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British Railway (SR) – MN Class No. 35018 ‘British India Line’ – 4-6-2 departing Carlisle Station with Steams Dreams Special
The SR Merchant Navy class (originally known as the 21C1 class, and later informally known as Bulleid Pacific’s, Spam Cans 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 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 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 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).
MN Class 4-6-2 No.35018 ’British India Lines’ was designed by Oliver Bulleid and was built at Eastleigh Works in 1945, it was rebuilt at Eastleigh Works in 1956. ‘British India Line’ was one of the first batch of twenty completed at Eastleigh Works in May 1945, first shedded at 70A Nine Elms MPD where it was to remain for most of its career, under both the Southern Railway and British Railways. On 24 November 1960 it was re-allocated to Bournemouth's 71B shed, but in January of the following year it returned to Nine Elms 70A shed where it was to remain for the rest of its career with BR.
It was withdrawn in 1964 and was sold onto Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales where it arrived in December of the same year. It stayed there until being rescued November 1979, work to restore the locomotive began in 2012 and British India Line ran under its own steam on the mainline in May 2017.
Photographer Peter Heelas – taken preparing to depart Carlisle Station with Steam Dreams Special on 09/04/2020
British Railway (SR) – MN Class No. 35018 ‘British India Line’ – 4-6-2 departing Carlisle Station with Steams Dreams Special
The SR Merchant Navy class (originally known as the 21C1 class, and later informally known as Bulleid Pacific’s, Spam Cans 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 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 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 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).
MN Class 4-6-2 No.35018 ’British India Lines’ was designed by Oliver Bulleid and was built at Eastleigh Works in 1945, it was rebuilt at Eastleigh Works in 1956. ‘British India Line’ was one of the first batch of twenty completed at Eastleigh Works in May 1945, first shedded at 70A Nine Elms MPD where it was to remain for most of its career, under both the Southern Railway and British Railways. On 24 November 1960 it was re-allocated to Bournemouth's 71B shed, but in January of the following year it returned to Nine Elms 70A shed where it was to remain for the rest of its career with BR.
It was withdrawn in 1964 and was sold onto Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales where it arrived in December of the same year. It stayed there until being rescued November 1979, work to restore the locomotive began in 2012 and British India Line ran under its own steam on the mainline in May 2017.
Photographer Peter Heelas – taken preparing to depart Carlisle Station with Steam Dreams Special on 09/04/2020