SR West Country Class
Encyclopedia
The SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes, collectively known as Light Pacifics or informally as Spam Cans, are classes of air-smoothed
4-6-2 Pacific
steam locomotive
designed for the Southern Railway by its Chief Mechanical Engineer
Oliver Bulleid
. Incorporating a number of new developments in British steam locomotive technology, both classes were amongst the first British designs to utilise welding in the construction process, and to use steel fireboxes, which meant that components could be more easily constructed during the wartime austerity and post-war economy.
They were designed to be lighter in weight than their sister locomotives, the Merchant Navy class
, to permit use on a wider variety of routes, including those in the South-west of England and the Kent
coast. They were a mixed-traffic
design, being equally adept at hauling passenger
and freight trains, and were used on all types of services, frequently far below their capabilities. A total of 110 locomotives were constructed between 1945 and 1950, named after West Country
resorts or Royal Air Force
(RAF) and other subjects associated with the Battle of Britain
.
Due to problems with some of the new features in Bulleid's design, such as the Bulleid chain-driven valve gear
, sixty locomotives were rebuilt by British Rail
ways during the late 1950s. This produced a locomotive design highly similar to that of the rebuilt Merchant Navy class. The classes operated until July 1967, when the last steam locomotives on the Southern Region
were withdrawn from service. Although most were subsequently scrapped, twenty locomotives avoided this fate and instead found new homes on heritage railways in Britain
.
and to Guildford and Portsmouth
. Plans to electrify the main lines to the Kent coast resorts and Channel ports, followed by the South Western main line
to Southampton
and Bournemouth
had been made, but were interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War.
Despite long-term plans for electrification, the Southern Railway’s less heavily used lines in the West Country
beyond Salisbury
did not merit the cost of electrification. Those in Devon
and Cornwall
were meandering, heavily graded, and although featured heavy summer holiday traffic, were lightly used during the winter months. The seasonality of railway traffic meant that the various West Country branches were worked by the ageing T9 class 4-4-0
and the versatile N class 2-6-0
, which could be better utilised on mixed-traffic services elsewhere. As a result, an order was placed with Brighton railway works
in April 1941 for twenty passenger locomotives of a type to be determined. However, the works was involved in heavy freight locomotive construction for the war effort, resulting in a four year delay.
During 1943, Bulleid began planning for the post-war locomotive requirements of the railway and identified the need for a stop-gap steam locomotive design for those main lines
in South East England scheduled for electrification had the Second World War not taken place. Although the new Merchant Navy class
was available for the heaviest Continental expresses, the resumption of regular passenger services over poorly-maintained infrastructure following the war would require a lighter locomotive with wider route availability
.
At the same time there would be a continuing need for fast freight locomotives capable of operating on both electrified and non-electrified routes without impeding the intensive use of the system by passenger trains. The existing suburban electrification schemes around London
used passenger electric multiple units which had no equivalent freight design. Although Bulleid built two prototype electric locomotives in 1941 these were as yet unproven, and freight haulage would be undertaken by steam traction for the foreseeable future.
where they were scheduled to be constructed. The earliest drawings were for a moderately-sized 2-6-0
with similarities to the London and North Eastern Railway
K4 class
which Bulleid had helped design for the West Highland Line
when he was Nigel Gresley
’s assistant. However, such a design would have been inadequate for the Kent Coast lines which required a powerful 2-6-2
or 4-6-0
class. It is not clear why the design was subsequently enlarged to become a smaller version of the Merchant Navy class 4-6-2
as the likely traffic requirement did not warrant such lavish provision, but the incorporation of components from that class enabled standardisation during wartime production difficulties.
into what became his Light Pacific design. This now-infamous component was unique amongst British locomotive design practices. It gained notoriety because it was difficult to access when things went wrong and, in tandem with the fast-moving Bulleid steam reverser, could cause irregular valve movements. The entire system was located in a sealed oil bath, another unique design, that provided constant lubrication to the moving parts.
The locomotive also carried a similar "air-smoothed" casing to the Merchant Navy class. This was not regarded as streamlining by Bulleid, a fact demonstrated by the extremely flat front end. Authorities differ as to the purpose of the casing. According to Creer it was intended to be an aid in cleaning the locomotive via the use of a carriage washer, representing an attempt to reduce labour requirements during the post-war period, whereas Bradley asserts that the intention was to lift the steam and exhaust gases
away from the cab. Because of their utilitarian appearance, enhanced by the flat, boxy "air-smoothed" casing, the class soon gained the nickname of their larger siblings, "Spam Cans", due to the resemblance to the distinctive tin can
s in which "SPAM
" was sold.
The smokebox
was again an integral part of the air-smoothed casing, being a sheet metal fabrication to the same profile as the firebox that acted as a former to maintain the shape of the casing. In between, the casing was supported by channel-section steel crinolines (strengtheners used to maintain the shape) attached to the frames. The smokebox housed the five-nozzle Lemaître
blastpipe
arranged in a circle within a large-diameter chimney.
As with the Merchant Navy class, electric lighting was provided on both locomotive and footplate
, supplied by a steam-powered generator fitted below the footplate. The gauges were lit by ultra-violet light. This enabled clearer night-time vision of the boiler steam pressure gauge and the brake pipe vacuum pressure gauge whilst eliminating dazzle, making it easier for the crew to see signals along the track. Close attention was also paid to the ergonomics
of the driving cab which was designed with the controls required for operation grouped according to the needs of both fireman and driver, thus promoting safe operation. As an aid to the fireman, a steam-operated treadle was provided that used steam pressure
to open the firehole doors (where the coal is shovelled into the firebox). The footplate was entirely enclosed, improving crew working conditions in winter. Other refinements and innovations previously used on the Merchant Navy class included steam-powered clasp brakes and the unusual 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Bulleid-Firth-Brown (BFB)
wheel design.
The inner and outer Belpaire firebox
of the Light Pacifics was smaller than the Merchant Navy class type. These were constructed by North British using welded steel, as opposed to the riveting that was more common practice, making for cheaper construction and easier maintenance. Two welded steel Thermic syphon
s were implemented to improve water circulation between the boiler and the top of the firebox (the "crown").
based upon the Merchant Navy version. It could carry 4500 imp gal (20,457.4 l; 5,404.3 US gal) water and 5 LT (5.1 t) of coal on a six-wheel chassis. It retained the BFB wheels and streamlining panels
, or "raves", that gave the top of the tender a similar cross-sectional outline to the carriages hauled by the locomotive. As with the larger Merchant Navy class type, the water tank was of welded sheet construction to save weight, and the tender was fitted with vacuum braking equipment of a clasp-type similar to that used on the locomotive. Four train-brake vacuum reservoirs of cylindrical construction were grouped on the tank top, behind the coal space.
The first batch of twenty locomotives was ordered in April 1941, although the changes in design to the Light Pacific arrangement meant that production was delayed until late 1944. Due to wartime contract work at Brighton works, the boilers were originally built under contract at the North British Locomotive Company
. Before the first of the class had been delivered, the order was increased to thirty, with a second batch of ten ordered in September 1944. Deliveries from Brighton works began in May 1945 with prototype No. 21C101 Exeter, and proceeded at the rate of about two locomotives per month. The class was gradually run-in on the Central Section of the network until October 1945, when they were successfully trialled on Plymouth
and Kentish services. By the time the first thirty had entered traffic, a further order of fifteen was placed, with these entering service between June and October 1946. From this batch onwards, traction was improved by the addition of steam sanding to the front driving wheel, with covers added to protect the motion from sand falling from the filler pipes.
