Steam Locos of a Leisurely Era – LSWR Drummond’s ‘Bug’

This is the way to go to work!

London & South Western Railway 4-2-4T Drummond’s ‘Bug’

The Bug at Eastleigh in 1927 H.C.Casserley

Dugald Drummond, Locomotive Superintendent of the London and South Western railway from 1895 to 1912, ordered himself the Victorian equivalent of a company car for conveyance between his home in Surbiton and the Works at Nine Elms, moved to Eastleigh in 1908-10, apart from regular inspections elsewhere over the system, which led to the engine being known by the men as ‘The Bug’. After Drummond’s retirement the locomotive, which had been averaging 30,000 miles a year, saw little use, but survived until 1940.  By August 1937 it was a permanent resident at Eastleigh Paint Shop where this photo was taken, now just ‘SR’ livery.

In Eastleigh Paint Shop – H.C.Casserley

After his death in 1912 it was little used, but remained in Eastleigh shed until 1932, when it had a short spell of duty taking small parties of visitors around the new extensions to Southampton Docks then under construction.  Thereafter it did little or no work until it was finally cut up in 1940.  At first numbered 733 in the capital list it was transferred in 1924 to the service stock as 58S.

Until its resuscitation in 1932 it was still painted in the old pre-1918 LSWR livery, the coach portion retaining the old characteristic salmon and chocolate colours of LSWR days.  Still bearing the initials ‘LSWR’ it was also probably at the time the last engine on any railway in nominal (if not actual) service to retain its pre-grouping identity in this manner.