The LCDR M 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 ...

. 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 1877, intended for the heaviest express services between London and Dover.

History

took over as locomotive superintendent of the railway following the death of William Martley in 1874. Martley's Europa class 2-4-0 were performing well on the lightly loaded Dover-Flushing

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 a larger engine was required for some of the heavier services on the main line. Kirtley therefore designed a

for this purpose. The six locomotives were 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 ...

of Glasgow and introduced during June and July 1877. They proved to be successful for these tasks and were only superseded on the heaviest trains by the larger M3 class The locomotives passed to the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 1899 and 1903. The class began to be withdrawn and scrapped from 1911.

References

* {{SECR locomotives M 4-4-0 locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1877 Scrapped locomotives Neilson locomotives Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain