London, Brighton & South Coast Stothert-Slaughter 2-2-2

Among the 14 locomotives that Stothert, Slaughter & Co. supplied to the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway between 1846 and 1848 were ten express locomotives of the 2-2-2 wheel arrangement. Contrary to the practice of the time, they were characterized by a high boiler. The double frame was designed in sandwich construction, i.e. made of two metal sheets with wood inserted between them. While the outer frame ran the full length, the inner frame only ran from the back of the cylinders to the firebox. 

The locomotives were not used very long with express trains, as they were soon replaced by more powerful ones. As early as the 1960s, they were only used in front of light trains on main lines, as well as for piloting services and on secondary lines. Thus, between 1860 and 1862, three engines were decommissioned and the others were more and more often left unused in the engine shed. Six examples were retired in 1870 and the last one not until 1873.