The NERAIL New England Railroad Photo Archive
 
 
Photo of Southern (UK) at Bellows falls, Vt
Southern (UK) at Bellows falls, Vt

Here's one for our brothers across the pond.
Designed by Richard Maunsell for the Southern Railway in 1930, the "V Class" - better known as the "Schools Class" as all locomotives were named after English public schools - was intended to meet a need for an intermediate passenger locomotive for routes needed power but couldn't handle large express engines. Essentially a cut-down "Lord Nelson" class, Maunsell used the round-topped firebox from the "King Arthur" class, which had the useful side-effect of making the "Schools" narrow enough for routes such as Tonbridge to Hastings with a restricted loading gauge.
926 ‘Repton’ was completed at Eastleigh in May 1934. After a spell at Bournemouth it operated from Fratton (Portsmouth) depot until the Waterloo-Portsmouth route was electrified in July 1937. It was then one of ten ‘Schools’ locomotives transferred to Bournemouth as replacements for ‘King Arthurs’ on the London expresses. It remained at Bournemouth for most of the war, being used on the lighter expresses and, after the war, on inter-regional trains. Further electrification caused more moves of these locomotives and ‘Repton’ was withdrawn from Basingstoke depot, with the remaining members of the class, on 30 December, 1962, just 2 years after a major service.
Restored at Eastleigh by 1966, Repton was donated by her purchaser to Steamtown USA in Vermont, who in turn loaned her to the Cape Breton Steam Railway in Canada. Some modifications were made to her to satisfy US/Canadian running requirements, most notably a high-sided coal tender - though this pattern of tender had been seen on other "Schools" in BR service.
Repton is now back in service, in Southern Railways Olive Green under her old number 926.

Photographed by Bruce Macdonald, October, 1979.
Added to the photo archive by Bruce Macdonald, September 20, 2024.
Railroad: Green Mountain.

Bruce Macdonald's awards:

» Contact the person who posted this photograph.

Full-Sized image (850 x 546)
Sharing this photo?

Use this "permalink" to avoid broken links:

http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=280403
 
Submit to Stumble Submit to Digg Submit to Del.icio.us Google Bookmark Submit to Reddit Twit This

[Turn Ads Off]

Visitor Comments about this Photo:

Where is this fine loco now?

I had no idea that a Schools Class had ever been at Bellows Falls! Wowzers!

Posted by Brian Gilleran on 2024-09-23 20:37:24


You must be logged on to post comments.

 
Follow us on Facebook
News | About NERAIL | About Jeff | Contact Jeff | F.A.Q.'s | Privacy Policy | Other Great Sites
This site, excluding photographs, copyright © 2016 Jeff S. Morris. Photographs copyright © individual photographers, except as noted.