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162-549: The SR Merchant Navy class (originally known as the 21C1 class , and later informally known as Bulleid Pacifics , Spam Cans – which name was also applied to the Light Pacifics – or Packets ) is a class of air-smoothed 4-6-2 (Pacific) steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway by Oliver Bulleid . The Pacific design was chosen in preference to several others proposed by Bulleid. The first members of

324-497: A 2-2-2 , No.14. Thereafter Brighton works was responsible for the design and construction of a large proportion of the locomotives operated by the LB&;SCR under the engineers Craven , William Stroudley , R. J. Billinton , D. E. Marsh and L. B. Billinton . Notable locomotive types constructed at Brighton included the A1 "Terrier" class , awarded a gold medal at the 1870 Paris Exhibition,

486-426: A Schools class locomotive with its much smaller boiler, it was unlikely that these signals could have been seen from the driver's side in the dense foggy conditions of the incident. The report did not suggest that poor lifting of smoke obstructed visibility. Due to the problems experienced with the class, and following the success of the rebuilt Merchant Navy class designed by R. G. Jarvis , British Railways ordered

648-526: A TT gauge version of Clan Line . Hornby and Graham Farish currently produce the rebuilt version of the class in OO gauge and N gauge respectively. The Hornby model was introduced in the 2000 edition of the Hornby catalogue. As of December 2010, fifteen members of the class have been produced. In March 2015, Hornby announced the inclusion of a new as-built version of the class in OO gauge in their 2016 range; this model

810-417: A bad reputation, because it could cause highly irregular valve events, a problem compounded by the fast-moving Bulleid steam reverser . The entire system was located in a sealed oil bath, another unique design, providing constant lubrication to the moving parts. The locomotives were equipped with the unusual 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Bulleid Firth Brown (BFB) driving wheels which both lighter and stronger than

972-558: 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. In order to improve on

1134-586: A final 20 from Brighton works despite a pressing need for smaller tank locomotives. This imbalance was rectified by building forty-one examples of the LMS Fairburn 2-6-4T for 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 sought assistance from the other Southern Region works to complete this final order. Ashford works cut

1296-443: A further ten "U" class in 1928. The following year the works constructed all of the designer's Z class 0-8-0 T locomotives, before locomotive construction again ceased. During the war years Brighton works built more than half of Bulleid's Q1 class 0-6-0 freight locomotives, and the drawing office was primarily responsible for the detailed designs of his revolutionary Merchant Navy 4-6-2 express passenger locomotives, although

1458-570: A half years since its rebuilding. Twenty Light Pacifics still exist, in varying states of preservation: two were acquired directly from BR for preservation, 34023 Blackmoor Vale & 34051 Winston Churchill ; the other eighteen being purchased from Barry Scrapyard. Of these twenty class members to survive, ten are in original form, whilst ten are in "rebuilt" form. Had it not been for Woodham Brothers ' scrapyard in Barry, South Wales , no rebuilt Light Pacifics would have been preserved. Eleven of

1620-637: A matt finish so as to obscure small irregularities in the casing. All class members that operated during the Second World War were eventually repainted in Southern Railway wartime black livery, with green-shaded "Sunshine" lettering. However, this was reverted to malachite green livery upon the ending of hostilities. 21C1 Channel Packet originally had an inverted horseshoe on the smokebox door, indicating its Southern origin, but crews believed this to be unlucky. A resultant re-design meant that this became

1782-530: A modified steam regulator and LMS-style parallel buffer casings . As with the Merchant Navy class, they were fitted with a new design of cab front spectacle plates from mid–1947 due to poor forward visibility. The small windows on the front face of the cab 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

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1944-528: A much smaller locomotive. A curious but common sight west of Exeter during the winter months was 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 lives in their new guise. Brighton railway works Brighton railway works (also known as Brighton locomotive works , or just

2106-447: A new much enlarged motive power depot in 1861, thereby permitting the closure of the existing facilities and their incorporation into the works proper. Nevertheless, by 1866 consideration was again being given to concentrating repairs at New Cross Gate railway station . In the 1870s William Stroudley considered moving the works to the site at Horley once again, but instead moved the carriage repair shed and paint shops to new sites on

2268-424: A number of car dealers with temporary structures being the predominant building type, and a strip below the yard was used for retail premises; behind these remained the stone and brick columns over which the yard had been extended when space was at a premium. Much of the land which was not suitable for use either by lock-up traders or for car parking or still in use by British Rail was left derelict. The final traces of

2430-519: A number of new developments in British steam locomotive technology, they were amongst the first British designs to use welding in the construction process, and to use steel fireboxes , which meant that components could be more easily constructed under 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

2592-447: A reduced capacity tender based upon the Merchant Navy version. It could carry 4,500 imp gal (20,460 L; 5,400 US gal) water and 5.00 long tons (5.1 t) of coal on a six-wheel underframe. It retained the BFB wheels and streamlining panels , or "raves", that gave the top of the tender a similar cross-sectional outline to carriages . As with the Merchant Navy class,

2754-412: A result, many exist in private collections, and several have been seen at auction, selling for several thousands of pounds. A few members of this class were considered candidates for preservation, most notably No. 34086 219 Squadron and No. 34066 Spitfire but these plans never went through and were later scrapped. Just four members of the class are yet to run in preservation: 34010 Sidmouth , which

2916-534: A roundel, the gap being filled by the year of construction, so it acted as a builder's plate. The background was painted red. Early members of the class had cast-iron numberplates and gilt 'Southern' plates on the tender, but these were subsequently replaced by transfers. After nationalisation in 1948, the locomotives' initial livery was a slightly modified Southern malachite green livery, where "British Railways" replaced "Southern" in Sunshine Yellow lettering on

3078-458: A similar cross-sectional outline to the carriages hauled by the locomotive. 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. Three train-brake vacuum reservoirs of cylindrical construction were grouped on the tank top, behind the coal space. Unusually for a British locomotive, two extra water filler caps were incorporated into

