Built as No. 70 Poplar,
this locomotive entered revenue earning service on 4 December
1872. For nearly 30 years it worked suburban trains in the
London area. By the turn of the century the Terriers were
becoming too small for the many duties they had handled so
well, and the LB&SCR decided to reduce their numbers by
scrapping. It was quickly discovered, however, that they had
a considerable potential on the second hand market. Thus No.
70 was sold to the Rother Valley Railway (later the K&ESR)
in May 1901. for £650 and with 664,108 miles to its
credit. Brighton Works repainted the locomotive in the blue
livery of its new owners and fitted vacuum brakes. As No.
3 Bodiam it well served the K&ESR until
1931 when it was withdrawn together with the line’s
second Terrier, No. 5 Rolvenden (ex-LB &
SCR No 671 Wapping) which had been purchased
in 1905. The pair languished rusting on a grassy siding at
Rolvenden until, in 1932/33, Rolvenden was cannibalised and
various parts used to reconstruct Bodiam
and restore it to working order. The name plates were removed
at this stage but fortunately survived. In February 1943 its
boiler was condemned and one of the A1X pattern, bought from
the Southern Railway for £725, was fitted at the Southern
Railway's St. Leonards Depot. After nationalisation Bodiam
was taken into BR Southern Region stock as No. 32670, although
it continued to work the K&ESR, first remaining at Rolvenden
and then at St. Leonards. Later, it moved westwards to work
the Hayling Island branch. No. 32670 was withdrawn after that
branch’s closure in November 1963. Once again the locomotive
was saved from the scrapheap. It was purchased privately for
use on the preserved K&ESR and ran under its own steam
from Eastleigh to Robertsbridge, arriving on 10 April 1964.
Following its return to the K&ESR it was steamed occasionally
in the 60’s and early 70’s. It re-entered revenue
earning service on Easter Monday 1974 and for two years was
the regular Saturday engine, hauling two coach trains. In
September 1977 it was withdrawn because of a wasted tube plate,
having been spare engine for some time. It remained on static
display until early 1983 when it was stripped down and the
boiler removed for repairs. After extensive work it re-entered
service in mid-1984 sporting BR 1950s-style lined black livery
and carrying its old running number of 32670. Previously it
had relied on its vacuum and hand brakes, but a steam brake,
fitted during overhaul and with the cylinder unobtrusively
placed beneath the cab much improved its stopping power.
The boiler was removed in January 1986 for the foundation
ring rivets to be renewed but its condition was found to be
worse than anticipated. and the locomotive was again withdrawn
from service. After Bodiam had been stored
for some years, the Terrier Trust was established in the 1990's
with the aim of raising funds to purchase No. 3 from its then
owners (who none the less donated generously to the Trust)
and enable a new boiler to be obtained. An order for two Terrier
boilers was jointly placed by the K&ESR and the Isle of
Wight Steam Railway with Israel Newton Ltd of Bradford. Returned
to service in 2006 in a verson of its Rother Valley Railway
blue livery but still suffering teething problems and not
yet fully operational
TECHNICAL DATA
Class AIX
Weight 28 tons 5 cwt
Tractive effort 7,650 lbs
Cylinders (2) 13 in. dia x 20 in. stroke
Boiler Pressure 150 lbs.
Tank capacity 500 gallons
Wheels 4 feet 0 ins. diameter. 
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