A third batch of 25 was ordered and designated Battle of Britain class. These were mechanically identical to the West Country locomotives and the new designation was purely concerned with giving the locomotives names that befitted their intended allocation to the Eastern Section of the Southern Railway’s network. By the time of the nationalisation of British Rail
ways in January 1948, seventy Light Pacifics had been built at Brighton Works
, with a fourth batch of twenty on order. There was a delay in production during the first three months of British Rail
ways control but the remaining twenty locomotives ordered by the Southern Railway entered traffic between April 1948 and February 1949.
In March 1949, British Railways ordered a final twenty Light Pacifics from Brighton works despite a pressing need for smaller tank locomotives. This imbalance would later be rectified by building 41 examples of the LMS Fairburn 2-6-4T
for use on the Southern Region
. Also at this time Brighton works staff were embroiled in the difficulties associated with Bulleid’s experimental and problematic Leader class
. As a result, Brighton works sought assistance from the other Southern Region works to complete this final order for Light pacifics. Ashford works
cut the frames and constructed the tenders, and Eastleigh works constructed six of the final batch of locomotives.
The completion of the final locomotive, No. 34110 66 Squadron, in January 1951 was delayed for several months pending consideration of proposals from British Railways management for a major modification to a standard two-cylinder design without the chain-driven valve gear. In the event the locomotive entered service as Bulleid intended.
and LMS-style parallel buffer casings
.
As with the Merchant Navy class, the Light Pacifics were fitted with a new design of cab front spectacle plates from mid–1947 due to poor forward visibility. These are the small window
s on the front face of the cab, which were redesigned to an angled profile, giving improved visibility to the driver. This was a feature fitted to all Bulleid-designed locomotives post-nationalisation. They were introduced in Britain in 1934 with the Gresley
-designed Cock o' the North
. Over the next decade the revised design was retrospectively fitted to existing members of the class. Another modification was the reduction of boiler pressure to 250 psi (1.72 MPa) to reduce maintenance costs.
The Southern Railway-built batches had a narrow 8 in 6 in (2.59 m) footplate due to the intention for the type to work the width-restricted Hastings Line
between Tonbridge
and Hastings
. In the event these were never used on this duty and so the cab was widened to 9 ft (2.743 m) on the British Railways batch. The tenders of Nos. 21C166–21C170 were fitted with TIA ("Traitement Integral Armand") chemical feed-water equipment that precipitated scale-forming constituents in the "hard-water" of southern England into a non-adhesive mud that could be cleared from the locomotive using a manual "blow-down" valve. This equipment was retrospectively fitted to earlier members of the class. In 1948 the tender
design was enlarged to provide a water capacity of 5500 imp gal (25,003.5 l; 6,605.2 US gal).
To ease maintenance and lubrication, panels of air-smoothed casing ahead of the cylinders were removed from 1952, and the front sanders were blanked off. This coincided with the removal of the tender "raves" on all but five locomotives, as they obstructed the packing of coal into the bunker and restricted the driver's view when reversing the locomotive. The resultant "cut-down" tender included new, enclosed storage for fire-irons and glass spectacle plates to protect the crew from flying coal dust when running tender-first.
When the rebuilding programme (see below) was halted in 1961, further modifications were made to the remaining unrebuilt locomotives. The most notable was on No. 34064 Fighter Command, which was fitted with a Giesl ejector
in 1962 on the grounds that a desired spark arrestor would "suffocate" an ordinary blastpipe. Following some adjustment, the ejector improved smoke deflection and fuel consumption, allowing it to steam well with low-grade coal. As a consequence of the positive experience with No. 34064, preserved No. 34092 City of Wells was similarly fitted in the mid-1980s.
The first 48 members of the class were named after places in the West Country
served by its trains or close to its lines. This represented a publicity success due to many of the locomotives being able to visit their namesake areas. Many of these 'West Country' class locomotives sported an additional plaque depicting the coat of arms
associated with the town or region the locomotive was named after. This plaque was mounted on the casing between the gunmetal
locomotive nameplate and the West Country Class scroll, above the middle driving wheel. Several members of the West Country class were issued with only the nameplate and the "West Country Class" scroll, a corresponding gap being left between the two where a crest would have been mounted. The background of the nameplate was usually painted red, though sometimes examples could be found in black if the locomotive works undertaking overhaul of the engine could not locate the correct colour paint.
Once it became clear that the locomotives would be used further afield than the West Country, a decision was made to name the remainder after RAF squadrons, airfields, commanders and aircraft that had participated in the Battle of Britain
over Kent
, Surrey
and Sussex
during 1940. The 'Battle of Britain' class nameplates incorporated the name of the locomotive, with the class name below, in a design that resembled the wing
s of an aircraft
. This was painted Air Force blue
, though other colours were sometimes substituted for the same reasons as above. An enamelled crest of the aircraft, personality or squadron was placed below the nameplate, in the same position as the West Country class equivalent.
The first locomotives constructed by British Railways were of the Battle of Britain class, but the naming policy reverted back to the West Country class from Nos. 34091–34108. The final two locomotives constructed by British Railways were once again Battle of Britain class, these being No. 34109 Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory and No. 34110 66 Squadron. The result of the delay in completing was that the squadron crest for 66 Squadron was never made, as the manufacturer had retired during the intervening period. Thus 66 Squadron was the only Battle of Britain class member not to have a crest.
depot at Exeter
for use on the Southern Railway main line
to Salisbury
and Plymouth
, as well as secondary lines to Barnstaple
, Bude and other holiday resorts in Devon and Cornwall. By the winter of 1945, there was a more pressing need for them on the Kent Coast services. The class also began to be used on Continental Boat Trains to and from Dover
and Folkestone
, once these were resumed in 1946. Later batches were used on cross-country services such as the Brighton to Bournemouth, Cardiff and Plymouth
trains or the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
services from Bournemouth
to Wells
and Bath.
Because of the good route availability the locomotives could be used on the non-electrified lines between London and Brighton
. These included the Oxted Line
, and occasionally the Bluebell Line between East Grinstead
and Lewes
, where they were also used for freight and parcels traffic, and excursion trains over the electrified lines. Thus the original intention for the West Country class locomotives to work the lines in South West England
, whilst the Battle of Britain class would work the lines of Kent, Hampshire
, Sussex
and Surrey
was never operationally practical and both classes were to be found all over the network. The most important journey undertaken by a member of the class occurred on 30 January 1965, when No.34051 Winston Churchill hauled the funeral train of its namesake
from London's Waterloo station
to his final resting place, close to Blenheim Palace
in Oxfordshire
.
on 4 December 1957 outside St John's railway station in Lewisham, in which 90 people were killed and 173 injured. The driver of No. 34066 Spitfire had failed to see two yellow ‘caution’ signals in foggy conditions and so was travelling too fast to stop when he saw a red signal, and the train crashed into the back of a stationary local train. As a result of the disaster, members of the class were later fitted with Automatic Warning System
equipment.
