Cranleigh Line - Locomotives

Locomotives

The first locomotive to work the line was a small 2-2-2 tender engine designed by John Chester Craven, built at Brighton railway works and numbered 30. It remained in service until May 1886. From 1878 and 1880 two LB&SCR A1 Class "Terriers", respectively no. 36 Bramley and no. 77 Wonersh, began to work the line from the LSWR shed at Guildford. Wonersh was transferred in the 1890s to the Pulborough-Chichester line and then to the Isle of Wight where it became SR no. W13 Carisbrooke, returning to Fratton in 1949 to become BR no. 32677. Wonersh was withdrawn in September 1959. Bramley was sold in 1902 to a contractor involved in building the extension of the Great Central Railway. Freight services were carried out in the 1890s by LB&SCR E1 Class nos. 97 Honfleur and 127 Poitiers.

After the 1923 grouping, ex-LSWR M7 Class 0-4-4 tanks were introduced to the line and took over most of the regular passenger workings until the 1950s. Nos. 30047–53 were based at Horsham. Their last appearance on the line was on 28 January 1963 when the No. 30241 worked the 18.05 to Horsham. In addition, Guildford shed was known to send out other types of engine from time to time that were not normally used on the line. Those that made their appearance included classes C, D, Q1 and 700. D1 0-4-2 tanks nos. 2235 and 2283 worked the lines to Guildford and Brighton from Horsham during the Second World War, although both dated from the 1880s. Other former LBSCR engines making their appearance on the line were members of the E4 class Other former LBSCR locomotives to work passenger trains on the Cranleigh line were members of the E4 class of 0-6-2 tanks, one of which Birch Grove No. 32473 was bought by the Bluebell Railway in 1962 where it now survives, having undergone a complete overhaul in recent years. The line occasionally saw an Billinton E6. Another Billinton design to be used on the line was the C2 0-6-0 tender freight locomotive. No. 2436 was based at the Guildford shed from March 1944 and worked goods on the Cranleigh line. The Horsham shed was allocated six C3s, a larger version of the C2, in 1930 and, although primarily intended for goods trains, they were often used on Sunday excursions to Brighton, taking over a train from the Cranleigh line and running it via Steyning. With a few exceptions, two-coach pull-and-push sets were used for passenger services for most of the line's working life.

The 1955 Modernisation Plan made more powerful engines available. Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T locotmotives were used until the end of services on the Cranleigh line, helped by E6s and backed up by class E4 Nos. 32479 and 32503 as late as 1962. After 1960, Horsham ceased to be a shed in its own right and became a stabling point for goods locomotives from Three Bridges and passenger locomotives from Brighton. After the electrification of the Kent Coast lines, some of the Cranleigh Line's locomotives were allocated to Brighton shed.