3240-559: A system already successfully applied on the Continent . However, both proposals for eight-coupled locomotives were resisted by the Southern Railway's Chief Civil Engineer, so a new 4-6-2 Pacific design was settled upon instead. The new design was intended for express passenger and semi-fast work in Southern England , though it had to be equally adept at freight workings due to the nominal "mixed traffic" classification Bulleid applied to

3402-415: A while, but did not address the underlying issue of the inadequate site so that by the end of the century the works was again suffering from serious difficulties affecting its efficient operation. From 1905 Brighton works was unable to keep pace with the locomotives requiring to be serviced, and backlogs began to build up. As a result, the LB&SCR established concentrations of locomotives awaiting entry to

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3564-477: A wider variety of routes, including 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

3726-591: Is under restoration from scrapyard condition (its boiler is stored at Bridgnorth ); 34051 Winston Churchill , which is on static display at the National Railway Museum in York; 34058 Sir Frederick Pile , which is under restoration at the Mid Hants Railway ; and 34073 249 Squadron , which is awaiting restoration at Carnforth MPD . Of the sixteen engines which have operated in preservation, six have operated on

3888-524: The Atlantic convoys to and from Britain during the Second World War. A new design of nameplate was created, featuring a circular plate with a smaller circle in the centre. The inner circle carried the colours of the shipping company on a stylised flag, on an air force blue background. Around the outer circle was the name of the locomotive, picked out in gilt lettering. A horizontal rectangular plate

4050-604: The B1 "Gladstone" class 0-4-2 (awarded a gold medal at the 1889 Paris Exhibition ), the D1 0-4-2T, the Billinton B4 4-4-0 , and D3 0-4-4 T classes, the Marsh H2 class 4-4-2 , and L Class 4-6-4 T. Locomotive building at Brighton ceased at the end of 1916 with the building of the last E2 0-6-0 tank, and five K class 2-6-0 , and did not resume until late 1920, with further members of

4212-456: The BR 'Standard' locomotive classes that had been introduced since 1950. The air-smoothed casing was removed and replaced with conventional boiler cladding , and the chain-driven valve gear was replaced with three separate sets of Walschaerts valve gear . The rebuilds were provided with a completely revised cylindrical smokebox, a new Lord Nelson-type chimney and LMS-style smoke deflectors. Together with

4374-599: The Battle of Britain . Due to problems with some of the new features, such as the Bulleid chain-driven valve gear , sixty locomotives were rebuilt by British Railways during the late 1950s. The results were similar to the rebuilt Merchant Navy class. The classes operated until July 1967, when the last steam locomotives on the Southern Region were withdrawn. Although most were scrapped, twenty locomotives are preserved on heritage railways in Britain. The financial success enjoyed by

4536-512: The Brighton 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 . The works grew steadily between 1841 and 1900 but efficient operation was always hampered by the restricted site, and there were several plans to close it and move

4698-505: The Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) in 1937, their successors considered that the time had come to change this situation. In March 1938 the new general manager Gilbert Szlumper authorised Oliver Bulleid, Maunsell's replacement, to prepare designs for twenty express passenger locomotives. The deteriorating international situation prior to the Second World War was an additional factor in this decision. Bulleid's first suggestion

4860-571: The Gresley -designed Cock o' the North . Over the next decade the revised design was 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 ft 6 in (2.591 m) footplate due to the width-restricted Hastings Line between Tonbridge and Hastings but these were never used on this duty and

5022-464: The Gresley -designed Cock o' the North . Originally, the spectacle plates of the Bulleid Pacifics were at the conventional right-angle to the direction of the locomotive, and offered limited vision ahead along the air-smoothed casing. The Southern-built batches also had variations in the material used for the air-smoothed casing with a change from sheet steel to an asbestos compound, forced upon

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5184-562: The South West Main Line to Southampton and to Exeter . In August 1945, a series of test runs were made between London Victoria and Dover and from October the class were used on the resumed Continental expresses. The prestigious Bournemouth Belle Pullman train was reinstated in October 1946 and entrusted to the class for the next two decades. However, their heavy axle loading and length meant that they were banned from many areas of

5346-491: The UIC classification 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; these locomotives carried numbers that started "21C1" followed by the individual two-digit identifier. Initial livery after nationalisation in 1948

5508-551: 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 'West Country' locomotives sported an additional plaque with the coat of arms of 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

5670-476: The grouping of the LB&SCR and other railways in southern England to form the Southern Railway , in 1923, much of the new locomotive construction for the new railway was transferred to the more modern facilities at Eastleigh Works . After mid-1931, with the impending electrification of the Brighton Main Line , the locomotive works once again seemed likely to close. Many of the skilled workmen and much of

5832-454: The nationalisation of British Railways 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 Railways control but the last twenty ordered by the Southern Railway entered traffic between April 1948 and February 1949. In March 1949, British Railways ordered

5994-488: The " Brighton Blitz " in May 1943 but soon repaired. In the decade after the nationalisation of British Railways (BR) in 1948 Brighton works was again used for new locomotive construction, being responsible for both design work and construction of several of the new BR Standard classes. At the time of the centenary of locomotive building in 1952 the works covered 9 acres (36,000 m ) and employed about 650 staff. However, under

6156-600: The Battle of Britain class in Kent, Hampshire , Sussex and Surrey was never operationally practical and both classes were to be found all over the network. The most prominent journey undertaken by a member of the class occurred on 30 January 1965, when the funeral train of Winston Churchill was hauled by No.34051 Winston Churchill from Waterloo station to his final resting place, close to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire . As with

6318-643: The British Railways crest on the tender 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 re-liveried and renumbered from 34001–34070. The rebuilt locomotives were also in British Railways Brunswick green with orange and black lining, and crest on

