936001 WSL Rapido E1 Steam Locomotive number 145 France

The 78 locomotives might have looked like a stretched version of the ‘Terrier’ but they carved out a niche as a strong and capable performer. They were less well received when used on passenger trains. Stroudley’s successors, Robert Billinton and Douglas Marsh left their respective marks on the E1s, changing boiler designs and making detail changes. The Southern Railway inherited 62 E1s. It sold five to private industries, modified four for use on the Isle of Wight and turned ten more into Class E1/R 0-6-2Ts to work lines in the West Country. 

The E1s lasted well into BR days. The last Isle of Wight example, No. 4 Wroxall, was withdrawn in October 1960 while the last E1 used on the mainland, No. 32694, was not condemned until July 1961. Happily, No. 110, one of the quintet sold into industry, survived into preservation, and is now at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway where it will return to service as No. 2 Yarmouth in full Southern Railway lined green.

Features

• LBSCR ochre
• Stroudley boiler and chimney
• Original style smokebox door
• Condensing pipes fitted
• No coal rails
• Next18 decoder socket
• Sprung buffers
• NEM pockers
• Firebox flicker (DCC Only) or Firebox glow (DC)
• Factory fitted speaker
• Museum quality finish
• Smooth & powerful mechanism
• Lots of separately fitted parts