, British Railways ordered the rebuilding of sixty locomotives to a more conventional design at Eastleigh between 1957 and 1961. The first locomotive to be rebuilt was No. 34005 Barnstaple, which adopted many features from the BR 'Standard' locomotive classes. The casing was removed and replaced with conventional boiler cladding, boiler pressure reduced to 250 psi (1.72 MPa) and the chain-driven valve gear was replaced with modified Walschaerts valve gear fitted between the frames. The rapid onset of the 1955 Modernisation Plan during the early 1960s meant that the remaining fifty locomotives were not rebuilt, and continued in as-built condition until eventual withdrawal from service.
rating, meaning that they could not be used on certain routes previously available to un-rebuilt examples, such as the line to Ilfracombe
.
to Dover
and Ramsgate
in 1959 deprived the class of some of their work, as did the transfer of the lines west of Salisbury
to the Western Region on 30 December 1962. This resulted in the withdrawal of several unrebuilt locomotives stabled at Exmouth Junction
shed in June 1963. By the end of the year ten had been withdrawn including the 12 year-old No. 34110 66 Squadron, having only travelled 600,000 miles since construction. Most of the remaining unrebuilt locomotives were withdrawn over the next three years but seven survived until 1967 and the end of steam on the Southern Region. Many rebuilt locomotives were scrapped soon after their rebuilding. The first was No. 34028 Eddystone in May 1964, having run only 287,000 miles since rebuilding. Other early withdrawals included No. 34109 Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory which had only travelled 162,000 miles in the three and a half years since its rebuilding.
Partly due to the relative age of the locomotives at the time they were withdrawn, no fewer than twenty of them have escaped scrapping, and all still exist in varying states of preservation. The class has proved to be useful for preservation societies due to their good route availability and ample power, with some having returned to the mainline during their preservation careers to haul special trains. It is not certain that all of the preserved locomotives will be restored to working order due to the very poor condition some of them were in when purchased by various preservation societies, and the increasing cost of materials. Despite this, exactly half of those preserved are in original condition, whilst the other ten are rebuilds. Had it not been for Woodham Brothers' scrapyard in Barry, South Wales, no rebuilt Light Pacifics would have been preserved.
Other relics of both classes have survived in the guise of locomotive nameplates, which were taken from their locomotives towards the end of steam on the British Railways Southern Region
in the 1960s. As a result, many exist in private collections, and several have been seen at auction, selling for several thousands of pounds.
system where "2" and "1" refer to the number of un-powered leading and trailing axles respectively, and "C" refers to the number of driving axles – in this case three. However, since "21C" was the prefix already used by the Merchant Navy class, the suffix "1" was added; all these locomotives therefore carried numbers which started "21C1" followed by the individual two-digit identifier.
ways malachite green and "Sunshine yellow" lining and lettering, with British Railways on the tender. No. 34090 Sir Eustace Missenden, Southern Railway was given commemorative malachite green livery that included green-painted wheels with yellow rims and the early British Railways crest on the tender. The Bulleid numbering system was temporarily retained on the first seventy locomotives with the addition of an "s" prefix (e.g. s21C101). The classes were given several power classifications over the course of their operational careers, beginning with 6MT (Mixed-Traffic) in 1949. In December 1953, they were reclassified to 7P 5FA, the "A" denoting brake power when used on unfitted (non-vacuum braked) goods trains. The rebuilt locomotives retained this classification until all received the classification of 7P6F between November 1957 and November 1961.
The locomotives were turned out in British Railways Brunswick green livery with orange and black lining, with the British Railways crest on the tender tank side after their first overhaul under new ownership. This was unlike the Merchant Navy class, which was initially turned out in British Railways experimental express passenger blue livery. By this stage, the Southern Railway-built locomotives were renumbered and re-liveried under standard British Railways procedure within the 34xxx series, from 34001–34070. The rebuilt locomotives were also painted in British Railways Brunswick green with orange and black lining, and crest on the tender side, whilst the nameplates were placed on a custom-made mounting on the running plate due to the absence of a flat surface.
Some of the locomotives had additional embellishments to the standard livery. Number 34050 Royal Observer Corps was presented with an ROC long-service medal in July 1961. The ceremony took place at Waterloo Station
, and included Commandant ROC
Air Commodore Wight-Boycott
. The locomotive's cabside was given a representation of the medal and its ribbon, which was displayed until the engine was withdrawn from service and scrapped in the late 1960s. The original nameplate and crest was recovered and displayed in the entrance hall of ROC Headquarters at RAF Bentley Priory
until 1996 when it was transferred to the RAF Museum at Hendon
. Another locomotive that featured a second crest was 34067 Tangmere, which was given the airfield's crest for the cabside, as it did not feature on the nameplate crest.
Despite these successes, the number of innovations introduced at the same time made the class unreliable and difficult to maintain. A great deal of money was wasted on resolving the problems of a class designed for duties which might have been undertaken by cheaper 2-6-2
or 4-6-0
mixed-traffic locomotives. Likewise more Light Pacifics were built than were actually needed, and was frequently undertaking tasks that would usually befit a much smaller locomotive. An unusual but common sight on the Southern Region's railways west of Exeter
during the winter months was of a Light Pacific hauling a local stopping service with a single carriage to destinations as diverse as Padstow
and Wadebridge
. Finally, too much money was spent on the expensive rebuilding programme when dieselisation
and modernisation meant the locomotives would have very limited operational lives in their new guise.
, which resumed production in 1968. The moulds later passed to Dapol
, which continues to produce the kit. Hornby manufacture ready-to-run rebuilt and un-rebuilt examples of the class and cater for all the major detail variations. Graham Farish produces ready-to-tun models of Light Pacifics in N gauge, and Dapol have announced their intention to produce models in N gauge as well, slated for release in May 2012.
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
4-6-2 Pacific
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
designed for the Southern Railway by its Chief Mechanical Engineer
Chief Mechanical Engineer
Chief Mechanical Engineer and Locomotive Superintendent are titles applied by British, Australian, and New Zealand railway companies to the person ultimately responsible to the board of the company for the building and maintaining of the locomotives and rolling stock...
Oliver Bulleid
Oliver Bulleid
Oliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid was a British railway and mechanical engineer best known as the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway between 1937 and the 1948 nationalisation, developing many well-known locomotives.- Early life and Great Northern Railway :He was born in Invercargill,...
. Incorporating a number of new developments in British steam locomotive technology, both classes were amongst the first British designs to utilise welding in the construction process, and to use steel fireboxes, which meant that components could be more easily constructed during the wartime austerity and post-war economy.
They were designed to be lighter in weight than their sister locomotives, the Merchant Navy class
SR Merchant Navy class
The SR Merchant Navy class , was a class of air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway of the United Kingdom by Oliver Bulleid...
, to permit use on a wider variety of routes, including those in the South-west of England and the Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
coast. They were a mixed-traffic
Mixed-traffic locomotive
A mixed-traffic locomotive is one designed to be capable of hauling both passenger trains and freight trains. The term is mostly used in the United Kingdom and those nations following British practice...
design, being equally adept at hauling passenger
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
and freight trains, and were used on all types of services, frequently far below their capabilities. A total of 110 locomotives were constructed between 1945 and 1950, named after West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
resorts or Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) and other subjects associated with the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
.
