SR Merchant Navy Class 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co.

35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. is a Southern Railway rebuilt Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 steam locomotive. 35006 was built at Eastleigh locomotive works in December 1941 and given the Southern Railway number 21C6. Built as part of the war effort, the Merchant Navy class represented a radical departure from accepted design practice on the part of the Southern Railway's Chief Mechanical Engineer Oliver Bulleid. 21C6 was allocated to Salisbury Shed where she remained based throughout her working life.

When Nationalisation came in 1948 the locomotive was renumbered as 35006. Considered too radical to figure in the new establishment's standardisation plans, yet far too young and too useful to send for scrap, all examples of the Merchant Navy class were rebuilt along more conventional lines, with 35006 and 35028 Clan Line being the last two examples to be modified in 1959. Rebuilding saw the removal of the air smoothed casing, and the fitting of conventional valve gear, which gave the locomotives a much more customary appearance. In this condition 35006 and the other members of her class continued to run; unofficial reports speak of 100mph being attained on the Southern Region's premier express trains, frequently outclassing more modern designs.

In August 1964 she was withdrawn and sent to Barry Scrapyard. After 19 years on the scrap line she was rescued by the present owners, with the intention of replacing all the missing components and restoring the locomotive to full working order. The locomotive was moved to Toddington, the principal station of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. She was the 144th to leave the scrapyard.

After much hard work by the group she is expected to return to steam some time in 2008.

External links

* [http://www.gwsr.com/html/35006_p_o.html Merchant Navy class 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S.N. Co. Website]

References

*The 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S.N. Co webpage