# LB&SCR E2 class
The **LB&SCR E2 class** was a class of ten 0-6-0 tank steam locomotives designed by Lawson Billinton for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) and built at Brighton Works between 1913 and 1916 for shunting, station piloting, and local freight work.[1](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class) The class is best known today as the basis for [Thomas the Tank Engine](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-the-tank-engine) in *The Railway Series* and its television adaptation, although the real engines spent their careers on the Brighton system and its successors.[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KC9084c3Z4)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Builder and dates | Brighton Works, first locomotive completed August 1913; ten locomotives in two batches, 1913–1916[3](https://sremg.org.uk/steam/e2_class.shtml) • [4](https://loco-info.com/locomotive/14565?lng=en&t=Country) |
| Designer | Lawson Billinton, his first own design for the LB&SCR[3](https://sremg.org.uk/steam/e2_class.shtml) |
| Wheel arrangement | 0-6-0T with six 4 ft 6 in driving wheels on a 16-foot wheelbase[1](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class) |
| Boiler and cylinders | Boiler pressure of 170 lb per sq in; cylinders the same as the I2 class[3](https://sremg.org.uk/steam/e2_class.shtml) |
| Purpose | Shunting, piloting duties at London Victoria, and local freight trains[1](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class) |
| Numbering | LB&SCR 100–109; Southern Railway 2100–2109 from 1923; British Railways 32100–32109[5](https://www.bloodandcustard.net/LBSCRnotesE2.html) |
| Withdrawal | Withdrawals from September 1962, with No. 32109 withdrawn in April 1963; none preserved[3](https://sremg.org.uk/steam/e2_class.shtml) • [5](https://www.bloodandcustard.net/LBSCRnotesE2.html) |
## Design and construction
Lawson Billinton became the LB&SCR's Locomotive Superintendent in 1913, and the E2 was the first locomotive design of his own for the railway.[3](https://sremg.org.uk/steam/e2_class.shtml) It was intended to replace Stroudley's class E1 0-6-0T goods engines, and the prototype for the E2 was itself a rebuilt E1.[4](https://loco-info.com/locomotive/14565?lng=en&t=Country)
The design borrowed from other recent LB&SCR classes: the boiler, working at 170 lb per sq in, was similar to that of the I2 class, and the cylinders were the same as the I2's.[3](https://sremg.org.uk/steam/e2_class.shtml) • [1](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class) The locomotives had slotted frames and a curved drop at each end of the running platform.[3](https://sremg.org.uk/steam/e2_class.shtml) They were fitted with Westinghouse Quick Action brakes, which overcame the slow reaction times of earlier braking systems and allowed safer, faster, and longer freight trains.[1](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class) The short 16-foot wheelbase with six small 4 ft 6 in wheels suited shunting work.[1](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class)
The first five locomotives were built in 1913 and 1914. The five locomotives of the second batch, built in 1915 and 1916, were given longer water tanks, a response to the class's inadequate water capacity.[4](https://loco-info.com/locomotive/14565?lng=en&t=Country) • [1](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class)
## Numbering and ownership changes
The ten locomotives carried LB&SCR numbers 100 to 109. Under the 1923 grouping into the Southern Railway the numbers were retained with a 'B' prefix added from 1923 through 1928, after which they became 2100 to 2109. Under British Railways they were renumbered 32100 to 32109.[5](https://www.bloodandcustard.net/LBSCRnotesE2.html) By the late 1940s British Railways classified the class as 3F, a medium-freight power rating.[1](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class)
## Working life
For about fifty years the E2s performed shunting and piloting duties, including work at London Victoria, and hauled local freight trains.[1](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class) • [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KC9084c3Z4) The class was compact and modern in appearance, but its only handicap was the inadequate water supply, which limited its range; attempts to use the engines for passenger work were hampered by vibration and limited range.[1](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class)
Individual engines moved between sheds over their careers; for example, No. 32109 was transferred from Dover to Eastleigh in 1956 and withdrawn in April 1963.[5](https://www.bloodandcustard.net/LBSCRnotesE2.html) The last member of the class, No. 32101, was withdrawn in September 1962.[3](https://sremg.org.uk/steam/e2_class.shtml)
## Thomas the Tank Engine
The fictional engine Thomas, created by the Reverend W. Awdry in *The Railway Series*, is an E2-class locomotive, and the class's public profile has been overshadowed by the character.[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KC9084c3Z4) In the 2015 film *Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins*, Thomas is depicted as LB&SCR No. 70, a number chosen for the 70th anniversary of the franchise; fans discussing the class have argued that the character more plausibly corresponds to No.
## Models
The E2 has been produced as a model by Trix and Hornby, and is the subject of a South-Eastern Finecast kit.[5](https://www.bloodandcustard.net/LBSCRnotesE2.html)
## References
1. [LB&SCR E2 Class, Locomotive Wiki](https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/LB%26SCR_E2_Class)
2. [The Complete History of the LBSCR E2s, Nictrain123 (YouTube, 2024)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KC9084c3Z4)
3. [SREmG: LB&SCR E2 class](https://sremg.org.uk/steam/e2_class.shtml)
4. [loco-info.com: London, Brighton & South Coast class E2](https://loco-info.com/locomotive/14565?lng=en&t=Country)
5. [BloodandCustard: LBSCR E2 notes](https://www.bloodandcustard.net/LBSCRnotesE2.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Rail transport › Rail vehicles and rolling stock › Steam locomotives › British steam locomotive classes and rosters › Southern Railway and its constituents' classes*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license