Due to problems with some of the new features in Bulleid's design, such as the Bulleid chain-driven valve gear
Bulleid chain-driven valve gear
The Bulleid chain-driven valve gear is a design of steam locomotive valve gear designed by Oliver Bulleid for use on his Pacific designs during the Second World War...
, sixty locomotives were rebuilt by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways during the late 1950s. This produced a locomotive design highly similar to that of the rebuilt Merchant Navy class. The classes operated until July 1967, when the last steam locomotives on the Southern Region
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
were withdrawn from service. Although most were subsequently scrapped, twenty locomotives avoided this fate and instead found new homes on heritage railways in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Background
The financial success enjoyed by the Southern Railway during the 1930s was based on the completion of its London suburban electrification scheme in 1929 and the subsequent electrification of the main lines to Brighton and the Sussex CoastBrighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
and to Guildford and Portsmouth
Portsmouth Direct Line
The Portsmouth Direct Line is the route of a railway service operated by South West Trains which runs between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour, England...
. Plans to electrify the main lines to the Kent coast resorts and Channel ports, followed by the South Western main line
South Western Main Line
The South Western Main Line is a railway line between London Waterloo and Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
had been made, but were interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War.
Despite long-term plans for electrification, the Southern Railway’s less heavily used lines in the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
beyond Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
did not merit the cost of electrification. Those in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
were meandering, heavily graded, and although featured heavy summer holiday traffic, were lightly used during the winter months. The seasonality of railway traffic meant that the various West Country branches were worked by the ageing T9 class 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
and the versatile N class 2-6-0
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
, which could be better utilised on mixed-traffic services elsewhere. As a result, an order was placed with Brighton railway works
Brighton railway works
Brighton railway works was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England, and thus pre-dating the more famous railway works at Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon...
in April 1941 for twenty passenger locomotives of a type to be determined. However, the works was involved in heavy freight locomotive construction for the war effort, resulting in a four year delay.
During 1943, Bulleid began planning for the post-war locomotive requirements of the railway and identified the need for a stop-gap steam locomotive design for those main lines
Main line (railway)
The Mainline or Main line of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected....
in South East England scheduled for electrification had the Second World War not taken place. Although the new Merchant Navy class
SR Merchant Navy class
The SR Merchant Navy class , was a class of air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway of the United Kingdom by Oliver Bulleid...
was available for the heaviest Continental expresses, the resumption of regular passenger services over poorly-maintained infrastructure following the war would require a lighter locomotive with wider route availability
Route availability
Route Availability is the system by which the permanent way and supporting works of the National Rail network of Great Britain are graded. All routes are allocated an RA number between 1 and 10....
.
At the same time there would be a continuing need for fast freight locomotives capable of operating on both electrified and non-electrified routes without impeding the intensive use of the system by passenger trains. The existing suburban electrification schemes around London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
used passenger electric multiple units which had no equivalent freight design. Although Bulleid built two prototype electric locomotives in 1941 these were as yet unproven, and freight haulage would be undertaken by steam traction for the foreseeable future.
Design
The detailed design work for the new mixed-traffic locomotive was undertaken at Brighton railway worksBrighton railway works
Brighton railway works was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England, and thus pre-dating the more famous railway works at Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon...
where they were scheduled to be constructed. The earliest drawings were for a moderately-sized 2-6-0
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
with similarities to the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
K4 class
LNER Class K4
The London and North Eastern Railway Class K4 is a class of 2-6-0 steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley for the steep grades of the West Highland Line.- West Highland Line challenge :...
which Bulleid had helped design for the West Highland Line
West Highland Line
The West Highland Line is considered the most scenic railway line in Britain, linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban on the west coast of Scotland to Glasgow. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the iconic...
when he was Nigel Gresley
Nigel Gresley
Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway . He was the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in Britain, including the LNER Class A1 and LNER Class A4...
’s assistant. However, such a design would have been inadequate for the Kent Coast lines which required a powerful 2-6-2
2-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
or 4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
class. It is not clear why the design was subsequently enlarged to become a smaller version of the Merchant Navy class 4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
as the likely traffic requirement did not warrant such lavish provision, but the incorporation of components from that class enabled standardisation during wartime production difficulties.
Bulleid’s standard components
Based on the mechanical experience gained through working with the Merchant Navy class locomotives, Bulleid incorporated his chain-driven valve gearBulleid chain-driven valve gear
The Bulleid chain-driven valve gear is a design of steam locomotive valve gear designed by Oliver Bulleid for use on his Pacific designs during the Second World War...
into what became his Light Pacific design. This now-infamous component was unique amongst British locomotive design practices. It gained notoriety because it was difficult to access when things went wrong and, in tandem with the fast-moving Bulleid steam reverser, could cause irregular valve movements. The entire system was located in a sealed oil bath, another unique design, that provided constant lubrication to the moving parts.
The locomotive also carried a similar "air-smoothed" casing to the Merchant Navy class. This was not regarded as streamlining by Bulleid, a fact demonstrated by the extremely flat front end. Authorities differ as to the purpose of the casing. According to Creer it was intended to be an aid in cleaning the locomotive via the use of a carriage washer, representing an attempt to reduce labour requirements during the post-war period, whereas Bradley asserts that the intention was to lift the steam and exhaust gases
Exhaust gas
Exhaust gas or flue gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline/petrol, diesel fuel, fuel oil or coal. According to the type of engine, it is discharged into the atmosphere through an exhaust pipe, flue gas stack or propelling nozzle.It often disperses...
away from the cab. Because of their utilitarian appearance, enhanced by the flat, boxy "air-smoothed" casing, the class soon gained the nickname of their larger siblings, "Spam Cans", due to the resemblance to the distinctive tin can
Tin can
A tin can, tin , steel can, or a can, is a sealed container for the distribution or storage of goods, composed of thin metal. Many cans require opening by cutting the "end" open; others have removable covers. Cans hold diverse contents: foods, beverages, oil, chemicals, etc."Tin" cans are made...
s in which "SPAM
Spam (food)
Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite as a preservative...
" was sold.
The smokebox
Smokebox
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a Steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is exhausted to the atmosphere through the chimney .To assist...
was again an integral part of the air-smoothed casing, being a sheet metal fabrication to the same profile as the firebox that acted as a former to maintain the shape of the casing. In between, the casing was supported by channel-section steel crinolines (strengtheners used to maintain the shape) attached to the frames. The smokebox housed the five-nozzle Lemaître
Jean Lemaître
Jean Lemaître was a mechanical engineer from the Nord Belge Railway, who developed a Steam locomotive exhaust system.The Lemaître Exhaust featured 5 nozzles in a circular pattern exhausting up a large-diameter stack, with a variable area nozzle exhausting up the center, and improved efficiency by...
blastpipe
Blastpipe
The blastpipe is part of the exhaust system of a steam locomotive that discharges exhaust steam from the cylinders into the smokebox beneath the chimney in order to increase the draught through the fire.- History :...
arranged in a circle within a large-diameter chimney.
