Image: Hugh llewelyn 34067 (5595495658)

Description: SR Bulleid "Battle of Britain" Class 4-6-2 No.34067 (ex-SR No.21C167) "Tangmere" (although the nameplates are not yet fitted following overhaul) in BR Brunswick Green (with 1956 totem) between Bath and Keynsham on the Three Bridges-Bristol Temple Meads "Bath and Bristol Express", 03/11. Bulleid was a flawed genius and his Pacifics exhibited his "out of the envelope" thinking. The light Pacifics of the "West Country" and (almost identical) "Battle of Britain" classes were designed as mixed traffic locomotives to replace the plethora of Southern Railway 0-6-0's, 2-6-0's, 4-4-0's & 4-6-0's on everything from fast freight and express passenger services on the main lines to local passenger and light freight on branch lines - the latter being a very extravagant use of a Pacific loco! Their innovative, lightweight construction (the engine weight was an amazingly low 86 tons) and light axle loading gave them a very wide route availability. Intended to be economical and ultra reliable with minimum maintenance and high availability - they were the opposite! Capable of some extraordinarily fine performances, they could also fail at any time - and even catch fire! They were coal eaters and heavy on oil. Engine drivers loved them - firemen, fitters and shed masters did not! From 1955-61 Jarvis completely rebuilt almost half of them into reliable and far more easily maintained locomotives - but many SR engine drivers still preferred the originals, and many had to remain in original form to haul trains on lines with light axle loadings, as in the West Country. Some unrebuilt engines survived until the end of steam, by which time their reliability had somehow improved. Their boilers were superb steam raisers and formed the basis of the BR standard Pacific boilers.
Title: Hugh llewelyn 34067 (5595495658)
Credit: 34067 Uploaded by Oxyman
Author: Hugh Llewelyn
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
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