Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 23, 2008

The SR U Class were 2-6-0 mogul steam locomotives designed by Richard Maunsell for passenger duties on the Southern Railway in Great Britain. They were to be used on cross-country and semi-fast expresses. A highly standardised class of locomotive, the U Class project was given greater emphasis after the Sevenoaks railway accident which involved another class of locomotive, Harry Wainwright's SECR K Class 2-6-4T. Several members of the U Class were rebuilds of the K Class at the Ashford railway works, and were soon granted the nickname 'U-Boats.' The U Class was a reliable and economical design, and proved to be more than capable of attaining speeds in excess of 70 mph (110 km/h). Able to operate over most of the Southern Railway network after grouping in 1923, the U Class survived until 1966, when all had been withdrawn from service. Four examples have been preserved, two at the Bluebell Railway, and two others at the Mid-Hants Railway.

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