LSWR K10 class

The London and South Western Railway K10 Class was a class of 40 4-4-0 steam locomotives designed for mixed traffic work. They were introduced on the London and South Western Railway in 1901 and 1902 to the design of Dugald Drummond, where they earned the nickname "Small Hoppers".

Background

In order to satisfy a pressing requirement for mixed-traffic locomotives, Drummond adopted the solution of a small-wheeled 4-4-0 he had previously employed on the Caledonian Railway. The resulting K10 had the same 5 ft 7 in (1.702 m) diameter coupled wheels as the M7 and the boiler was interchangeable with the M7, 700 and C8 classes

Construction history

Forty of the class were subsequently outshopped from the LSWR's Nine Elms Locomotive Works. They were generally paired with a 6-wheel tender because of their intended short journey lengths, which included local stopping trains and medium-level freight haulage, but as with the later L11 class, some could occasionally be seen with a 4,000-imperial-gallon (18,000 l; 4,800 US gal) "watercart" tender for longer trips.