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London, Tilbury & Southend class 79
London, Midland & Scottish class 3P
Great Britain | 1909
39 produced
LMS 2117 in Plaistow shed
LMS 2117 in Plaistow shed
flickr/stratfordman72

The class 79 of the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway was a 4-4-2T tank locomotive for fast suburban trains. It was designed by Thomas Whitelegg on the basis of his class 37, that has in turn been designed based on William Adams' class 1. What all had in common was that they had outside cylinders and inside valve gear and a saturated boiler. With their 6 ft 6 in drivers, they could reach 65 mph (105 km/h).

The LT&SR only ordered four from Robert Stephenson & Co. which were delivered in 1909. When the Midland Railway took over the LT&SR in 1912, they were assigned to power class 3P. The next order of ten was placed by the MR, but only delivered directly to the LMS after the grouping in 1923. 25 more were ordered by the LMS in three additional batches and delivered between 1925 and 1930.

No. 80 “Southend-on-Sea”, later “Thundersley”, on a colorized post card
No. 80 “Southend-on-Sea”, later “Thundersley”, on a colorized post card

What was special was that even the last batch of this class was built in 1930 with a saturated boiler. Later they were removed from the earlier LT&SR network and used in the East Midlands. British Railways had taken over all 39 locomotives and withdrew them between 1951 and 1960. No. 80 from the first batch is the only one that's existing today. It is on static display at Bressingham and again carries its original livery.

General
Built1909, 1923-1930
ManufacturerRobert Stephenson & Co., Nasmyth, Wilson & Co., Derby
Axle config4-4-2T (Atlantic) 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Wheelbase30 ft 9 1/2 in
Rigid wheelbase8 ft 9 in
Service weight159,376 lbs
Water capacity2,162 us gal
Fuel capacity6,160 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area19.8 sq ft
Firebox area119 sq ft
Tube heating area1,001 sq ft
Evaporative heating area1,120 sq ft
Total heating area1,120 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter78 in
Boiler pressure170 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 19 x 26 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power700 hp (522 kW)
Optimal speed26 mph
Top speed65 mph
Starting effort17,388 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
tank locomotive
passenger
express
Thomas Whitelegg
last changed: 08/2024
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