6480-570: The British Railways crest on the tender tank sides. This livery was perpetuated after rebuilding. The class in both as-built and modified forms has been subject to a range 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 highly efficient boilers represented

6642-531: The French branch of Westinghouse Electric before the First World War , and those of his tenure in the rail operating department during that conflict. The Southern Railway numbers followed an adaptation of the UIC classification system of using letters and numbers to designate the powered and unpowered axles, together with a running number. Thus the first 4-6-2 locomotive became 21C1 – where "2" and "1" refer to

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6804-560: The K and L classes. The last locomotive to be built at the works by the LB&SCR was L class No. 333 Remembrance . For the first three years of Southern Railway ownership, no new locomotives were built at Brighton, although rebuilding of the B4 class into virtually new locomotives took place. During 1926 the works was responsible for building ten examples of Maunsell's "River class" and then rebuilding of six of them into "U class" 2-6-0 tender locomotives two years later. The works also built

6966-486: The LB&SCR board to close Brighton works and concentrate all locomotive building and repair at a new facility adjacent to the carriage works at Lancing . However the advent of the First World War in 1914 put an end to this plan. Locomotive building was severely curtailed at Brighton after 1916 and the works became involved in munitions production. After the war there was again a substantial backlog of repairs and new construction did not resume until late 1920. Following

7128-530: The Merchant Navy class, shorter overall length led to shorter frames and reduced the wheelbase to 35 ft 6 in (10.820 m). The boiler was also shorter and of smaller diameter at the smokebox end, but retaining the 280  psi (1.93  MPa ) operating pressure. The inner and outer Belpaire firebox was also smaller than the Merchant Navy class also constructed using welded steel. The cylinders were smaller at 16.375 in × 24 in (416 mm × 610 mm). Bulleid designed

7290-613: The Merchant Navy class, they could generate great power using mediocre quality fuel, due largely to Bulleid's excellent boiler. They also ran smoothly at high speed, but they were also beset with the same technical problems of their larger sisters. These may be summarised as follows: Restricted driver visibility was mentioned in the report on the disastrous Lewisham rail crash on 4 December 1957 outside St John's railway station, in which 90 people were killed and 173 injured. The driver of No. 34066 Spitfire had failed to see one yellow and one double-yellow "caution" signal in foggy conditions and

7452-470: The Merchant Navy locomotives, Bulleid incorporated his chain-driven valve gear into what became the new design. This now-infamous component was unique in British locomotive design. 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 in a sealed oil bath, another unique design, that provided constant lubrication to

7614-629: 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 Coast and to Guildford and Portsmouth . Despite electrification plans, the Southern Railway's less heavily used lines in the West Country beyond Salisbury did not merit the cost. Lines in Devon and Cornwall were meandering, heavily graded, and although heavy with summer holiday traffic were lightly used during

7776-489: The Southern Railway, and, later, the British Railways Southern Region network. As mentioned, the main production batch of Southern-built locomotives differed from the two prototypes, Channel Packet and Union Castle . The steam-operated firehole door treadle was removed, and a new type of boiler cladding was utilised in response to the worsening supply situation during the Second World War. Modification

7938-540: The Southern network, and they were capable of fast running. 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 that could have been undertaken by cheaper 2-6-2 or 4-6-0 mixed-traffic locomotives. Likewise, more Light Pacifics were built than were needed, frequently undertaking tasks that would usually befit

8100-620: The addition of an "s" prefix (e.g. s21C101). The classes were given several power classifications in their careers, beginning with 6MT (Mixed Traffic) in 1949. In December 1953 they were reclassified 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

8262-400: The arrangement of the works and the cranes and other mechanical equipment used. The works were then organised into: The works was supplied with compressed air for pneumatic drilling, riveting, and chipping hammers; a hydraulic plant for the 250-ton plate flanging press and a 20-ton press; and both alternating and direct electric current. The first locomotive to be constructed at Brighton was

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8424-581: The boilers and tenders for the final batch of ten Merchant Navy class, although the locomotives were constructed at Eastleigh. The thousandth locomotive to be constructed at the works was 21C164 "Fighter Command" in June 1947. This figure did not take into account 12 B4X class 4-4-0 from 1922–24 which were officially classified as rebuilds rather than new locomotives. During the early years of British Railways Brighton works constructed two further batches of "West Country" pacifics and would have been responsible for

8586-438: The boilers as opposed to more common riveted construction, and a steel inner firebox which was 1.5 long tons (1.5 t) lighter than a more usual copper example. Two welded steel thermic syphons were implemented to improve water circulation around the firebox and these were subcontracted to Beyer Peacock . However he soon discovered that the Southern Railway lacked the facilities to manufacture welded boilers of this size, so

8748-548: The boilers had to be supplied from private industry and the tenders were built at Ashford. The prototype was completed in February 1941, numbered 21C1, and named Channel Packet at a ceremony at Eastleigh works on 10 March 1941. It underwent extensive trials and minor modifications before joining Southern Railway stock 4 June 1941. A second prototype, 21C2 Union Castle was completed in June and named at Victoria railway station 4 July. Both prototypes were found to be seven tons over

8910-425: 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 using a manual "blow-down" valve. This equipment was retrospectively fitted to earlier members of

9072-551: The cab-side windows as a wartime material-saving measure, with No. 21C107 Wadebridge the first to receive glass windows. Two of the front route indicator irons (of which there are five) 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

9234-401: The centre coupled axle. The inside cylinder was steeply inclined at 1:7.5 but the outside cylinders were horizontal. It was originally intended to use a gear-driven valve gear , but space restrictions within the frames and wartime material shortages led Bulleid to design his novel chain-driven valve gear . This component was unique amongst British locomotive design practices. It later gained

9396-468: The class 4 tank locomotives after 1951. In 1955 R.G. Jarvis , Chief Technical Assistant at the works, and his staff were responsible for the design of the highly successful rebuilds of the "Merchant Navy" and "West Country" classes, although the rebuilding took place at Eastleigh. New locomotive construction ceased in 1957 with the construction of BR standard class 4 tank 80154, which was the 1,211th locomotive to be constructed there. As mentioned above,

