This page is based on an information leaflet produced by the Swanage Railway to promote the 257 Squadron restoration appeal and Super Prize Draw. To download a copy of the leaflet and ticket request form in Adobe Acrobat pdf format suitable for printing, please click here or on the image below. Please note that this is a large file (1.6Mb) and may take a few minutes to download. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download a free copy from the Adobe website by clicking here.

257 Squadron - A Brief History

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 Moon

The "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 Her last home, shortly before being withdrawn, was Eastleigh where her duties included Poole, Wareham and Weymouth services.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.

257 Squadron at Barry in 1983 - photo by Bill Trite

With the steam era coming to an end, she was withdrawn from service in 1964 and sent to the famous Dai Woodham's Barry scrapyard for breaking up.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 Moon

In 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 here, 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.

Of the 44 original Batttle of Britain Class locos, only 9 survive today of which only 3 have been returned to steam. One of those is 257 Squadron.

Technical Details:
Overall length (including tender):	76' 0" (23.16m)
Overall width:	9'0" (2.74m)
Overall weight in working order (inc tender):	128.6 tons
Driving wheel diameter:	6' 2" (1.88m)
No. of cylinders:	3
Cylinder diameter:	16¾" (42.54cm)
Cylinder stroke:	24" (60.96cm)
Total heating surface area:	2667 sq ft (244.9m2)
Grate area:	38.25 sq ft (3.51m2)
Boiler pressure:	280 psi (19.74kg cm-2)*
Tractive effort:	31,000 lbs (14062kg)**
Water capacity:	4,500 gallons
Coal capacity:	5 tons
	*Modified to 250 psi (17.62kg cm-2)
	**Modified to 27,715lbs (12572kg)

257 Squadron will be appearing at the Great Dorset Steam Fair at Tarrant Hinton, near Blandford, Dorset from 1st to 5th September 2004 inclusive. For full details, call 01258 860361.

In order to return 257 Squadron to service, Swanage Railway needs to completely overhaul the boiler and the rest of the loco and tender. This is a huge undertaking, but one we are determined to see through. 257 Squadron has been the flagship loco on the Swanage Railway since its arrival 12 years ago and is the single most endearing image of the railway.

While plans are in place to rebuild other locos, we can refurbish 257 Squadron in half the time and at a fraction of the cost, and with public support we can realise our goal of returning 257 Squadron into service in 2008.

Ticket sales close on October 31st 2004.

Entering the draw will give you the opportunity to win one of the over 30 great prizes on offer. These include weekend awaybreaks, free tickets to the Channel Islands and free dinners for two at some of the finest restaurants in the Isle of Purbeck.

The first prize is the choice of a brand new Ford Ka or Vauxhall Agila, or a voucher worth £6000 to put toward another Ford or Vauxhall car of your choice. For a full list of prizes please click here.

You can either slip the form into an envelope and post to us, or you can collect raffle tickets directly from our special 257 Appeal caravan on Swanage station, from the station shop, the Birds Nest Buffet, or selected shops in and around Swanage displaying the 257 Appeal poster. Tickets can also be ordered via the website at www.swanagerailway.co.uk by following this link.

Please note that to be eligible in the draw, all ticket stubs and monies must be returned to one of the above locations by November 15th, 2004.

Thank you for your valuable contribution and Good Luck!