R.o.B Motive Power
SR Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2
Specifications: SR 'Merchant Navy' class 4-6-2, 30 of this class were built through the war and through to nationalisation from 1941-1949.
SR numbers: 21C1-21C20
BR numbers: 35001-35030
Tractive effort: 37515 lb (33495 lb after re-building)
Cylinders: (3) 18 in dia x 24in stroke
Driving Wheels: 6 ft 2 in
Bogie wheels: 3 ft 1 in
Trailing wheel: 3 ft 7 in
Steam pressure: 280lbpsi (250lbpsi after re-building)
Fuel/Capacity: 5 tons coal
Water Capacity: 5100 gallons (6000 gallons after re-building)
Total Weight: 94 tons 15cwt without tender
Length: 69 ft 7 3/4 in
Valve gear: Bullied Chain driven (Walschaerts after re-buidling)
BR Power classification: 8P
Purpose: Express passenger
The Southern Railway had spent a lot of money of the development of its electric network through the 1920's and 1930's seeing the steam side of the network deplete and essentially get left behind design wise, even though they were needed on the long haul routes to the South and South West. When Bullied took over from Maunsell as Southern Railway engineer in 1937 he proposed building similar locomotives to the 2-8-2 Gresley design which he had helped develop while on the LNER, the heavy weight design did not go down so well as the Southern had a narrower and lower loading gauge than the other railway companies that limited the size of its engines. In 1938 he was given permission to build 10 locomotives of 4-6-2 design that could haul 550-600ton trains to speeds of 60mph on the eastern section and 70mph on the western section. These locomotives were the Southern engineer Oliver Bullieds first design of locomotive and though good performers and very powerful also caused a lot of headache with their unconventional working parts and need for heavy looking after. The first to be introduced was No.21C1 on 17th February 1941 with air smoothed casing similar to that demonstrated by the un-rebuilt SR Battle of Britain class 'Tangmere'. The locomotives working 280lbpsi boiler pressure was the highest ever seen on the Railways of Britain with a super heater pressure of 400 degrees C, with the firebox ahead of its time by being made from all welded steel, a design factor that has to be used on all new steam locomotives in Europe (A1 'Tornado' for example), problems arose over the next few years though seeing the replacement of the first 10 fireboxes possibly due to the lack of welding technology to cope with the design. The worst regular maintenance problem was the valve gear which was oil driven and totally submerged in an oil bath which would often see water getting in and rapidly corroding the chain and other mechanical parts, with oil leakage under the driving wheels and even fire in the boiler lagging the engine was also a heavy user of coal and water. Sticking with the downsides of the locomotive would of course be wrong and it was a revolutionary design, minimising the hammer effect on the rails from the main driving wheels with the trailing truck later used on the BR standard locomotives. From 1956 the locomotives were re-built by British Railways the last engine to be completed in 1959 was 'Clan Line' in the October of that year with the style seen here. The valve gear was changed to Walschaerts and the removal of the air smoothed casing and 7 went on to see the end of Southern steam in July 1967, withdrawls having started in 1964. 11 engines escaped scrapping one of which Ellerman lines has been sectioned and preserved at the National Railway museum in York three of the others are now in working order.
The other engines are:
35005 Canadian Pacific
35006 Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
35009 Shaw Savill
35010 Blue Star
35011 General Steam Navigation
35018 British India Line
35022 Holland America Line
35025 Brocklebank Line
35027 Port Line
35028 Clan Line
35029 Ellerman Lines
'Clan line' No.35028: Clan line was withdrawn from British Railways service on the 9th July 1967 having run over 800,000 miles in service and was purchased by the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society which had been set up in 1965 to preserve one of the class though, 35022 'Holland Line' though as this was condemned they purchased Clan line instead. Due to the BR steam ban which ran from 1967 to 1972 when BR decided to allow some steam hauled specials, 'Clan line' seeing a return to main line operation in 1974. Today, May 2006, the engine is undergoing a major overhaul by the society at Stewarts Lane Depot in London.
'Canadian Pacific' No.35005: This locomotive entered Southern traffic on 13th October 1942 and worked over much of the steam worked Southern lines along with its compatriots though it was finally withdrawn from traffic BR on 10th October 1965, being sent to Barry scrapyard in Wales in the January of 1966 where it stayed until March 1973 when it was bought privately and sent to steam town at Carnforth. With a new owner the engine was sent to Quorn in 1989 in a partially restored condition with restoration to operating standard following soon after with a re-dedication ceremony taking place on 23rd November 1990. Over the following years it toured other preserved lines especially the Great Central railway where it could run at speeds up to 60mph. Today it is owned by the Watercress line in Mid Hants.