LB&SCR B1 Gladstone
Design and development
Stroudley's 1882 express design rejected the prevailing British move towards 4-4-0s in favour of an unusual 0-4-2 layout: a single trailing axle behind the firebox supporting a small parallel boiler, with two coupled axles at the front and inside cylinders driving the leading axle (an arrangement uncommon in British practice). The layout was extremely successful for the LBSCR's relatively easy gradients, and the Gladstones were both fast and economical.
Service and withdrawals
The Gladstones worked LBSCR Brighton expresses from 1882 until progressively superseded by Marsh's 4-4-2s and Atlantics from 1905 onwards. The class survived in secondary service into the 1930s. The prototype, Gladstone, was withdrawn in 1927 and saved by the Stephenson Locomotive Society — the first British preservation purchase by a society — and is now on permanent display at the NRM York, finished in Stroudley's Improved Engine Green.
Identification features
Distinctive 0-4-2 layout with two coupled axles at the front and a trailing carrying axle behind the firebox; inside cylinders driving the front axle (unusual); polished brass dome, polished brass safety-valve casing, polished copper-capped chimney, and Stroudley's elaborate yellow livery with red, black and green lining.
Notable locomotives
- 214 Gladstone (1882, National Railway Museum)