Signals, Steam and Rolling Stock

Like the rhythmic noise of the locomotive engine, railways are a repetitive theme in the history of King’s. When, in the 1890s, the school needed to move from the cramped splendour of King’s College to somewhere with more space, Wimbledon was chosen due to the good transport links afforded by its the railway station. In 1935, it was to this station that the whole school descended to see it’s engine – the King’s–Wimbledon – one of the latest additions to Southern Railway’s fleet of ‘Schools’ class locomotives. These engines served Southern and then British Railways well, and were not retired from use until the early 1960s. One of the original nameplates from a King’s–Wimbledon was given to the school by British Railways shortly after it was withdrawn from service. The members of the school’s Railway Society were delighted. The society was, at that time, thriving. There were regular visits to depots and works and to travel on railway lines. A particularly committed bunch of King’s pupils even helped with the preservation of the Kent and East Sussex railway line, camping in all weathers at Northiam station to do so. A related Model Railway Society soon started. Extensive layouts impressed visitors at many a Commemoration Day and, at times, in a delightful nod to the past, an O Gauge model of the King’s–Wimbledon could be seen running on the tracks.

Discover more about the ‘Schools’ class and the railway-related societies at King’s in the online exhibition Signals, Steam and Rolling Stock.