Locoshed pages for 257 Squadron |
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Bullied Light Pacific 34072 257 Squadron in regular service
Our 257 Squadron pages are broken down as follows:
257 Squadron introduction
257 Squadron in regular service
257 Squadron on the Swanage Railway
Please select from the above links to view more information. Built in Brighton in 1948, 257 Squadron was one of 44 Battle of Britain Class locomotives designed by the then Southern Railways Chief Mechanical Engineer, O V Bulleid. The Battle of Britain Class were closely related to the 66 West Country and 30 Merchant Navy locos - all Bullied designs. The 110 "Light Pacifics" (Battle of Britain and West Country Classes) were shorter and lighter than the Merchant Navy engines and could be used on virtually every route the SR owned.
257 Squadron at Swanage Station - photo by George MoonThe "Light Pacifics" were built in Brighton between 1945 and 1951 (with the exception of 5 that were built at Eastleigh), and34072 was only the second loco to be built for the newly formed British Railways Southern Region. They were designed principally as express passenger locos but their versatility, power and reliability meant they saw prolific passenger and freight work. All Battle of Britain locos, with one exception, were named after squadrons, aeroplanes, pesonalities and airfields which had close connections with the battle. The 257 Burma Squadron was based out of what is now Hurn Airport in Bournemouth. 257 Squadron entered service in 1948, and was based at Dover. From here she worked mainly on the London routes to Dover, Folkestone and Ramsgate. In 1959 she was relocated to Exmouth Junction to handle southern West of England Main Line traffic. Her last home, shortly before being withdrawn, was Eastleigh where her duties included Poole, Wareham and Weymouth services. Unfortunately, there are no records to indicate she ever travelled to Swanage. With the steam era coming to an end, she was withdrawn from service in 1964 and sent to the famous Dai Woodham's Barry scrapyard for breaking up. In 1984 she was purchased by a group of enthusiasts and moved to the Swindon & Cricklade Railway's headquarters at Blunsdon. Here she languished in the open until going into Swindon Works in 1987. The actual overhaul began in late 1988.
257 Squadron at Norden in 1995 - photo by George MoonIn September 1990, after one of the fastest overhauls of its kind in history, 257 Squadron proudly took her place at the head of the celebrations to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. A rededication ceremony was held at Folkestone Central Station attended by survivors from the original 257 Squadron air crews, military top brass, a cluster of celebrities and hordes of media. Following this she returned to Swanage in November 1990 before moving around the country visiting various heritage railways. She finally resided permanently in Swanage the following year. Once in Swanage, she established herself as the flagship of the railway and rarely were there days when she was in service where the platforms were not crowded with enthusiasts, photographers and admirers. After 12 years of sterling service and with her boiler certificate expired, she was finally withdrawn in January 2003.
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