R30392 LSWR - Class A1 'Terrier' - 734 - Club Exclusive

Introducing the Hornby Collector Club exclusive LSWR ‘A1’ Class ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No. 734, a beautifully detailed 00-gauge model presented in the striking London and South Western Railway green livery. DCC Ready for easy digital conversion with exquisite lining and realistic cab detail this locomotive is a must-have for collectors and enthusiasts alike. A true gem that celebrates the rich heritage of the LSWR, this iconic Terrier locomotive won’t be around for long. 

Pair our Hornby Collector Club exclusive with LSWR 4-wheel coaches for an authentic period passenger service that brings the charm of the LSWR era to your layout. With only 500 available, and exclusive to our Hornby Collector Club members don’t miss out on adding this exceptional piece to your collection.

History

First introduced in 1872, by the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway, by 1880, 50 of these ‘A1’ Class 0-6-0T locomotives were built at Brighton Locomotive Works to the design of William Stroudley. Although only small, the locomotives were ideally suited to south London suburban work, with their sharp acceleration meaning they could keep good time.

They were known as ‘Rooters’ to the crews who worked them out of London Bridge and Victoria stations, but are better known as ‘Terriers’ on account of the distinctive bark of their exhaust beat. Over time, they became underpowered for the growing traffic and were displaced by larger ‘D’ Class locomotives. They soon found work on rural branch lines, but 23 of them were withdrawn between 1898 and 1905, as there was insufficient work for them.

However, rather than see these useful locomotives scrapped, the LB&SCR sold the majority of these to other companies for further use. Two of the locomotives were sold in 1903 to the London & South Western Railway, whose territory ran south and west out of London Waterloo. These were Nos. 46 (later 646) ‘Newington' and 68 (668) ‘Clapham'. The LSWR renumbered them 734 and 735 and painted them in its attractive pea green colour with black and white lining and umber relief.

The two engines were bought to work the newly-opened Lyme Regis branch, but the arrival of bigger ‘O2’ Class 0-4-4Ts in 1906 meant they were once more moved on. Although No. 735 remained with the LSWR, No. 734 was sold-on to the Freshwater, Yarmouth & Newport Railway on the Isle of Wight in March 1914, for £900. It was given the number 2 (later W2).

The locomotive, like No. 735, then became part of the Southern Railway at the Grouping, effectively reunited with their former L&BSCR sisters. It was then renumbered W8 and given a new name, ‘Freshwater’, and continued to serve on the island under British Railways, although it had returned to the mainland for a rebuild with a larger boiler to become an ‘A1X’ in 1932.