SECR N Class - Operational Details

Operational Details

The N class was used to haul services over most of the SECR network and became a familiar sight on the difficult cross-country route between Tonbridge and Reading, on which the steep gradients had taxed the company's 4-4-0 and 0-6-0 designs. The success of the 2-6-0 in traversing this route was due to their higher-capacity tapered boilers that produced an ample supply of steam, and the small 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) driving wheels that delivered considerable tractive effort when climbing gradients such as the 1 in 100 between Gomshall and Shalford.

After "The Grouping" in 1923, the N class remained on the former SECR network, which was incorporated into the Southern Railway's Eastern section. Typical services included Ramsgate, Ashford and Hither Green freights, and Cannon Street to Dover passenger trains. The spring of 1924 saw Nos. A815 and A825 transferred to the former LSWR mainline between Waterloo and Guildford for trials. These proved successful, and paved the way for the allocation of most of the Woolwich batch to the Southern Railway's Western section. The type regularly replaced Dugald Drummond's ageing LSWR T9 class 4-4-0s on portions of the Atlantic Coast Express over the steeply graded mainlines west of Exeter.

The N class was also successful on the Central section, where they worked alongside L. B. Billinton's LB&SCR K class 2-6-0s. However the large cylinder and cab sizes of the N class prevented use of the type on the Eastern section's Tonbridge–Hastings line. The route's narrow bridges and tunnels were unable to accommodate the class, and provided justification for using the narrower 3-cylinder N1 class 2-6-0 on the route. Despite these restrictions, the class was capable of hauling heavy loads at moderate speeds, a useful attribute that was exploited throughout the Second World War. The entire class came into British Railways' ownership in 1948 and could be seen in most areas of the Southern Region.