As with the Merchant Navy class, electric lighting was provided on both locomotive and footplate
Footplate
The footplate of a steam locomotive is a large metal plate that rests on top of the frames and is normally covered with wooden floorboards. It is usually the full width of the locomotive and extends from the front of the cab to the rear of cab or coal bunker just above the buffer beam. The...
, supplied by a steam-powered generator fitted below the footplate. The gauges were lit by ultra-violet light. This enabled clearer night-time vision of the boiler steam pressure gauge and the brake pipe vacuum pressure gauge whilst eliminating dazzle, making it easier for the crew to see signals along the track. Close attention was also paid to the ergonomics
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:...
of the driving cab which was designed with the controls required for operation grouped according to the needs of both fireman and driver, thus promoting safe operation. As an aid to the fireman, a steam-operated treadle was provided that used steam pressure
Pressure
Pressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...
to open the firehole doors (where the coal is shovelled into the firebox). The footplate was entirely enclosed, improving crew working conditions in winter. Other refinements and innovations previously used on the Merchant Navy class included steam-powered clasp brakes and the unusual 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Bulleid-Firth-Brown (BFB)
Boxpok
A Boxpok is a steam locomotive wheel that gains its strength through being made of a number of box sections rather than having traditional solid spokes . Being hollow, they allow better counterbalancing than conventional drivers, which is important for fast locomotives...
wheel design.
Frames, boiler, cylinders and welded firebox
To increase the route availability of the Light Pacifics over the Merchant Navy class, weight-saving came from the use of shorter frames. This reduced the wheelbase to 35 in 6 in (10.82 m), allowing the design to operate on routes where the Maunsell 2-6-0s were the largest permitted locomotives. The boiler was similar in length to the Merchant Navy version, retaining the 280 psi (1.93 MPa) operating pressure, and riveted construction. The boiler was of slightly smaller diameter at the smokebox end, and the cylinders were smaller at 16.375 by 24 in (415.9 by 609.6 mm).The inner and outer Belpaire firebox
Belpaire firebox
The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...
of the Light Pacifics was smaller than the Merchant Navy class type. These were constructed by North British using welded steel, as opposed to the riveting that was more common practice, making for cheaper construction and easier maintenance. Two welded steel Thermic syphon
Thermic syphon
Thermic siphons are heat-exchanging elements in the firebox or combustion chamber of some steam boiler and steam locomotive designs. As they are directly exposed to the radiant heat of combustion, they have a high evaporative capacity relative to their size...
s were implemented to improve water circulation between the boiler and the top of the firebox (the "crown").
Tender
Bulleid designed a reduced capacity tenderTender locomotive
A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...
based upon the Merchant Navy version. It could carry 4500 imp gal (20,457.4 l; 5,404.3 US gal) water and 5 LT (5.1 t) of coal on a six-wheel chassis. It retained the BFB wheels and streamlining panels
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
, or "raves", that gave the top of the tender a similar cross-sectional outline to the carriages hauled by the locomotive. As with the larger Merchant Navy class type, the water tank was of welded sheet construction to save weight, and the tender was fitted with vacuum braking equipment of a clasp-type similar to that used on the locomotive. Four train-brake vacuum reservoirs of cylindrical construction were grouped on the tank top, behind the coal space.
Construction
- For construction history of the class, see: List of SR West Country and Battle of Britain class locomotives
The first batch of twenty locomotives was ordered in April 1941, although the changes in design to the Light Pacific arrangement meant that production was delayed until late 1944. Due to wartime contract work at Brighton works, the boilers were originally built under contract at the North British Locomotive Company
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
. Before the first of the class had been delivered, the order was increased to thirty, with a second batch of ten ordered in September 1944. Deliveries from Brighton works began in May 1945 with prototype No. 21C101 Exeter, and proceeded at the rate of about two locomotives per month. The class was gradually run-in on the Central Section of the network until October 1945, when they were successfully trialled on Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and Kentish services. By the time the first thirty had entered traffic, a further order of fifteen was placed, with these entering service between June and October 1946. From this batch onwards, traction was improved by the addition of steam sanding to the front driving wheel, with covers added to protect the motion from sand falling from the filler pipes.
A third batch of 25 was ordered and designated Battle of Britain class. These were mechanically identical to the West Country locomotives and the new designation was purely concerned with giving the locomotives names that befitted their intended allocation to the Eastern Section of the Southern Railway’s network. By the time of the nationalisation of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways in January 1948, seventy Light Pacifics had been built at Brighton Works
Brighton railway works
Brighton railway works was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England, and thus pre-dating the more famous railway works at Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon...
, with a fourth batch of twenty on order. There was a delay in production during the first three months of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways control but the remaining twenty locomotives ordered by the Southern Railway entered traffic between April 1948 and February 1949.
In March 1949, British Railways ordered a final twenty Light Pacifics from Brighton works despite a pressing need for smaller tank locomotives. This imbalance would later be rectified by building 41 examples of the LMS Fairburn 2-6-4T
LMS Fairburn 2-6-4T
The London Midland and Scottish Railway Fairburn Tank 2-6-4T steam locomotives are a class of steam locomotive. They were designed by Charles E. Fairburn for the London Midland and Scottish Railway...
for use on the Southern Region
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
. Also at this time Brighton works staff were embroiled in the difficulties associated with Bulleid’s experimental and problematic Leader class
SR Leader Class
The Leader was a class of experimental 0-6-6-0T articulated steam locomotive, produced in the United Kingdom to the design of the innovative engineer Oliver Bulleid. The Leader was an attempt to extend the life of steam traction by eliminating many of the operational drawbacks associated with...
. As a result, Brighton works sought assistance from the other Southern Region works to complete this final order for Light pacifics. Ashford works
Ashford railway works
Ashford railway works was in the town of Ashford in the county of Kent in England.-South Eastern Railway:Ashford locomotive works was built by the South Eastern Railway on a new site in 1847, replacing an earlier locomotive repair facility at New Cross in London...
cut the frames and constructed the tenders, and Eastleigh works constructed six of the final batch of locomotives.
The completion of the final locomotive, No. 34110 66 Squadron, in January 1951 was delayed for several months pending consideration of proposals from British Railways management for a major modification to a standard two-cylinder design without the chain-driven valve gear. In the event the locomotive entered service as Bulleid intended.
Subsequent modifications
The first six locomotives were initially fitted with plywood sheeting over the cab-side windows as a wartime material-saving measure, with No. 21C107 Wadebridge the first of the class to receive glass windows. Two of the front route indicator irons (of which there are five in total) were originally located on the smoke deflectors, which meant that the indicator discs stood proud of the casing. This necessitated a trial relocation to the smokebox door at the three and nine o’clock positions on No. 21C109 Lyme Regis, and fitted as standard from No. 21C118 Axminster onwards. The batch constructed between June and October 1946 received a modified steam regulatorSteam locomotive components
A listing of the components found on typical steam locomotives.center|720px|Schematic steam locomotiveGuide to steam locomotive components .A listing of the components found on typical steam...
and LMS-style parallel buffer casings
Buffer (rail transport)
A buffer is a part of the buffers-and-chain coupling system used on the railway systems of many countries, among them most of those in Europe, for attaching railway vehicles to one another....
.
