LBSCR Craven Singles

The LBSCR Craven Singles were a group of 2-2-2 and 2-4-0 express passenger locomotives built for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway under John Chester Craven from 1856, providing express motive power for the LBSCR's London–Brighton services in the mid-Victorian era before William Stroudley transformed the railway's locomotive practice from 1870. Craven's express locomotives were varied in specification and inconsistent in performance — reflecting his general approach to locomotive design — but gave workmanlike service on the Victoria–Brighton and London Bridge–Brighton services of the 1860s.

The 2-2-2 single-driver was the standard British express configuration of the 1850s, and Craven used both the 2-2-2 and the later 2-4-0 for his LBSCR express types, the latter giving better adhesion for starting heavy trains on the Brighton line's significant gradients. The express locomotives were named in Craven's characteristic individual style, with names drawn from classical mythology, geography, and contemporary figures, giving each locomotive a distinct identity rather than a class identity.

All Craven express locomotives were withdrawn and replaced by Stroudley's B1 Gladstone class and subsequent types from the early 1880s. None was preserved.