional passenger excursion trains (such as hop picking specials), throughout the SER between Reading railway station and the Kent Coast. The last twelve locomotives were fitted with steam carriage heating equipment to enable them to be used to haul and prepare empty stock for express trains. The remainder of the class were also so equipped by the Southern Railway after 1923.

In March 1904, a passenger train hauled by No. 294 derailed at , Surrey. At 03:40 hrs on 5 May 1919, a goods train from Bricklayers Arms to Margate Sands, Kent overran signals and ran into the back of another goods train just to the west of station, Kent. The Margate train was hauled by C class No. 721. It consisted of 50 goods vehicles including three brake vans. The other train was hauled by C class No. 61. The fireman of this train was killed in the accident. Although the main cause of the accident was the driver of the Margate train failing to obey signals, the signalman at East signal box was also censured for failure to give the driver adequate warning that although the train had been accepted by the signalman at Paddock Wood, the line was not clear. The signalman at Paddock Wood had accepted the train under Regulation No 5 "Section clear but station or junction blocked". On 18 February 1948, locomotive 1225 was wrongly routed into the north sidings at Goudhurst, Kent and derailed. On 4 July 1958, an electric multiple unit overran signals and collided with an empty stock train hauled by locomotive No. 31461 at , London. Forty five people were injured.

In 1917 one example, no. 685 was converted into an S class 0 6 0ST for use as a heavy duty shunter at Richborough port which was then being used to ship locomotives and armoured equipment to the Western Front. After the War it was used as a shunter at Bricklayers Arms until 1951.

In common with other freight locomotives in Southern England, the class was very heavily used during the Second World War and repairs and maintenance deferred. As a result, one locomotive had to be withdrawn in December 1947, but the remaining 107 examples entered service with British Railways in 1948. Withdrawals of the remainder of the class began in 1953, but accelerated after the Kent Coast electrification in 1959–1960. However, three examples (31271, 31280, 31592) remained in Departmental stock as shunters at Ashford Works until 1966. + Table of withdrawals Year Quantity inservice atstart of year Quantitywithdrawn Locomotive numbers Notes 1917 109 1 685 Rebuilt as 0 6 0ST, S class. Withdrawn 1951 1918–46 108 0 – 1947 108 2 1262, 1499 1948 106 0 – 1949 106 2 31257, 31460 1950–51 104 0 – 1952 104 1 31038 1953 103 6 31090, 31234/60/91, 31486, 31580 1954 97 1 31572 1955 96 7 31225/77/94, 31513, 31687, 31713/18 1956 89 1 31063 1957 88 3 31508, 31711–12 1958 85 5 31018/59, 31461, 31582/93 1959 80 16 31071, 31191, 31219/21/27/43/45/52–53/70/72/97, 31576/85, 31681/83 31272 to stationary boiler at Ashford Works as DS240. 1960 64 11 31033/54/86, 31102, 31223/87/98, 31581, 31688/92, 31725 1961 53 0 – 1962 53 53 31004/37/61/68, 31112–13/50, 31218/29/42/55–56/67–68/71/80/93, 31317, 31480–81/95/98, 31510/73/75/78–79/83–84/88–90/92, 31682/84/86/89–91/93–95, 31714–17/19–24 31592 to Ashford Works as DS239; withdrawn 1966.

One, No. 592 (Southern Railway 1592, BR 31592), has been preserved on the Bluebell Railway. It was featured in the train scene of The Wind in the Willows (1996) and The Railway Children. In 2016, the locomotive was featured in the film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Bachmann Branchline produces several versions of the C class in OO gauge with the initial release in 2013, they include the preserved example, as well as liveries from the Southern Railway and British Railways. Bachmann announced on 8 January 2017 that an 'N' Gauge C Class would form part of their 2017 Graham Farish catalogue range. This is to be produced as SE&CR No. 271 in SE&CR plain green, as well as No. 1294 in Southern Railway Black and No. 31227 in British Railways Black with early British Railways emblem.