9558-409: The class for them to be built during wartime. Administrative measures had been put in place by the wartime government, preventing the construction of express passenger locomotives, due to shortages of materials and a need for locomotives with freight-hauling capabilities. Classifying a design as "mixed traffic" neatly circumvented this restriction. Most of the detailed design for the Merchant Navy class

9720-553: The class have survived in the guise of locomotive nameplates and smokebox number plates, 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 auctions, selling for several thousands of pounds. Livery was Southern Railway malachite green with "sunshine yellow" horizontal lining and lettering. The first five locomotives were given

9882-494: The class of some of its 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 travelled only 600,000 miles. Most of the unrebuilt locomotives were withdrawn over

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10044-403: The class were constructed during the Second World War, and the last of the 30 locomotives in 1949. Incorporating a number of new developments in British steam locomotive technology, the design of the Merchant Navy class was among the first to use welding in the construction process; this enabled easier fabrication of components during the austerity of the war and post-war economies. In addition,

10206-470: The class. Hauling a train comprising three carriages and two parcels vans (164 tons tare, 180 tons gross) between Weymouth and Waterloo , the mile between milepost 38 and milepost 37 (located between Winchfield and Fleet ) was covered in 34 seconds, a speed of 105.88 mph. This was also the last authenticated speed in excess of 100 mph achieved by a steam locomotive in the United Kingdom, until

10368-405: The class. In 1948 the tender design was enlarged to provide a water capacity of 5,500-imperial-gallon (25,000 L; 6,610 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

10530-449: The country". Overall, the class was largely successful, with half of the locomotives completing more than 1 million miles in revenue-earning service. Makers of models of Merchant Navy locomotives include Hornby Railways , Graham Farish and Minitrix . The first OO gauge model of an as-built locomotive was produced by Graham Farish in 1950 followed by Hornby/Wrenn in 1962 and by the modified version. In 1959, Tri-ang Railways produced

10692-653: 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. The original intention was to base the first batch of locomotives at Exmouth Junction depot at Exeter for use on the West of England Main Line to Salisbury and Plymouth , and secondary lines to Barnstaple , Bude and other holiday resorts in Devon and Cornwall. By

10854-511: The design and construction of a lighter version of the same locomotive with consequently increased route availability . These were the West Country and Battle of Britain class Light Pacifics , the first of which entered service in 1945. Just prior to the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, the Southern Railway placed an order for ten more Merchant Navy locomotives, with larger 6,000-imperial-gallon (27,280 L; 7,210 US gal) tenders . A shortage of materials meant that delivery

11016-414: The disaster indicated that it was necessary, with the signals concerned being on the right-hand side of the train and because of the limited visibility from the left-hand side of a steam locomotive, for either the fireman to observe those signals (but with the driver being responsible for asking him to do so) or for the driver to cross over the footplate from his left-hand driving position to observe them from

11178-524: The entire class of 110 locomotives, had not the works become overstretched due to its involvement in the design and construction of Bulleid's problematic and ultimately ill-fated Leader class in 1949. Thereafter it was responsible for building 41 examples of the LMS Fairburn 2-6-4T for use on the Southern Region. In addition to the Leader class, other prototype locomotives constructed at Brighton included

11340-456: The equipment were transferred to Eastleigh and Ashford , the Paint Shop was converted into an Electric multiple unit maintenance facility, and the former carriage shed was converted for use by the Southern Railway's new Road Motor Engineers Department. Similarly the steam motive power depot was rebuilt and reduced in size. Fears of possible air attacks on Ashford and Eastleigh together with

11502-521: The facility elsewhere. Nevertheless, between 1852 and 1957 more than 1200 steam locomotives as well as prototype diesel electric and electric locomotives were constructed there, before the eventual closure of the facility in 1962. After use as a factory for constructing bubble cars , the facility was demolished and has since been redeveloped as part of the New England Quarter of Brighton. The earliest locomotive servicing facility at Brighton

11664-467: The first few years of service by the Merchant Navy class were beset by a variety of technical problems, partly as a result of having so many novel features. Some of these were merely teething troubles , but others remained with the class throughout their working lives. These may be summarised as follows: As a result of these problems, in 1954 serious consideration was given to scrapping the class and replacing them with Britannia class locomotives. However,

11826-537: The first ten boilers were ordered on outside contract from the North British Locomotive Company . The boiler was enveloped by Bulleid's air-smoothed sheet-steel casing, which was not for the purposes of streamlining , as demonstrated by the extremely flat front end, but as a way of lifting exhaust gases. The flat sides were also an aid to cleaning the locomotive with mechanical carriage washers, representing an attempt to reduce labour costs. It followed

11988-461: The flagship of the class. Five examples have returned to steam, but it is unlikely that many of the remainder will do so, as the class is too large and heavy for use on most of today's heritage railways. As the entire fleet was rebuilt from 1956 onwards, no examples exist in their original condition, although a team is attempting to reverse-engineer 35011 General Steam Navigation with its air-smoothed casing and chain-driven valve gear. Other relics of

12150-492: The flat, boxy air-smoothed casing, and the resemblance of this to the distinctive tin cans in which SPAM was sold. The nickname Packets was also adopted by locomotive drivers, as the first member of the class was named Channel Packet . As the class appeared during the War, there were no heavily laden Continental Boat Trains from Dover and Folkestone , for which they had been designed. They were, however, used on express trains on

12312-443: The footplate. The gauges had fluorescent markings and were illuminated 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 paid to the ergonomics of the cab, which was designed with the controls required for operation grouped according to

12474-407: 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 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

12636-489: The foreseeable future. The detailed design work for the new mixed-traffic locomotives was undertaken at Brighton railway works 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