As with the Merchant Navy class, the Light Pacifics were fitted with a new design of cab front spectacle plates from mid–1947 due to poor forward visibility. These are the small window
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
s on the front face of the cab, which were redesigned to an angled profile, giving improved visibility to the driver. This was a feature fitted to all Bulleid-designed locomotives post-nationalisation. They were introduced in Britain in 1934 with the Gresley
Nigel Gresley
Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway . He was the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in Britain, including the LNER Class A1 and LNER Class A4...
-designed Cock o' the North
LNER Class P2
The London and North Eastern Railway Class P2 was a class of 2-8-2 steam locomotives designed by Sir Nigel Gresley for working heavy express trains over the harsh Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line...
. Over the next decade the revised design was retrospectively fitted to existing members of the class. Another modification was the reduction of boiler pressure to 250 psi (1.72 MPa) to reduce maintenance costs.
The Southern Railway-built batches had a narrow 8 in 6 in (2.59 m) footplate due to the intention for the type to work the width-restricted Hastings Line
Hastings Line
The Hastings Line is a railway line in Kent and East Sussex linking Hastings with the main town of Tunbridge Wells, and from there into London via Sevenoaks.-Openings:The line was opened by the South Eastern Railway in main three stages: – :...
between Tonbridge
Tonbridge railway station
Tonbridge railway station is a station serving the town of Tonbridge in Kent, England. It is a junction between two important commuter routes; the South Eastern Main Line serving Ashford, Ramsgate and Dover and the Hastings Main Line serving Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, as well as a branch to...
and Hastings
Hastings railway station
Hastings railway station is in Hastings in East Sussex, England. It is situated on the Hastings Line to Tunbridge Wells, the East Coastway Line to Brighton and the Marshlink Line to Ashford International....
. In the event these were never used on this duty and so the cab was widened to 9 ft (2.743 m) on the British Railways batch. The tenders of Nos. 21C166–21C170 were fitted with TIA ("Traitement Integral Armand") chemical feed-water equipment that precipitated scale-forming constituents in the "hard-water" of southern England into a non-adhesive mud that could be cleared from the locomotive using a manual "blow-down" valve. This equipment was retrospectively fitted to earlier members of the class. In 1948 the tender
Tender locomotive
A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...
design was enlarged to provide a water capacity of 5500 imp gal (25,003.5 l; 6,605.2 US gal).
To ease maintenance and lubrication, panels of air-smoothed casing ahead of the cylinders were removed from 1952, and the front sanders were blanked off. This coincided with the removal of the tender "raves" on all but five locomotives, as they obstructed the packing of coal into the bunker and restricted the driver's view when reversing the locomotive. The resultant "cut-down" tender included new, enclosed storage for fire-irons and glass spectacle plates to protect the crew from flying coal dust when running tender-first.
When the rebuilding programme (see below) was halted in 1961, further modifications were made to the remaining unrebuilt locomotives. The most notable was on No. 34064 Fighter Command, which was fitted with a Giesl ejector
Giesl ejector
A Giesl ejector is a suction draught system for steam locomotives that works on the same principle as a feedwater pump.This ejector was invented in 1951 by the Austrian engineer, Dr. Adolph Giesl-Gieslingen. The Giesl ejector ensures improved suction draught and a correspondingly better use of...
in 1962 on the grounds that a desired spark arrestor would "suffocate" an ordinary blastpipe. Following some adjustment, the ejector improved smoke deflection and fuel consumption, allowing it to steam well with low-grade coal. As a consequence of the positive experience with No. 34064, preserved No. 34092 City of Wells was similarly fitted in the mid-1980s.
Numbering and naming the locomotives
Bulleid employed the same idiosyncratic numbering scheme that he had used for the Merchant Navy class, beginning at No. 21C101 and reaching No. 21C170 at the time of nationalisation. His scheme was abolished by British Railways who renumbered existing members of the class 34001-34070 and new locomotives 34071-34110.The first 48 members of the class were named after places in the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
served by its trains or close to its lines. This represented a publicity success due to many of the locomotives being able to visit their namesake areas. Many of these 'West Country' class locomotives sported an additional plaque depicting the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
associated with the town or region the locomotive was named after. This plaque was mounted on the casing between the gunmetal
Gunmetal
Gunmetal, also known as yellow brass in the United States, is a type of bronze – an alloy of copper, tin, and zinc. Originally used chiefly for making guns, gunmetal was eventually superseded by steel...
locomotive nameplate and the West Country Class scroll, above the middle driving wheel. Several members of the West Country class were issued with only the nameplate and the "West Country Class" scroll, a corresponding gap being left between the two where a crest would have been mounted. The background of the nameplate was usually painted red, though sometimes examples could be found in black if the locomotive works undertaking overhaul of the engine could not locate the correct colour paint.
Once it became clear that the locomotives would be used further afield than the West Country, a decision was made to name the remainder after RAF squadrons, airfields, commanders and aircraft that had participated in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
over Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
during 1940. The 'Battle of Britain' class nameplates incorporated the name of the locomotive, with the class name below, in a design that resembled the wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s of an aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
. This was painted Air Force blue
Air Force blue
Air Force blue is a variety of colours that are a form of blue. These colours are used by airforces for colour identification.-RAF blue:Air Force blue or RAF blue is a medium shade of the colour azure...
, though other colours were sometimes substituted for the same reasons as above. An enamelled crest of the aircraft, personality or squadron was placed below the nameplate, in the same position as the West Country class equivalent.
The first locomotives constructed by British Railways were of the Battle of Britain class, but the naming policy reverted back to the West Country class from Nos. 34091–34108. The final two locomotives constructed by British Railways were once again Battle of Britain class, these being No. 34109 Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory and No. 34110 66 Squadron. The result of the delay in completing was that the squadron crest for 66 Squadron was never made, as the manufacturer had retired during the intervening period. Thus 66 Squadron was the only Battle of Britain class member not to have a crest.
Operational details
The original intention was to base the first batch of locomotives at Exmouth JunctionExmouth Junction
Exmouth Junction is the railway junction where the Exmouth branch line diverges from the London Waterloo to Exeter main line in Exeter, Devon, England. It was for many years the location for one of the largest engine sheds in the former London and South Western Railway...
depot at Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
for use on the Southern Railway main line
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
to Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
and Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, as well as secondary lines to Barnstaple
Tarka Line
The Tarka Line is a railway line from Exeter to Barnstaple in Devon, England. The line follows the River Creedy, River Yeo and River Taw for some of its route...
, Bude and other holiday resorts in Devon and Cornwall. By the winter of 1945, there was a more pressing need for them on the Kent Coast services. The class also began to be used on Continental Boat Trains to and from Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
and Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, once these were resumed in 1946. Later batches were used on cross-country services such as the Brighton to Bournemouth, Cardiff and Plymouth
West Coastway Line
The West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, between Brighton and Southampton, plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis....
trains or the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
services from Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
to Wells
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
and Bath.
Because of the good route availability the locomotives could be used on the non-electrified lines between London and Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. These included the Oxted Line
Oxted Line
The Oxted Line is a railway line in southern England. It was originally operated jointly by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the South Eastern Railway. It is now part of the Southern franchise....
