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British Railways (ex-SR) Z class No. 30955

(Requires Tyten’s original Z class. My version is a re-colour of the original, complete with a different number).

The Z class was a class of eight tank engines built in 1929. They were designed by Richard Maunsell for the Southern Railway, and built at the famous Brighton Works. The design incorporated a three-cylinder layout and the 0-8-0 wheel arrangement; the latter of which contributed to a very unique and - dare I say, chunky - appearance.

The performance from the first eight Z class engines was deemed satisfactory, and a further 10 would have been built had it not been for the Great Depression. By the time trade recovered, Maunsell had been experimenting with diesel shunters and so the Z class never advanced beyond those initial eight engines.

Numbers allocated to these engines were 950 to 957, and they were used as heavy shunters throughout the Southern system (examples are as follows - Feltham, Hither Green, and even as far west as Exmouth Junction at one point). During World War 2 the Zs were loaned to the War Department and temporarily transferred to Scotland, and whilst there their ability to haul heavy trains came in handy. During their time in Scotland, the Zs were used to haul trains carrying troops and other war materials. They returned to the south of England in May 1943.

All eight engines survived long enough to pass into British Railways ownership on January 1st, 1948. Consequently they were renumbered in the 30xxx series (becoming 30950 to 30957), as was the case with all ex-Southern Railway locomotives.

Their original livery was plain black, with ‘Southern’ lettering and yellow numbers on the side-tanks. After being inherited by BR, the livery remained as plain black, albeit with numbers on each side of the bunker and the BR crest on the tanks.

Towards the end of the 1950s, the Zs were transferred to the Exeter area, which was at the western end of the Southern Region at the time. They were used to assist trains on the steep 1 in 37 climb from Exeter St. Davids to Exeter Central. However, this section was taken over by BR’s Western Region in 1962, and the Z class was deemed ‘non-standard’ under Western Region control, and the whole class was withdrawn before the end of 1962. Ex-GWR Pannier Tanks took over the Z’s duties.

Sadly all Z class locomotives were scrapped, even though an attempt was made to preserve engine No. 30952 for the Bluebell Railway in Sussex. This attempt was unsuccessful, and the engine was scrapped by Cashmores of Newport in 1965. As for 30955 - the subject of this re-skin - she was withdrawn in December 1962 and scrapped in 1964.

More information on the Z class can be found here:
https://sremg.org.uk/steam/zclass.shtml