E850 Lord Nelson
E850 (30850) 'Lord Nelson' - initial locomotive in its eponymous class, built 1926. Lord Nelson is currently based on the Great Central Railway and is seen on the main line from time to time. It visited the GWR in 2008.
- 4-6-0
- Southern Railway
- 1926
- 142 tons
- 5000 gallons
- Designed by Richard Maunsell in 1926 for the Southern Railway, the Lord Nelson class had the highest tractive effort of any British express passenger locomotive at the time as well as the largest grate area. A set of plans for the loco was provided to the LMSR and their influence can be seen in the original design of Fowler's Royal Scot class. One feature which made the class unique was the setting of the cranks which resulted in '8 beats to the bar' rather than the 4 heard from most locomotives. This, plus the multiple blast pipe chimney later fitted by Bulleid, gave the locos a very soft beat. Lord Nelson was initially shedded at Stewarts Lane but was withdrawn from service in 1962 at Eastleigh to become part of the National Collection.