There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics. Included in the latter is the Southern Regions list of locomotive transfers that took place in the summer of 1959 following completion of Phase 1 of the Kent Electrification Scheme.

BR would have had railway enthusiasts believe that Nine Elms shed (70A) welcomed 106 additional locomotives made redundant at sheds like Gillingham, Faversham and Ramsgate, although allowing for transfers away, the net figure was actually 93 engines. The transfer included the entire complement of the E1, L and L1 4-4-0s together with the R1 0-6-0Ts from Folkestone Junction. Also included were twenty five Cs, nine D1s, seven Hs, two O1s, nine Schools, nine BR Standard 5s and three modified Merchant Navys!

Of course, the transfers, as would later be discovered, were only on paper, and the vast majority of the locomotives never went anywhere near Nine Elms. Many were immediately stored, never to steam again, at depots such as Feltham, Guildford, Basingstoke and Reading South. The ultimate destination of some of these Kentish engines remains, to this date, uncertain, as is how many actually made their way to 70A.

This photograph depicts two locomotives that were in theory based at Nine Elms when the photograph was taken on 8 August 1959 at Redhill shed(75B). On the left is SECR Class L 4-4-0 31771 still with its Tonbridge(74D) shedplate. There are conflicting accounts regarding its subsequent usage, with at least one report that it was at Nine Elms, albeit not in steam in September 1960. It was subsequently withdrawn in December 1961.

The other locomotive is SR D1 4-4-0 31247 with its Bricklayers Arms(73B) shedplate. Another photograph taken in March 1961 shows it stored at the same location and as it was withdrawn four months later, I think we can assume it was one of the many that never made it to Nine Elms.

Photo: John Scrace [140613]