LSWR N15 class

LSWR N15 class

The LSWR N15 class was a British 2–cylinder 4-6-0 express passenger steam locomotive designed by Robert W. Urie. The class has a complex build history spanning three sub-classes and eight years of construction from 1918 to 1927. The N15 was subjected to smoke deflection experiments in 1926, becoming the first British class of steam. locomotive to be fitted with smoke deflectors. One example, 30777 Sir Lamiel, is preserved as part of the National Collection and can be seen on mainline railtours.

About LSWR N15 class in brief

Summary LSWR N15 classThe LSWR N15 class was a British 2–cylinder 4-6-0 express passenger steam locomotive designed by Robert W. Urie. The class has a complex build history spanning three sub-classes and eight years of construction from 1918 to 1927. The first batch of the class was constructed for the London and South Western Railway where they hauled heavy express trains to the south coast ports and further west to Exeter. After the Lord Nelsons, they were the second biggest 4- 6-0 passenger locomotives on the Southern Railway. They could reach speeds of up to 90 mph. Following the grouping of railway. companies in 1923, the LSWr became part of the Southern. Railway and its publicity department gave the N15  locomotive names associated with Arthurian. legend; the class hence becoming known as King Arthurs. The N15 was subjected to smoke deflection experiments in 1926, becoming the first British class of steam. locomotive to be fitted with smoke deflectors. The locomotive continued operating with British Railways until the end of 1962. One example, 30777 Sir Lamiel, is preserved as part of. the National Collection and can be seen on mainline railtours. The locomotive is now on display at the National Railway Museum in London, where it is part of a collection of more than 1,000 locomotive examples. It is the only example of a N15 locomotive currently on public display in the UK and is on display in a museum exhibition in London.

It can also be viewed on the National Rail Museum’s website, which is open to the public and includes a selection of other examples of N15-class locomotive locomotive equipment. The N15 class was built over several batches at Eastleigh and Glasgow, leading to the nicknames of \”Eastleigh Arthur\” and Scotchmen in service. The design also featured Urie’s design of a large dome cover on top of the boiler, a large chimney cover and his superheater. The cylinders were increased in size to 22 in × 28 in in diameter, the largest used on a British steam locom locomotive at that time. Despite the similarities, the N 15 class represented a refinement of the H15 template, and became the first tapered types to be constructed at the Eastleigh Works. It was the first time a British locomotive had been fitted with a smoke deflector, and was the only one to have a smokebox on the front of the barrel to reduce the weight carried by the front bogie. It also featured eight-wheel double bogie tenders with outside plate frames over the wheels and exposed Walschaerts valve gear. The new locomotive was obtained in mid-1918, though the Government approval for construction was postponed until wartime control of raw materials was relaxed in mid–1918–18–1919. The H15 design was approved by the L SWR management committee.