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

As with the Merchant Navy class despite their failings these locomotives were capable of impressive performances due in part to the steaming capacity of the boiler which was capable of a sustained high output. Their wide route availability meant they were useful engines that could traverse most of the system. Three WC locos took part in the 1948 locomotive exchanges and being driven by expert crews put up some outstanding performances albeit with a high coal consumption. Two WC class engines were experimentally converted to oil burning but were rapidly converted back to coal burning when the experiment was cancelled.

When in 1955 authority was given for rebuilding half of the MN Pacifics it was also given for 15 light Pacifics. However unlike the MN class not all were rebuilt since the financial justification for converting a relatively new locomotive class was weak especially with the end of steam already in sight. In all 60 out of 110 were rebuilt with the WC class being rebuilt in greater proportion than the BB class - 43 out of 66 WC locos compared with 17 out of 44 BB. For information and pictures of rebuilt light pacifics please follow the link below to the rebuilt light pacific pages. So a good quantity of air-smoothed examples did survive working useful lives until the end of steam and working on the "Withered Arm" in particular since the heavier weight of the rebuilds excluded them from working north of Meldon Junction to Bude and Padstow. The first withdrawals were in 1963 and the final members of the class lasted until the end of steam in 1967.

34063 229 Squadron in ex-works condition on Saturday, 24th August 1963 at Nine Elms shed.

photograph by Mike Morant

34006 Bude at Eastleigh Works in 1964

photograph Keith Harwood

34051 Sir Winston Churchill photographed at Eastleigh, date unknown.

photograph: Mike Morant collection

On 30th January 1965 Sir Winston Churchill was given a State Funeral and, as part of the proceedings, the locomotive named after him, 34051 Winston Churchill, was used to haul the funeral train from Waterloo to Handborough. Here the locomotive is at Nine Elms, being prepared for the day ahead.

For further information about this journey see our Sir Winston Churchill funeral pages and the Railway Magazine archive.

photograph by Roger Merry-Price

Another photograph of Wadebridge, this time at Nine Elms on 21st February 1965, less than eight months before withdrawal. At this time she was shedded at Salisbury.

photograph by Ray Soper

All photographs are copyright

This page was last updated 12 May 2009