The
SR USA class were ex-
United States Army Transportation Corps S100 Class steam locomotives purchased by the
Southern Railway after the end of the
Second World War.
Construction history
Thirteen out of the Southern's 15 locomotives (14 for traffic plus one for spares) were built at the
Vulcan Iron Works in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1942 to the design specifications of the USATC by Col.
Howard G. Hill. The remaining two were built by
H. K. Porter, Inc of
Pittsburgh. Bradley, D.L.:
Locomotives of the Southern Railway: Part 1. (Railway Correspondence and Travel Society: London, 1975) ISBN 0-86093-5930 Overall, 382 of the class had been ordered from
Davenport Locomotive Works of
Davenport, Iowa, H. K. Porter and Vulcan Iron Works. Longworth, Hugh:
British Railway Steam Locomotives: 1948-1968 (Oxford Publishing Company: Oxford, 2005) ISBN 0-901115-30-4 They were shipped to Great Britain in 1943 and stored awaiting the invasion of
Mainland Europe, after which many were shipped to Europe, but others, including those purchased, had hardly been used and were lying around in dumps awaiting disposal.
The key to their success, after being acquired by the Southern Railway, was their short wheelbase, which was able to negotiate the tight curves found at
Southampton Docks. They were also powerful, able to haul heavy freight trains as well as full-length passenger trains in the harbour...
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