, and occasionally the Bluebell Line between East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
and Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, where they were also used for freight and parcels traffic, and excursion trains over the electrified lines. Thus the original intention for the West Country class locomotives to work the lines in South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
, whilst the Battle of Britain class would work the lines of Kent, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
was never operationally practical and both classes were to be found all over the network. The most important journey undertaken by a member of the class occurred on 30 January 1965, when No.34051 Winston Churchill hauled the funeral train of its namesake
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
from London's Waterloo station
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
to his final resting place, close to Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, residence of the dukes of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
Performance of the unrebuilt locomotives
As with the larger Merchant Navy class, the Light Pacifics could generate great power using mediocre quality fuel, due largely to Bulleid's excellent boiler. They also ran smoothly at high speed. However, they were also beset by the same technical problems of their larger sisters. These may be summarised as follows:- Adhesion problems. The lighter loading on their driving axles meant that they were even more prone to wheelslipLocomotive wheelslipLocomotive wheelslip is an event that affects railway motive power when starting from stationary.The greatest effort is required from a locomotive when starting...
than the Merchant Navy class, requiring very careful control when starting a heavy train. Once underway they were noted for their free running, excellent steam production and rapid turn of speed. - Maintenance problems. The chain driven valve gear proved to be expensive to maintain and subject to rapid wear. Leaks from the oil bath onto the wheels caused oil to splash onto the boiler lagging in service. Once saturated with oil, the lagging attracted coal dustCoal dustCoal dust is a fine powdered form of coal, which is created by the crushing, grinding, or pulverizing of coal. Because of the brittle nature of coal, coal dust can be created during mining, transportation, or by mechanically handling coal.-Explosions:...
and ash which provided a combustible material, and as a result of the heavy braking of the locomotives, sparks would set the lagging on fire underneath the air-smoothed casing. The fires were also attributed to oil overflowing from axlebox lubricators onto the wheels when stationary to be flung upwards into the boiler lagging in service. In either case, the local fire brigade would invariably be called to put the fire out, with cold water coming into contact with the hot boiler, causing stress to the casings. Many photographs show an un-rebuilt with "cockled" (warped) casings, the result of a lagging fire. - High fuel consumption. This was highlighted during the 1948 locomotive exchanges undertaken by British Railways, and very apparent at Exmouth Junction shed where the Light Pacifics burned 47.9 lbs of coal per mile compared to 32 lbs burned by the T9 class that they replaced.
- Restricted driver visibility due to the air-smoothed casing and soft steam exhaust from the multiple-jet blastpipeBlastpipeThe blastpipe is part of the exhaust system of a steam locomotive that discharges exhaust steam from the cylinders into the smokebox beneath the chimney in order to increase the draught through the fire.- History :...
. The exhaust problem was never adequately resolved, and smoke continued to beat down onto the air-smoothed casing when the engine was on the move, obscuring the driver's vision from the cab. There was much experimentation in order to resolve this problem, with varying degrees of success, and photographic evidence shows the many guises of this project.
The Lewisham railway disaster
The restricted driver visibility of the class was a factor in the disastrous Lewisham rail crashLewisham rail crash
The Lewisham rail crash on the British railway system occurred on 4 December 1957 just outside St Johns railway station in Lewisham, south London...
on 4 December 1957 outside St John's railway station in Lewisham, in which 90 people were killed and 173 injured. The driver of No. 34066 Spitfire had failed to see two yellow ‘caution’ signals in foggy conditions and so was travelling too fast to stop when he saw a red signal, and the train crashed into the back of a stationary local train. As a result of the disaster, members of the class were later fitted with Automatic Warning System
Automatic Warning System
The Automatic Warning System is a form of limited cab signalling and train protection system introduced in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help train drivers observe and obey signals. It was based on a 1930 system developed by Alfred Ernest Hudd and marketed as the "Strowger-Hudd" system...
equipment.
Rebuilding
Due to the problems experienced with the class, and following the success of the rebuilt Merchant Navy class designed by R. G. JarvisR. G. Jarvis
Ronald G. Jarvis was a British locomotive engineer.Born 5 November 1911 in Harpenden, Jarvis apprenticed at Derby Works under H. G. Ivatt, alongside Oliver Bulleid. During the Second World War, he was sent to Turkey to oversee the construction of the TCDD 45151 Class , and then to India with...
, British Railways ordered the rebuilding of sixty locomotives to a more conventional design at Eastleigh between 1957 and 1961. The first locomotive to be rebuilt was No. 34005 Barnstaple, which adopted many features from the BR 'Standard' locomotive classes. The casing was removed and replaced with conventional boiler cladding, boiler pressure reduced to 250 psi (1.72 MPa) and the chain-driven valve gear was replaced with modified Walschaerts valve gear fitted between the frames. The rapid onset of the 1955 Modernisation Plan during the early 1960s meant that the remaining fifty locomotives were not rebuilt, and continued in as-built condition until eventual withdrawal from service.
Performance of the rebuilt locomotives
The rebuilding solved most of the maintenance problems whilst retaining the excellent features of the original design. In service, repair costs were reduced by up to 60%, and coal consumption was reduced by up to 8.4%. However the Walschaerts valve gear made the rebuilt examples heavier, and prone to hammerblow on the track, a complaint that was not evident with the original design. The increased weight reduced their route availabilityRoute availability
Route Availability is the system by which the permanent way and supporting works of the National Rail network of Great Britain are graded. All routes are allocated an RA number between 1 and 10....
rating, meaning that they could not be used on certain routes previously available to un-rebuilt examples, such as the line to Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe Branch Line
The Ilfracombe Branch of the London & South Western Railway , ran between Barnstaple and Ilfracombe in North Devon. The branch opened as a single-track line in 1874, but was sufficiently popular that it needed to be upgraded to double-track in 1889....
.
Withdrawal
The electrification of the Chatham Main LineChatham Main Line
The Chatham Main Line is a British railway line that runs from either London Victoria to Dover Priory / Ramsgate or London St Pancras to Faversham, with both services travelling via Medway...
to Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
and Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
in 1959 deprived the class of some of their work, as did the transfer of the lines west of Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
to the Western Region on 30 December 1962. This resulted in the withdrawal of several unrebuilt locomotives stabled at Exmouth Junction
Exmouth Junction
Exmouth Junction is the railway junction where the Exmouth branch line diverges from the London Waterloo to Exeter main line in Exeter, Devon, England. It was for many years the location for one of the largest engine sheds in the former London and South Western Railway...
shed in June 1963. By the end of the year ten had been withdrawn including the 12 year-old No. 34110 66 Squadron, having only travelled 600,000 miles since construction. Most of the remaining unrebuilt locomotives were withdrawn over the next three years but seven survived until 1967 and the end of steam on the Southern Region. Many rebuilt locomotives were scrapped soon after their rebuilding. The first was No. 34028 Eddystone in May 1964, having run only 287,000 miles since rebuilding. Other early withdrawals included No. 34109 Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory which had only travelled 162,000 miles in the three and a half years since its rebuilding.
Preservation
- For location details and current status of the preserved locomotives, see: List of West Country and Battle of Britain class locomotives.
