Southern Railway 2-6-0 No. 31806
Swanage, Dorset, UK 		Location: Swanage Railway
Status: Operational
Posted: Jun 6, 2025 @ 13:06:13 by Russell Newman
For its part running during the Cuckoo Line Gala at the Spa Valley Railway from the 13th to 15th of June 2025, the ex Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806, will be running as long lost class mate No. 31803 to recreate the last steam train that ran along the Cuckoo Line, "The Wealdsman Rail Tour" that the original No. 31803 had hauled on the 13th of June 1965, along the famous Cuckoo Line between Eridge and Hailsham was closed by British Railways back in 1965.
Posted: May 16, 2025 @ 12:05:37 by Russell Newman
The ex Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806, will be visiting the Mid Norfolk Railway in East Anglia for the very first time for their Summer Southern Steam Gala from the 27th to 29th of June 2025.
Posted: Apr 13, 2025 @ 13:04:16 by Russell Newman
The ex Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806, will visit the Spa Valley Railway for for the first time for their Cuckoo Line Gala from the 13th to 15th of June 2025, to mark 60 years since the famous Cuckoo Line between Eridge and Hailsham was closed by British Railways back in 1965. The visit for the Gala is fitting as No. 31806 is of course a sister engine to U Class No. 31803 which then paired with N Class 2-6-0 No. 31411 operated the last steam hauled train along the Cuckoo Line - "The Wealdsman Rail Tour" on the 13th of June 1965.
Posted: May 13, 2024 @ 06:05:57 by Russell Newman
The ex Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806, is visiting the Kent & East Sussex Railway to take part in their 50th Anniversary Gala on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of June 2024.
Posted: Apr 13, 2023 @ 05:04:32 by Russell Newman
The ex Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 is the fith and final visiting locomotive at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s Cotswold Festival of Steam Gala from the 12th to 14th of May 2023. This will the first time No. 31806 has visited the railway then.
Posted: Mar 11, 2021 @ 13:03:50 by Russell Newman
The ex Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 reached a milestone in its overhaul as she was steamed and moved for the first time since it received the newly overhauled boiler from N Class No. 31874. This is a tremendous achievement considering that No. 31806 was withdrawn from traffic less than 3 months ago! The locomotive begin running trials before entering service at the Swanage Railway and on the mainline again.
Posted: Feb 13, 2021 @ 09:02:58 by Russell Newman
Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 was not a U Class 2-6-0 at first. It was originally a K Class 2-6-4T built in 1926 Known as River Tank and carried the number No. A806 and was named "River Torridge". It only ran as a K Class 2-6-4T until 1927 when then class mate No. A800 "River Cray" was derailed in a incident. Approaching Sevenoaks at nearly 60 mph it started it rolling on poor track, derailing and tragically, thirteen people died as the train struck a bridge. The entire class of 20 locos were immediately withdrawn from service and amongst the bad publicity for the class, they were all rebuilt into the 2-6-0 U Class. No. A806 was rebuilt as a U Class 2-6-0 in 1928 at Brighton works and carried the Southern Railway number No. 1806 was noted to be working out of Nine Elms shed in London. Then under the ownership of British Railways from 1948 on words No.31806 survived until January 1964 ending its days in service at Guildford shed. The locomotive was sent to Barry Scrapyard, where it was rescued in 1976 it returned to steam at the Mid Hants Railway in 1981 operated there until 2014 when its owner moved it to the Swanage Railway for regular use there as well as out on the mainline since 2018 at times. No. 31806 is the only surviving U Class that was a former K Class 2-6-4T in preservation today.
Posted: Jan 2, 2021 @ 11:01:45 by Russell Newman
The ex Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 will be having a boiler swap will be undertaken in January 2021 from N Class No. 31874 which has been under overhaul at Northern Steam Engineering Limited at Stockton on Tees. No. 31806 was due to come out of service to have its 10 yearly boiler overhaul but the locomotive is still in good condition and the boiler swap will see it still running both the Swanage Railway and heritage railway circuit as well as the mainline with a fresh 10 year boiler ticket.
Posted: Apr 11, 2018 @ 13:04:49 by Russell Newman
Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 will be under taking its first mainline test run on Network Rail metals this Friday. Running from Swanage to Yeovil and back in readiness for the locomotive to take part in the Railway Touring Company s leg of the Great Britain XI with Bulleid West Country Class Pacific 34046 "Braunton" or LNER A4 No. 60009 "Union of South Africa" from Yeovil to Swanage via Weymouth on the 26th of April 2018.
Posted: Aug 1, 2017 @ 10:08:51 by Russell Newman
31806 is back in service at the Swanage Railway but is being tested before it goes mainline this summer for the Wareham operations.
Posted: Apr 25, 2017 @ 15:04:51 by Russell Newman
The U Class No. 31806 is currently at Herston works undergoing a bottom end overhaul and a repaint and in a surprise move it is being fitted with equipment to run on the mainline, which includes GSMR, OTMR, AWS and TPWS.