No. 40 Brighton was the LB&SCR's celebrity 'locomotive', having been selected by the company's General Manager, J.P Knight, to represent the LB&SCR at the Paris International Exhibition. Setting sail for Dieppe on 30 March 1878, the locomotive was exhibited in the Exhibition's Machinery Hall between May and November, gaining a Gold Medal in the process. On its return to England, a commemorative panel was added to the side tanks and aside from its normal duties, Brighton was also used for a number of Stroudley's experimental fittings, right up until its sale to the IWCR in January 1902.
'Brighton' was sold in 1901 to the Isle of Wight Central Railway and becoming Southern Railway W11 Newport in the IoW numbering scheme. Returning to the mainland in 1946 and becoming one of the last Terriers in service the engine was displayed at the Butlins Pwllheli holiday centre until 1973, when the Isle of Wight Locomotive Society persuaded Butlins to loan the ex-IoW engine to them, purchasing it outright in 1976. As W11 Newport the Paris Gold Medal winner steamed again in 1989 until withdrawn in 2002 with boiler problems. Following the building of a new boiler W11 returned to steam again in 2014 and is expected to be in regular service throughout 2020.
Technical Specification & Detail
Finish Standard
Length 105mm
DCC Ready
Era 2 (1870 - 1922)
Class A1 Terrier
Designer William Stroudley
Entered Service 1878
Minimum Curve R1
Age Suitability 14+
Motor 3 Pole Skew Wound
Wheel Configuration 0-6-0