12798-527: 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, but the locomotive entered service as Bulleid intended. The first six locomotives were initially fitted with plywood sheeting over

12960-462: The front driving wheel, with covers added to protect the motion from sand falling from the filler pipes. A third batch of twenty-five was ordered and designated the Battle of Britain class. These were identical to the West Country class and the new designation was purely concerned with giving the locomotives names that befitted their intended allocation to the Eastern Section . By the time of

13122-652: The good route availability the locomotives could be used on 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 electrified lines. Thus the original intention for the West Country class locomotives to work in South West England and

13284-460: The intention was to lift the steam and exhaust gases away from the cab. As with the Merchant Navies, the class soon gained the nickname "Spam Cans", due to the resemblance to the distinctive tin cans in which " SPAM " was sold. The smokebox was 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

13446-416: The lack of air-smoothed casing, these helped reduce the problem of smoke and steam obscuring the driver's vision of the line. The fast-moving and unpredictable Bulleid steam reverser was replaced with a screw-link version, whilst the mechanical lubricators were moved to the footplates along the boiler sides. Sanding was also added to the leading driving axle, whilst rearward application was incorporated to

13608-534: The locomotive stock was unusable due to delays and inefficiencies at Brighton works. Lawson Billinton , the District Locomotive Superintendent at New Cross depot had sought to alleviate the situation by executing repairs and boiler changes, but this had little impact on the problem. The LB&SCR Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent D.E. Marsh received much of the blame for the problem, which had been developing for some years, and he

13770-464: The locomotive was re-converted to hand-firing. As mentioned, the British Railways batch had detail differences to previous versions. The most significant modification was the reduction of weight using lighter materials unavailable during wartime. From 1952 the air-smoothed casing ahead of the cylinders was removed to ease maintenance and lubrication. This coincided with the removal of the tender 'raves' on all locomotives, as they quickly rotted, obstructed

13932-507: The locomotive works vanished with the demolition of the elevated 1930s Southern Railway signal box in the mid-1980s, the signal box having used part of the main locomotive erecting-shop wall as support. In the early years of the 21st century the site has finally seen redevelopment begin, and it lies at the heart of the New England Quarter . A report of a visit to the works by members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1947 described

14094-488: The locomotives after victories of the Second World War , to the extent that a mocked-up nameplate River Plate was produced. In the event, when early successes for the British proved few and far between, the chairman of the Union-Castle Line suggested naming them after shipping companies which had called at Southampton Docks in peacetime. This idea resonated in 1941 because the shipping lines were heavily involved in

14256-464: The locomotives featured thermic syphons in their boilers and the controversial Bulleid chain-driven valve gear . The class members were named after the Merchant Navy shipping lines involved in the Battle of the Atlantic , and latterly those which used Southampton Docks : a publicity masterstroke by the Southern Railway, which operated Southampton Docks during the period. Due to problems with some of

14418-476: The locomotives had excellent boilers and several other good features and so the decision was taken to rebuild them, removing several of Bulleid's less successful ideas. Partially because of the Crewkerne incident, and due to the incessant modification of Bulleid's original design, British Railways took the decision to rebuild the entire class to a more conventional design by R. G. Jarvis , adopting many features from

14580-542: The locomotives were built at Eastleigh Works . From 1943 they built 93 of the LMS Stanier 8F type 2-8-0 freight locomotives for the War Department , at the incredible rate of one every 4.5 days. The heyday of locomotive building at the works was during the decade after the war, when Brighton built more than 100 Bulleid light pacifics of the West Country and Battle of Britain classes. The works also constructed

14742-434: The locomotives within the lineal loading of the Southern Railway's narrower bridges. The supporting rear trailing truck was a one-piece steel casting that gave the smoothest of rides; the design was utilised in the future BR Standard Class 7 . The spaces between driving wheels housed steam-powered clasp brakes, that gripped the wheels by way of a "scissor" action. The two middle brake hangers held two brake blocks each, whilst

14904-411: 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 . 'Battle of Britain' nameplates incorporated the name of the locomotive with the class name below, in a design that resembled the wings of an aircraft . This

15066-481: The main line to haul special trains. It is uncertain whether all of the preserved locomotives will be restored to working order; owing to the very poor condition some of them were in when purchased and the increasing cost of materials. Other relics of both classes that have survived are nameplates, which were removed towards the end of steam on the British Railways Southern Region in the 1960s. As

15228-436: The main line: 34016 Bodmin , 34027 Taw Valley , 34046 Braunton , 34067 Tangmere , 34072 257 Squadron & 34092 City of Wells . 34046 & 34067 currently have a valid main line certificate. 34028 Eddystone and 34070 Manston did briefly return to the mainline in 2009 to attend an event at Eastleigh, but the two engines were towed behind a diesel as neither was mainline certified. Fitted with Giesl ejector Livery

15390-446: The main works, part of the workshop was used for the building of Isetta microcars between 1957 and 1964 and some of the land remained in railway use, associated with the stabling of electric multiple unit trains and other maintenance functions. Much of the land later became a large open car park, and was used for a popular market every Sunday morning. Some land on the eastern side was given over to an assortment of retail units including

15552-413: The maintenance problems, whilst retaining the good features, thereby creating excellent locomotives. One minor drawback was that the 'modifieds' put greater loads on the track as a result of hammerblow , caused by the balance weights for the outside Walschaerts valve gear, whereas the original valve gear design was largely self-balanced. On 26 June 1967, 35003 Royal Mail recorded the highest speed ever for

15714-405: The manufacturer by wartime expediency. This resulted in several class members having a horizontal strengthening rib running down the length of the casing. The final Southern Railway-initiated experiment involved equipping 21C5 Canadian Pacific with a Berkeley mechanical stoker imported from Canada . Little improvement in performance was seen when trialled under British Railways auspices in 1948 and

