List of SR Merchant Navy class locomotives

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The SR Merchant Navy class is a type of steam locomotive, designed by Oliver Bulleid, that ran on the British Southern Railway network. All were built at the Southern Railway's Eastleigh Works. The following table sets out the names, numbers and other vital statistics of the locomotives that comprised the class. The 'Merchant Navies' represented a publicity success for the Southern Railway in highlighting the names of Merchant Navy shipping lines that used Southampton Docks, which were served by the Southern Railway. They also constituted a roving memorial to the seamen who fought at sea during the Second World War to keep Britain supplied with food, fuel and other goods.

The shipping lines below are linked to their current or last owners, and take into account the many mergers that occur in the Merchant Marine industry, for example, General Steam Navigation merged with P & O in 1920, and finally disappeared as a separate entity in 1972.

List of SR/BR Merchant Navy class locomotives
BR No. SR No. Name[1] Built Rebuilt[2] Withdrawn Preserved/location Preservation Status Notes
35001 21C1 Channel Packet February 1941 August 1959 November 1964 Entered SR service June 1941. Scrapped at Birds (Swansea) Ltd. 1965
35002 21C2 Union Castle June 1941 May 1958 February 1964 Scrapped at Slag Reduction Co. Ltd., Yorkshire 1964
35003 21C3 Royal Mail September 1941 August 1959 July 1967 Holder of class speed record (105.88 mph). Last authenticated 100 mph plus on British Railways by a steam locomotive.[3] Scrapped at J Cashmore, Newport 1967
35004 21C4 Cunard White Star October 1941 July 1958 October 1965 Scrapped at Cohen's/Eastleigh Shed 1966
35005 21C5 Canadian Pacific December 1941 May 1959 October 1965 Mid-Hants Railway Restored on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough and used on main line steam specials. Painted in British Railways Blue livery between 2000 and 2001. Now based at the Mid-Hants Railway. Currently under overhaul at Eastleigh Locomotive Works.
35006 21C6 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. December 1941 October 1959 August 1964 Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway Operational.
35007 21C7 Aberdeen Commonwealth June 1942 May 1958 July 1967 Scrapped at J. Buttigieg, Newport 1968
35008 21C8 Orient Line June 1942 May 1957 July 1967 Scrapped at J. Buttigieg, Newport 1968
35009 21C9 Shaw Savill June 1942 March 1957 July 1964 Private Site, Bury Stored awaiting restoration.
35010 21C10 Blue Star July 1942 January 1957 September 1966 Colne Valley Railway Stored
35011 21C11 General Steam Navigation December 1944 July 1959 February 1966 Swindon and Cricklade Railway Under long-term restoration to as-built condition.
35012 21C12 United States Lines January 1945 February 1957 April 1967 Scrapped at J Cashmore, Newport 1967
35013 21C13 Blue Funnel February 1945 May 1956 July 1967 Originally named Blue Funnel Line, renamed Blue Funnel Certum Pete Finem on 21 June 1945.[4] Scrapped at J. Buttigieg, Newport 1968
35014 21C14 Nederland Line February 1945 July 1956 March 1967 Scrapped at J Cashmore, Newport 1967
35015 21C15 Rotterdam Lloyd March 1945 June 1958 February 1964 Scrapped at Slag Reduction Co. Ltd., Yorkshire 1964
35016 21C16 Elders Fyffes March 1945 April 1957 August 1965 Scrapped at Birds (Swansea) Ltd. 1965
35017 21C17 Belgian Marine April 1945 March 1957 July 1966 Scrapped at J. Buttigieg, Newport 1966
35018 21C18 British India Line May 1945 February 1956 August 1964 WCRC Carnforth Operational, main-line certified Originally built with fabricated wheels that were replaced with conventional cast wheels in 1947[5] First of the 'Merchant Navies' to be rebuilt.
35019 21C19 French Line CGT June 1945 May 1959 September 1965 The only member of the class to have script lettering on the nameplate, as used by French Line. Scrapped at J Cashmore, Newport 1966
35020 21C20 Bibby Line June 1945 April 1956 February 1965 Scrapped at BR/Eastleigh Works 1965
35021 - New Zealand Line September 1948 June 1959 August 1965 Scrapped at Birds (Swansea) Ltd. 1965
35022 - Holland America Line October 1948 June 1956 May 1966 Private Site, Bury Boiler overhauled for eventual use by 35027, awaiting restoration to mainline standards
35023 - Holland-Afrika Line November 1948 February 1957 July 1967 Scrapped at J. Buttigieg, Newport 1968
35024 - East Asiatic Company November 1948 April 1959 January 1965 Scrapped at C. Woodfield and Sons, Newport 1965
35025 - Brocklebank Line November 1948 December 1956 September 1964 Private site at Sellindge, Kent Stored, pending long-term restoration
35026 - Lamport & Holt Line December 1948 January 1957 March 1967 Scrapped at J Cashmore, Newport 1967
35027 - Port Line December 1948 May 1957 September 1966 Private Site, Bury Under overhaul. (see 35027 Port Line) Being restored to mainline standards, based at Southall
35028 - Clan Line December 1948 October 1959 July 1967 Stewarts Lane, London Operational, main-line certified
35029 - Ellerman Lines February 1949 September 1959 September 1966 National Railway Museum Sectioned Exhibit
35030 - Elder Dempster Lines April 1949 April 1958 July 1967 Scrapped at J. Buttigieg, Newport 1968

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ Burridge, Frank: Nameplates of the Big Four (Oxford Publishing Company: Oxford, 1975) ISBN 0-902888-43-9
  2. ^ Derry, Richard (2001). The Book of the Merchant Navy Pacifics. Irwell Press. p. 40. ISBN 1-903266-19-X.
  3. ^ Streeter, Tony. "The last 'proper' 100... by a doomed locomotive". Steam Railway (388, 29 April – 26 May 2011). Bauer Media. ISSN 0143-7232. OCLC 63292071.
  4. ^ Bradley, D.L. (September 1976). Locomotives of the Southern Railway, part 2. London: RCTS. p. 53. ISBN 0-901115-31-2. OCLC 653065063.
  5. ^ Derry, Richard (2001). The Book of the Merchant Navy Pacifics. Irwell Press. p. 190. ISBN 1-903266-19-X.

External links[edit]

Preserved locomotives