Following the success of the ‘Terrier’, Stroudley provided the London Brighton & South Coast Railway with a dedicated passenger version – the ‘D’ 0-4-2T – in 1873, followed by a goods version in 1874. This was the ‘E’, later called ‘E1’.
The 78 locomotives might have looked like a stretched version of the ‘Terrier’ but they carved out a niche as a strong and capable performer. They were less well received when used on passenger trains.
Stroudley’s successors, Robert Billinton and Douglas Marsh left their respective marks on the ‘E1s’, changing boiler designs and making detail changes.
The Southern Railway inherited 62 ‘E1s’. It sold five into industry, modified four for use on the Isle of Wight and turned ten more into ‘E1/R’ 0-6-2Ts to work lines in the West Country.
We will be producing number 113 which spent some time at Eastbourne in the 1910s and “Loco Dept. New Cross”. Number 113 wore this livery from 1910 until 1928 when it was repainted into Southern livery and numbered B113 Loco Dept New Cross wore this livery from June 1908 until June 1922 when it was renumberd as 611
The ‘E1s’ lasted well into BR days. The last Isle of Wight example, No. 4 Wroxall, was withdrawn in October 1960 while the last ‘E1’ used on the mainland, No. 32694, was not condemned until July 1961. Happily, No. 110, one of the quintet sold into industry, survived into preservation and is now under overhaul at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway where it will return to service as No. 2 Yarmouth in full Southern Railway lined green.
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