The SR USA Class No 30072 was built 1943 in the USA by Vulcan and were ex-United States Army Transportation Corps S100 Class steam locomotives purchased and adapted by the Southern Railway (SR) after the end of the Second World War to replace the LSWR B4 class then working in Southampton Docks. SR staff nicknamed them "Yank Tanks".
They were shipped to the British War Department in 1943, and stored awaiting the invasion of Mainland Europe. Most went overseas but some remained in store.
The United States Army Transportation Corps built 382 S100 Class 0-6-0T engine for use in the Second World War. For fifteen years the entire class was used for shunting and carriage and van heating in Southampton Docks. They performed well and were popular with the footplate men, but the limited bunker capacity often necessitated the provision of relief engines for some of the longer duties.
No. 30072 was originally No.SR 64 under SR in 1948 it was allocated 71I Southampton Docks and it ended up at 70C Guildford as Shed pilot until being withdrawn at the end of 1967 in August 2015 it was purchased by Andy Booth (the current owner of L&YR Class 27/1300) and is planned to be overhauled in time for the 50th anniversary of the opening of the KWVR in 2018. It is planned for the engine to be overhauled at the Ribble Steam Railway, she is then to return on loan to the railway upon completion.
Copyright: Ian Taylor obtained from GEOGRAPH, and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License- taken at 70C Guildford Shed in June 1965.
