Bulleid WC/BB 'West Country' and 'Battle of Britain' class 4-6-2

Bulleid WC/BB 'West Country' and
'Battle of Britain' class 4-6-2

Engines were built as follows:
21C101-21C148 (renumbered 34001-34048) 1945/46 WC "class" (narrow cab)
21C149-21C170 (renumbered 34049-34070) 1946/47 BB "class" (narrow cab)
34071-34090 1948/49 BB "class" (wide cab)
34091-34108 1949/50 WC "class" (wide cab)
34109-34110 1950/51 BB "class" (wide cab)
all were built at Brighton works except 34095/7/9/101/2/4 which were built at Eastleigh

"Class" is in quotes as there was no difference between the Battle of Britain and West Country locomotives, other than the style of their nameplates. All of the narrow cab locos were originally supplied with a 4500 gallon capacity tenders but the 1948/49 BB batch came with the heavier 5500 gallon tenders. From 1952 onwards BR modified all bar five of the tenders by removing the raves to allow easier coaling and access for the water column bag when filling the tank. (Note that the rebuilding of tenders preceded by up to 5 years the rebuilding of many of the locomotives.) Corrosion, buckling and split welds were a big factor in the need to rebuild the first 70 as the metal was too thin, stemming from efforts to cut down on weight, and areas such as the joints of the raves which allowed water to collect. Between 1954 and 1956 the boiler pressure was lowered to 250 psi.

BB 34057 Biggin Hill at Brighton in 1957 getting ready to head a Brighton to Plymouth Train.

photograph by Michael Taylor (who was 13 years old when he took this photo on an old box camera.)

34079 141 Squadron arriving at Barnstaple Junction with a train from Ilfacombe, 20th April 1960. The first coaches are Bulleid 3-set 782 of 1947 consisting of BSK 4325, CK 5763 and BSK 4326.

photograph reproduced with kind permission of Joanes Publications

34078 222 Squadron on an up train at Ashford Strand by the River Taw between Braunton and Barnstaple. The date is sometime in the summer of 1962.

photograph by John Bradbeer

34007 Wadebridge passing Raynes Park on 12th April 1963 with a service for Bournemouth West via Sway.

photograph by Mike Morant

On 27th April 1963 fifteen specials from Southampton took supporters to an FA Cup semi-final. Ten of the specials from Southampton ran via Basingstoke, Oxford and Leamington to Snow Hill, nine of them with Southern Pacifics throughout, one of which was 34094 Morthoe, pictured here at Hatton.

photograph: Mike Morant collection

All photographs are copyright

This page was last updated 16 December 2007