34092_2206_Bury
Jubilee weekend 2022 at the East Lancashire Railway and West Country Pacific 34092 City of Wells stands in the platform at Bury Bolton Street, 4th June 2022.
Locomotive History
The Southern Railway West Country and Battle of Britain class are 4-6-2 pacific steam locomotives designed by Oliver Bulleid. The class incorporating a number of new developments in British steam locomotive technology and utilized welding in the construction process. Bulleid incorporated his chain-driven valve gear which was unique to the West Country/Battle of Britain and Bulleid Merchant Navy classes amongst British locomotive design practices. The entire system was located in a sealed oil bath that provided constant lubrication to the moving parts however it was difficult to access when things went wrong. The locomotive also carried the Bulleid "air-smoothed" casing. They were designed for use on a wide variety of routes, including those in the South-west of England and the Kent coast for both passenger and freight duties. A total of one hundred and ten locomotives were constructed between 1945 and 1950 and were named after West Country resorts or Royal Air Force Battle of Britain subjects.
34092 was built at Brighton works entering traffic in September 1949 allocated to Stewarts Lane MPD. 34092 was to remain at Stewarts Lane until May 1961 when it transferred to Salisbury from where it was withdrawn in November 1964. It was sold to Woodham Brothers at Barry for breaking up where it arrived in March 1965. It remained at Barry until October 1971 when it was sold to a group from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and moved to Ingrow. Following restoration work it entered service on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in 1979. Withdrawn from service for overhaul in 1989 it would be twenty five years until this was completed and 34092 returned to service in 2014.
34092_2206_Bury
Jubilee weekend 2022 at the East Lancashire Railway and West Country Pacific 34092 City of Wells stands in the platform at Bury Bolton Street, 4th June 2022.
Locomotive History
The Southern Railway West Country and Battle of Britain class are 4-6-2 pacific steam locomotives designed by Oliver Bulleid. The class incorporating a number of new developments in British steam locomotive technology and utilized welding in the construction process. Bulleid incorporated his chain-driven valve gear which was unique to the West Country/Battle of Britain and Bulleid Merchant Navy classes amongst British locomotive design practices. The entire system was located in a sealed oil bath that provided constant lubrication to the moving parts however it was difficult to access when things went wrong. The locomotive also carried the Bulleid "air-smoothed" casing. They were designed for use on a wide variety of routes, including those in the South-west of England and the Kent coast for both passenger and freight duties. A total of one hundred and ten locomotives were constructed between 1945 and 1950 and were named after West Country resorts or Royal Air Force Battle of Britain subjects.
34092 was built at Brighton works entering traffic in September 1949 allocated to Stewarts Lane MPD. 34092 was to remain at Stewarts Lane until May 1961 when it transferred to Salisbury from where it was withdrawn in November 1964. It was sold to Woodham Brothers at Barry for breaking up where it arrived in March 1965. It remained at Barry until October 1971 when it was sold to a group from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and moved to Ingrow. Following restoration work it entered service on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in 1979. Withdrawn from service for overhaul in 1989 it would be twenty five years until this was completed and 34092 returned to service in 2014.