The LCDR M1 class was a class of

4-4-0 4-4-0 is a locomotive type with a classification that uses the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement and represents the arrangement: four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four pow ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

s of the

London, Chatham and Dover Railway The London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR or LC&DR) was a railway company in south-eastern England created on 1 August 1859, when the East Kent Railway was given parliamentary approval to change its name. Its lines ran through London and nor ...

(LCDR), very similar to the earlier M class but with steel frames, larger tenders and other detailed differences. The class was designed by

William Kirtley William Kirtley may refer to: * William Kirtley (railway engineer), English railway engineer * William W. Kirtley, known as Bill, American anti-death penalty activist * Bill Kirtley William Kirtley was an English professional footballer who ...

and introduced in 1880.

History

Kirtley had requested six more examples of his earlier M class built by

Neilson and Company Neilson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland. The company was started in 1836 at McAlpine Street by Walter Neilson and James Mitchell to manufacture marine and stationary engines. In 1837 the firm moved to Hyde Par ...

for the London-Dover

boat train A boat train is a passenger train operating to a port for the specific purpose of making connection with a passenger ship, such as a ferry, ocean liner, or cruise ship. Through ticketing is normally available. __NOTOC__ Notable named boat train ...

s, but this request was turned down by the LCDR board, although he was given permission to build similar locomotives at the company's

Longhedge Works Longhedge Railway Works was a locomotive and carriage works built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway in the borough of Battersea, South London to serve their new London terminus at Victoria. The facility existed between 1862 until the mid- ...

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batte ...

. Two locomotives were built during 1880 and a further two in 1881. However a fire in the machine shop seriously delayed work on the final two which eventually appeared as members of the M2 class in 1885. The class proved to be successful and completed high mileages. on the heaviest semi-fast trains. The locomotives passed to the

South Eastern and Chatham Railway The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee (SE&CRCJMC),Awdry (1990), page 199 known as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR), was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Easter ...

in 1899 and were considered to be sufficiently useful to be worth re-boilering between 1898 and 1904. The class began to be withdrawn and scrapped from 1912. Only one example survived into Southern Railway ownership in 1923, but was withdrawn almost immediately thereafter.

References

* {{SECR locomotives M1 4-4-0 locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1884 Scrapped locomotives Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain