ABC"2" of RAILWAYS: U is for U CLASS

The design of R E L Maunsell's U CLASS 2-6-0 for the Southern Railway originated from that of the prototype K Class 2-6-4 Tank engine built by the SECR in 1917. The first production batch of these large tank engines was withdrawn after a fatal derailment at Sevenoaks in 1927. Maunsell was concerned that the heavy side tanks were a destabilising influence and rebuilt the locos as 2-6-0 tender engines (nos 1790 - 1809). Thirty more of these attractive-looking engines were built with numbers 1610 - 1639.