15876-402: The middle driving axle. The first 'modified' locomotive to be released from Eastleigh was 35018 British India Line in 1956. The final example, 35028 Clan Line , was completed in 1960. The success of the modification programme for the Merchant Navy class was also to influence the design of the future modification of 60 'Light Pacifics'. There is no doubt that rebuilding the class solved most of

16038-410: The middle driving wheel. Several members of the class had only the nameplate and the "West Country Class" scroll, a gap being left 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

16200-408: The modernisation plan for BR announced in 1954, Brighton Works was once again passed over. Locomotive building ceased in 1957, and locomotive repairs ceased the following year. The buildings were closed in 1962 and demolished in 1969. The motive power depot was officially closed 15 June 1961, but remained in use for stabling steam locomotives until 1964, and was demolished in 1966. After the closure of

16362-664: The more novel features of Bulleid's design, all members of the class were modified by British Railways during the late 1950s, losing their air-smoothed casings in the process. The Merchant Navy class operated until the end of Southern steam in July, 1967. A third of the class has survived and can be seen on heritage railways throughout Great Britain. They were known for reaching speeds of up to 105 mph (167 km/h); such speeds were recorded by examples including No. 35003 Royal Mail (since scrapped) and Nos. 35005 Canadian Pacific and 35028 Clan Line (both preserved). The Southern Railway

16524-585: The more technical steam locomotives for a downturn in workload. Five of the surviving Merchant Navys have run in preservation: 35005, 35006, 35018, 35027 and 35028. Three members of the class, 35005, 35018 and 35028, have operated on the mainline in preservation. Ten locomotives ended up at Barry Scrapyard. One however, 35028 Clan Line , was purchased by the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society direct from British Railways service in 1967. Clan Line has since been regarded as

16686-439: 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 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 with carriage washers to reduce labour requirements during the post-war period, whereas Bradley asserts that

16848-406: The multiple-jet blastpipe , which failed to be caught by the air flow. After several trials, the air flow was increased by extending the casing roof over the front of the smokebox to form a cowling whilst side smoke deflector plates were also incorporated into the front of the air-smoothed casing. The latter added to the poor visibility from the footplate and the expedients combined never fully solved

17010-522: The need for more steam locomotive and armaments construction during World War II brought about the re-opening and re-equipment of the workshops in 1941. Throughout the remaining years of the war Brighton works was used for locomotive construction, initially for the Southern Railway , but also later for the War Department , the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway . It also manufactured component parts for tanks and anti-aircraft guns. The workshops were damaged during

17172-483: The needs of both driver and fireman, thus promoting safe operation. As an aid to the fireman , a treadle 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 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) wheels. Compared with

17334-433: 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. The Southern Railway placed an order for ten of the new locomotives to be built at Eastleigh Works , although

17496-403: The new larger tenders for the new locomotives meant that some were fitted with the smaller examples intended for use with Light Pacifics that were under construction at the time. Two spare boilers for the class were also constructed at Brighton and Eastleigh during 1950/1. Bulleid adopted a new numbering scheme for all his locomotives based on Continental practice, following his experiences at

17658-403: The next three years but seven survived until 1967 and the end of steam on the Southern Region. Many rebuilt locomotives were withdrawn 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

17820-434: The number of unpowered leading and trailing axles respectively, and "C" refers to the number of driving axles, in this case three. The remainder were numbered 21C2-21C20. The scheme was abandoned by British Railways in 1949 and the existing locomotives were renumbered under the British Railways standard system in the series 35001-35020; the final batch appeared in traffic as 35021-35030. The Southern Railway considered naming

17982-443: The other side. In the event, the driver did neither, and neither driver nor fireman looked out for the aspect of the signals. The report ascribed blame to the driver, but recommended that the class be fitted with wider windscreens to improve visibility, noting that, in fog with less than 80 yards of visibility, the three signals involved would not be visible at all from the driver's side of the footplate; however, it noted that, even from

18144-461: The outset, and greater use of welding ensured lighter locomotives. The batch was also fitted with the TIA ("Traitement Integral Armand") chemical feed-water equipment used on the Light Pacifics . This 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. A delay in the construction of

18306-494: 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, revised step ladders and glass spectacle plates to protect the crew from flying coal dust when running tender-first. The new locomotives demonstrated that they could generate enormous power using mediocre quality fuel, due largely to Bulleid's excellent boiler. They also ran very smoothly at high speed. However,

18468-403: The packing of coal into the bunker and restricted the driver's view when reversing. 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 unrebuilt locomotives. The most notable

18630-481: 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 frequent passenger services over poorly maintained infrastructure, following

18792-457: The profile of the Belpaire firebox and extended to a curved profile forward of the smokebox front. Spun glass mattresses were used for boiler lagging. The smokebox was a sheet metal fabrication to the same profile as the firebox, acting as a former to maintain the shape of the air-smoothed casing. In between, the casing was supported by channel-section steel crinolines (strengtheners used to maintain

18954-483: The rate of about two locomotives per month. The class was gradually run in on the Central Section until October 1945, when they were successfully trialled on Plymouth and Kentish services. By the time the first fifteen 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

19116-402: 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

19278-457: The route availability of the Merchant Navy class with its 21-ton axle loading, the weight was reduced by 5 tons. This allowed the design to operate on routes where the Maunsell 2-6-0s were the largest permitted and came mainly from several changes: Also the cab was reduced in width and remodelled to comply with reduced loading gauge over some routes. Based on the mechanical experience gained from

19440-561: The same mark was attained in 2017 by Tornado . Their principal work was on the South West Main Line to Southampton and Bournemouth until 1967. However, the main reason why the class began to be withdrawn in 1964 was the transfer of the main line between Salisbury and Exeter to the Western Region and the introduction of "Warship" class diesel-hydraulic locomotives on these services. The rebuilt locomotives were therefore withdrawn relatively soon after their rebuilding, whilst still in excellent condition. The first two to be withdrawn were