Partly due to the relative age of the locomotives at the time they were withdrawn, no fewer than twenty of them have escaped scrapping, and all still exist in varying states of preservation. The class has proved to be useful for preservation societies due to their good route availability and ample power, with some having returned to the mainline during their preservation careers to haul special trains. It is not certain that all of the preserved locomotives will be restored to working order due to the very poor condition some of them were in when purchased by various preservation societies, and the increasing cost of materials. Despite this, exactly half of those preserved are in original condition, whilst the other ten are rebuilds. Had it not been for Woodham Brothers' scrapyard in Barry, South Wales, no rebuilt Light Pacifics would have been preserved.
Other relics of both classes have survived in the guise of locomotive nameplates, which were taken from their locomotives towards the end of steam on the British Railways Southern Region
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
in the 1960s. As a result, many exist in private collections, and several have been seen at auction, selling for several thousands of pounds.
Southern Railway
Livery was Southern Railway malachite green with "Sunshine yellow" horizontal lining. A circular cast brass plate with a red background was mounted on the smokebox door featuring the word "Southern" and the date of manufacture. Bulleid advocated a continental style of numbering, basing this upon his experiences at the French branch of Westinghouse Electric before the First World War, and his tenure in the rail operating department during that conflict. The Southern Railway number adapted the UIC classificationUIC classification
The UIC classification of locomotive axle arrangements describes the wheel arrangement of locomotives, multiple units and trams. It is set out in the International Union of Railways "Leaflet 650 - Standard designation of axle arrangement on locomotives and multiple-unit sets". It is used in much...
system where "2" and "1" refer to the number of un-powered leading and trailing axles respectively, and "C" refers to the number of driving axles – in this case three. However, since "21C" was the prefix already used by the Merchant Navy class, the suffix "1" was added; all these locomotives therefore carried numbers which started "21C1" followed by the individual two-digit identifier.
British Railways
Initial livery after nationalisation in 1948 was modified to British RailBritish Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways malachite green and "Sunshine yellow" lining and lettering, with British Railways on the tender. No. 34090 Sir Eustace Missenden, Southern Railway was given commemorative malachite green livery that included green-painted wheels with yellow rims and the early British Railways crest on the tender. The Bulleid numbering system was temporarily retained on the first seventy locomotives with the addition of an "s" prefix (e.g. s21C101). The classes were given several power classifications over the course of their operational careers, beginning with 6MT (Mixed-Traffic) in 1949. In December 1953, they were reclassified to 7P 5FA, the "A" denoting brake power when used on unfitted (non-vacuum braked) goods trains. The rebuilt locomotives retained this classification until all received the classification of 7P6F between November 1957 and November 1961.
The locomotives were turned out in British Railways Brunswick green livery with orange and black lining, with the British Railways crest on the tender tank side after their first overhaul under new ownership. This was unlike the Merchant Navy class, which was initially turned out in British Railways experimental express passenger blue livery. By this stage, the Southern Railway-built locomotives were renumbered and re-liveried under standard British Railways procedure within the 34xxx series, from 34001–34070. The rebuilt locomotives were also painted in British Railways Brunswick green with orange and black lining, and crest on the tender side, whilst the nameplates were placed on a custom-made mounting on the running plate due to the absence of a flat surface.
Some of the locomotives had additional embellishments to the standard livery. Number 34050 Royal Observer Corps was presented with an ROC long-service medal in July 1961. The ceremony took place at Waterloo Station
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
, and included Commandant ROC
Commandant Royal Observer Corps
The Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps was the Royal Air Force commander of the Royal Observer Corps. All the holders of the post were RAF officers in the rank of Air Commodore, initially retired reserve officers then Auxiliary officers and, since the end of World War II, serving officers...
Air Commodore Wight-Boycott
Cathcart Wight-Boycott
Air Commodore Cathcart Michael Wight-Boycott CBE DSO and bar MA, RAF R’td was a British fighter pilot during the Second World War and a senior Royal Air Force officer during the post-war years...
. The locomotive's cabside was given a representation of the medal and its ribbon, which was displayed until the engine was withdrawn from service and scrapped in the late 1960s. The original nameplate and crest was recovered and displayed in the entrance hall of ROC Headquarters at RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Bentley Priory was a non-flying Royal Air Force station near Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow. It was famous as the headquarters of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and the Second World War. The RAF Bentley Priory site includes a Grade II* listed Officers' Mess and Italian...
until 1996 when it was transferred to the RAF Museum at Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
. Another locomotive that featured a second crest was 34067 Tangmere, which was given the airfield's crest for the cabside, as it did not feature on the nameplate crest.
Operational assessment
The class in both unrebuilt and rebuilt forms have been the subject of divergent opinions. The utilisation of welded steel construction and the various innovations that had not previously been seen in British locomotive design meant that the class earned Bulleid the title "Last Giant of Steam". The constant concern for ease of maintenance and utility had not previously been seen on locomotives of older design, whilst their efficient boilers represented the ultimate in British steam technology, the hallmark of a successful locomotive design. Their light axle-loading also meant widespread use over the Southern network, and they were capable of fast running when required.Despite these successes, the number of innovations introduced at the same time made the class unreliable and difficult to maintain. A great deal of money was wasted on resolving the problems of a class designed for duties which might have been undertaken by cheaper 2-6-2
2-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
or 4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
mixed-traffic locomotives. Likewise more Light Pacifics were built than were actually needed, and was frequently undertaking tasks that would usually befit a much smaller locomotive. An unusual but common sight on the Southern Region's railways west of Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
during the winter months was of a Light Pacific hauling a local stopping service with a single carriage to destinations as diverse as Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
and Wadebridge
Wadebridge
Wadebridge is a civil parish and town in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town straddles the River Camel five miles upstream from Padstow....
. Finally, too much money was spent on the expensive rebuilding programme when dieselisation
Dieselisation
Dieselisation or dieselization is a term generally used for the increasingly common use of diesel fuel in vehicles, as opposed to gasoline or steam engines.-Water Transport:...
and modernisation meant the locomotives would have very limited operational lives in their new guise.
Models
The Kitmaster company produced an unpowered polystyrene injection moulded model kit for 00 gauge from 1960. In late 1962, the brand was sold to AirfixAirfix
Airfix is a UK manufacturer of plastic scale model kits of aircraft and other subjects. In Britain, the name Airfix is synonymous with the hobby, a plastic model of this type is often simply referred to as "an airfix kit" even if made by another manufacturer....
, which resumed production in 1968. The moulds later passed to Dapol
Dapol
Dapol Ltd is a Welsh model railway manufacturer based in Chirk, Wales. The factory where design and manufacturing take place is just over the border in England.The Dapol trading name is known for its model railway products in N and OO gauges.-History:...
, which continues to produce the kit. Hornby manufacture ready-to-run rebuilt and un-rebuilt examples of the class and cater for all the major detail variations. Graham Farish produces ready-to-tun models of Light Pacifics in N gauge, and Dapol have announced their intention to produce models in N gauge as well, slated for release in May 2012.
See also
- List of West Country and Battle of Britain class locomotives
External links
- Southern E-group (1) – un-rebuilt 'Light Pacifics'
- Southern E-group (2) – rebuilt 'Light Pacifics'
- Diagram showing arrangement of the chain-driven valve gear
- Bulleid Society: WC/BB locomotive summary – Table showing key dates, mileages, running numbers, etc. for all class members