19602-481: The second prototype 35002 Union Castle and 35015 Rotterdam Lloyd in February 1964. Nearly half of the class had been withdrawn by the end of 1965, but seven survived until the end of steam on the Southern Region in the summer of 1967. Eleven of the class survived into preservation, thanks largely to the high workload of Woodham Brothers Scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan , South Wales , which found it easier and more lucrative to scrap railway wagons, keeping

19764-428: 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 , powered by a steam-powered generator below

19926-403: The shape) attached to the frames. The smokebox housed the five-nozzle Lemaître blastpipe arranged in a circle within a large-diameter chimney. Bulleid designed a new 5,000 imperial gallons (22,730 L; 6,000 US gal) tender which could carry 5 tons (5.1 t) of coal on a six-wheel chassis. It featured BFB wheels and streamlined panels , or "raves", that gave the top of the tender

20088-407: The situation of the works, close to the main line, on top of a cliff, in what would soon become a built-up area, always imposed restrictions on the space available for its efficient operation. During 1860 and 1861 Craven began the removal of a large chalk hill on the western side of the main line, which had been dumped during the construction of the main line. The space created was used to accommodate

20250-501: The smoke drift problem. During the time they operated under the Southern Railway, further modifications were applied to the class, such as the reduction in boiler pressure to 250  psi (1.72  MPa ) and the redesign of the footplate spectacle plates . These are the small windows on the front face of the cab, which were redesigned to a wedge-shaped profile, a feature to be seen on all Bulleid-designed locomotives post-nationalisation. They had been introduced in Britain in 1934 with

20412-824: The specified weight, and, at the insistence of the Southern Railway Civil Engineer , production of the remainder was halted until steps were taken to remedy this. This was achieved by using thinner steel plates for the frame stretchers and covering the boiler cladding, and enlarging the existing lightening holes in the main frames. The remaining eight locomotives in the batch were delivered between September 1941 and July 1942. A second batch of ten followed, beginning in December 1944 and culminating in June 1945. These were entirely constructed at Eastleigh and equipped with 5,100-imperial-gallon (23,190 L; 6,120 US gal) tenders . The Merchant Navy class spawned

20574-460: The spoked equivalent. These proved to be successful and were later used on other Bulleid classes. The leading bogie was based upon that of the SR Lord Nelson class , although it had a 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m) wheelbase as opposed to Maunsell's 7 ft 6 in (2.28 m) design, and featured 3 ft 1 in (0.94 m) BFB wheels. A long coupled driving wheelbase was incorporated into the design, to keep

20736-537: The surviving engines are named after West Country locations in the South of England and the remaining nine after RAF Squadrons or significant persons, including Prime Minister Winston Churchill . All but one of the class in preservation were built at Brighton Works , the exception being 34101 Hartland which was built at Eastleigh Works . The class has proved to be useful for preservation societies, due to its good route availability and ample power, with some having returned to

20898-433: The tender front, for access from the footplate. The original tender design proved to be inadequately braced and subject to serious leakage if even slightly damaged, or when water surges caused the welded joints to split. The problem was not solved until 1944 when additional baffling was fitted. Electric lighting was also provided on both the locomotive and the footplate , supplied by a steam-powered generator fitted below

21060-406: 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. No. 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 cab side

21222-448: The tender sides. The Bulleid numbering system was temporarily retained, with an additional "S" prefix, such as S21C1. A short-lived second livery was an experimental purple with red lining, as applied to 35024 East Asiatic Company . This was replaced by British Railways express passenger blue with black and white lining. From 1952, the locomotives carried the standard British Railways Brunswick green livery with orange and black lining and

21384-400: The third 3rd rail Co-Co electric locomotive , numbered 20003 in 1948, and the third 1Co-Co1 diesel electric locomotive numbered 10203 in 1954. Brighton staff were involved in the design of three of the most successful BR standard classes – the class 4 4-6-0 tender , and class 4 2-6-4 tank classes together with the 9F 2-10-0 class – and the works built 130 examples of

21546-453: The two outside hanger on the leading and rear driving wheels held one block each. These were connected together by outside rodding for ease of access, and the whole system was operated from the footplate. The maximum boiler pressure was higher than any other British regular service locomotive (except the GWR County class ) at 280  psi . Bulleid decided on cheaper all-welded fireboxes for

21708-426: The ultimate in British steam technology, the hallmark of a successful locomotive design. Despite this, the number of innovations introduced at the same time made the class unreliable and difficult to maintain during the first few years of service. Many of these difficulties were overcome during the rebuilding, leading to D.L. Bradley's statement that the modified locomotives were "the finest express locomotives to work in

21870-560: 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. Suburban electrification used 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

22032-545: 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 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

22194-464: The western side of the main line, and transferred the marine engineering work undertaken by the works to a new facility in Newhaven . This allowed for the further enlargement of the locomotive building and repair facilities, including the addition of an iron foundry in 1873, and a new carriage painting and cleaning shop in 1878, and a coppersmith's shop in 1881. This new construction solved the problem for

22356-435: The winter months. The seasonality of railway traffic meant that the 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. During 1943, Bulleid began planning for

22518-488: The winter of 1945, there was a more pressing need for them on 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 trains from Bournemouth to Wells and Bath . Because of

22680-521: The works or else scrapping at East Grinstead , Horsted Keynes and Horley . An outside investigation in 1908, conducted by Robert Urie , then Works Manager of Nine Elms Works found 108 of the LB&SCR's 541 locomotives (20%) were awaiting or under repair, and that a general overhaul at Brighton took 43 days, compared with 7.2% of the locomotives of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway under repair and 21 days taken by Ashford Works . By 1910 30% of

22842-415: Was British Railways 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

23004-559: Was Southern Railway malachite green with "Sunshine yellow" horizontal lining. A circular cast brass plate with a red background on the smokebox door featured 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 Railway Operating Division (R.O.D.) during that conflict. The Southern Railway number adapted

23166-515: Was a small engine shed to the north-west of the station, serving the Brighton – Shoreham line of the London and Brighton Railway in May 1840. The following year, with the completion of the London – Brighton Main Line , the railway opened a larger repair facility and motive power depot on the eastern side of the main line adjacent to the Brighton railway station . However a new workshop at Horley , midway between London and Brighton, also opened in 1841,

23328-401: Was also made to the air-smoothed casing surrounding the smokebox after reports were made of drifting smoke obscuring the locomotive crew's vision ahead. Initially, the only form of smoke deflection was a narrow slot in front of the chimney, intended to enable air to lift the smoke when the locomotive was travelling. This proved inadequate because of the relatively soft exhaust blast that came from

23490-427: Was attached to either side of the circular nameplate, with "Merchant Navy Class" in gilt lettering. This acted as a class plate, as indicated on the nameplate photograph, above left. During their operational career, the class gained several nicknames; the most obvious, Bulleid Pacific , simply denoted the designer and wheel arrangement. The colloquial name Spam Can arose from their utilitarian appearance, enhanced by

23652-431: Was delayed until September 1948, and completed in 1949; the batch never carried Southern Railway numbers. Eastleigh was responsible for the construction of the final batch, which were in the series 35021–35030. Construction was undertaken in-house by Eastleigh works, with the boilers and tenders constructed at Brighton , the frames at Ashford and the rest at Eastleigh. These were equipped with wedge-shaped cab fronts from

23814-453: Was delayed until late 1944. Due to wartime contract work at Brighton works, the boilers were 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

23976-409: Was for an eight-coupled locomotive with a 4-8-2 wheel arrangement for the heavily loaded Golden Arrow and Night Ferry Continental express trains, although this was quickly modified to a 2-8-2 , a wheel arrangement associated with Nigel Gresley's P2 locomotives ; Bulleid himself had worked with Gresley in the past. A second "Mikado" locomotive design was planned to have a Helmholtz pony truck –

24138-476: 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 were recovered and displayed in the entrance hall of ROC Headquarters at RAF Bentley Priory until 1996 when they were transferred to the RAF Museum at Hendon . Another locomotive that featured a second crest was 34067 Tangmere , which

24300-538: Was given the airfield's crest for the cab side, as it did not feature on the nameplate crest. The class in both unrebuilt and rebuilt forms has been the subject of divergent opinions. The use 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 steam-raising ability of their boilers represented an advance in British steam technology. Their light axle-loading also meant widespread use over

24462-402: Was granted leave of absence due to sickness in 1910, followed by his resignation in July 1911. Billinton had been invited to take over on a temporary basis during Marsh's sickness, and promptly set about re-organising the works and reducing the backlog by using emerging time and motion study techniques. The LB&SCR directors recognised that part of the problem at Brighton was that the works

24624-400: 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

24786-454: Was overwhelmed with work. In 1910 they purchased land at Lancing for a new carriage and wagon works, which was opened in 1912. This allowed Stroudley's carriage shed to be used as an overflow 'stock shed' by the locomotive works and the motive power depot. Locomotives repaired at Brighton were also sometimes taken to Lancing for their final painting. Once confirmed in his post as Locomotive Superintendent in 1913 Billinton presented proposals to

24948-565: 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 to the West Country for Nos. 34091–34108. The final two locomotives were Battle of Britain class, No. 34109 Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory and No. 34110 66 Squadron . The result of

25110-573: Was reduced by up to 8.4%. However the Walschaerts valve gear made the rebuilds heavier and prone to hammerblow on the track, a complaint that was not evident with the original design. The increased weight reduced their route availability , meaning that they could not be used on certain routes available to un-rebuilt examples, such as the line to Ilfracombe . The electrification of the Chatham Main Line to Dover and Ramsgate in 1959 deprived

25272-473: Was replaced with modified Walschaerts valve gear fitted both outside as well as 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 withdrawal. The rebuilding solved most of the maintenance problems whilst retaining the excellent features of the original design. Repair costs were reduced by up to 60%, and coal consumption

25434-410: Was similarly fitted in the mid-1980s. 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, which renumbered existing these 34001-34070 and new locomotives 34071-34110. The first 48 members of the class were named after places in

25596-403: Was subsequently postponed to the 2017 range. SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes The SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes , collectively known as Light Pacifics or informally as Spam Cans , or "flat tops", are air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway by its Chief Mechanical Engineer Oliver Bulleid . Incorporating

25758-560: Was the most financially successful of the " Big Four ", but this was largely based on investment in suburban and main line electrification . After the successful introduction of the SR Schools class in 1930, the railway had lagged behind the others in terms of modernising its ageing fleet of steam locomotives. Following the retirement of the general manager of the Southern Railway Sir Herbert Walker and Richard Maunsell

25920-739: Was then planned to become the principal locomotive and carriage workshop of the new railway. Following his appointment as the Locomotive Superintendent of the successor company, the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) in November 1847, John Chester Craven changed the plan of moving the works to Horley. Carriage construction began in 1848, having previously been carried out by contractors at New Cross. Craven also set about enlarging and equipping Brighton works for new steam locomotive construction, which began in May 1852. However

26082-439: Was travelling too fast to stop when he saw a red signal, and the train crashed into the back of a stationary local train. Members of the class were later fitted with Automatic Warning System equipment, a recommendation of the incident report; fitting of trackside equipment was already underway, but priority had been given to routes equipped with semaphore signals, not electric "colour-light" signals as at Lewisham. The report on

26244-495: Was undertaken by the drawing office at Brighton works , but some work was also undertaken by Ashford and Eastleigh . This division of responsibility was possibly due to Bulleid's wish to restrict knowledge of the new class to a limited number of personnel. The design incorporated a number of novel features, compared to then-current steam locomotive practice in Great Britain . Three 18 inches (46 cm) diameter cylinders drove

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