Chapter 49: Some Secret Arrivals
(Tuesday, September 18th 2012 – 2:45pm, Ffarquhar Station)
Well, everyone…in this chapter, after the events of Chapter 46: A Chance Encounter, a small team of people are coming over from Chamberlain to Sodor on one of the flights from Maine with the intention of finding out if Carrie really is on Sodor. In the meantime, while all that's taking place, Carrie and her friends are gonna be, for the most part, completely unaware of what's going on as they do about their day-to-day business.
Please enjoy the chapter ahead!
"So, how are you feeling after that long walk, Carrie?" Simon asked, as he and Carrie stepped out onto the platform at Ffarquhar Station having just bought their tickets at the ticket office for their return trip back down to Knapford Station.
"I'm feeling quite good, Simon. But my feet are a little bit tired though, so I just want to sit down for a long while before the train arrives." Carrie said, as she and Simon sat down on a bench standing against the wall. Stretching their feet out before them, the young couple rested from their long walk in the large forest in the hills close to Ffarquhar Station and waited for the train to arrive to take them back home. It was still the early part of their week off from work and they were taking advantage of it to go and visit places around the Island of Sodor they had planned to go and visit, but couldn't until now.
Earlier on in the day, the young couple had gotten aboard the first train of the day from Knapford Station that went along the Ffarquhar Branch line, which was pulled by Thomas with his two coaches, Annie and Clarabel, and were taken up to Ffarquhar Station where they disembarked and went over to a nearby forest. Once there, they spent the whole morning and part of the early afternoon hiking around the different trails and paths within the forest and hills there. Both of them had a good time up there, and they saw all the different sights to see around the area, including a few areas on some trails where they saw wide open views over the landscape from high areas. While they had been hiking around the forest, they had come upon a café that was placed in an open area close to a road that led out from the forest, and they stopped there to have a light lunch before they continued on their way again.
Now though, having gone over the trails in the forest and with their feet tired, both of them were keen to get back home. They still had a little while to wait until the next train back to Knapford arrived at Ffarquhar Station, but they were in no big hurry, and the weather was still quite reasonable for mid-September. There were only a few small clouds to be seen drifting in the blue sky above, and there was a light breeze blowing, which helped to cool down Carrie and Simon who were both feeling tired from their walk through the forest.
"That was a good walk. How did you enjoy it, Carrie?" Simon asked.
"I thought it was very good, Simon. I really enjoyed doing around that forest and seeing the sights there. I hope we can get back there for another hike sometime." Carrie said.
"Yeah, I agree, Carrie. But if we do, I think we should make it before the weather gets colder and wetter in the next few weeks. You know…I reckon that come the end of September or the start of October…we'll begin speaking about the oncoming Christmas holidays and the work that's sure to come in that time." Simon said.
"And that's the time when the railway will start to get even more busy than it is now?" Carrie asked.
"Absolutely, and that's the time when there's a lot of heavily-laden parcels trains running on the railway and trying to deliver main in time for the holidays." Simon said.
Carrie felt herself smile at the thought of the Christmas holidays that would be coming in a few short months from now. She took a moment to look at the yard before her where some activity was taking place; she could see some vans being loaded at a loading bay at the other side of the yard, but there were lines of open-topped trucks sitting on the other sidings in the yard, and some were loaded up while others were empty.
Then there came the sounds of a horn from down the line to their left in the direction of Hackenbeck Station. Carrie and Simon turned their heads to see who it was approaching, and a few moments later, they saw none other than Daisy the diesel railcar coming along the line towards them from Hackenbeck Station, and she appeared to have something coupled up behind her.
(Insert soundtrack – Daisy's Theme – Seasons 2 &4)
As Daisy got closer towards the platform, both Simon and Carrie could see that she didn't appear too happy, which interested them both. As Daisy got closer, they could see that she was pulling two large utility vans behind her, which was the reason she didn't look too happy. As she came to a halt alongside the platform, the doors were opened and a few passengers stepped off while the doors to the vans were opened and a few things were unloaded and placed onto trolleys to be taken away.
"I don't like pulling trucks because I'm highly sprung! Trucks are dreadfully smelly and anything smelly is bad for my swerves!" Daisy said, as she rolled here eyes to the sky in annoyance. From where they were sitting on the platform, both Carrie and Simon looked at each other with smiles on their faces while Simon put his index finger up to his lips, as if to tell Carrie not to say anything, and he also winked at Carrie…like this. Carrie felt herself giggle a little in return before she then returned her attention to where Daisy was standing at platform. From what she had seen of Daisy's personality in the time she had been on Sodor, Carrie could tell that that Daisy was almost like her bullies back in Ewen High School in a way, particularly in the way she didn't like to do any work. She remembered a few times in the past when Chris Hargensen in particular wouldn't do that much work in some classes, and Daisy's personality just reminded her of all that happening in the past.
After about five minutes or so, with the things unloaded from the two vans and a handful of passengers having disembarked, it was time for Daisy to be on her way again. The doors to the vans were closed, as was the doors on the side of Daisy, and, with a tooting of her horn, Carrie and Simon watched as she set off on her way again, heading off along the line in the direction of Ulfstead.
"That Daisy…she's certainly the type of personality to really get on your nerves if you stay around her long enough." Carrie said with a sigh, as she and Simon watched Daisy disappear into the distance.
"I know…but she knows she has to work hard on this railway and do whatever jobs she's given, or she'll be sent away by the Fat Controller." Simon said.
"Yeah." Carrie said.
They waited, along with a handful of other passengers for a little bit longer, while another train went on past in the other direction; this train was a line of empty stone trucks, and it was being hauled by Mavis the quarry diesel, who was on her way back to Anopha Quarry having made an important delivery of stone to a building site further down the line.
Soon there came the sounds of a whistle coming from up the line in the direction of Ulfstead, and it sounded like the engine pulling the train who would take them back to Knapford Station. Looking up the line, Simon and Carrie, as well as the other passengers who were waiting on the platform, as well as the station staff, wondered which engine was going to be pulling the train. After a few moments, and with a loud blast of its whistle, the engine came into view from around the bend, grey smoke and white steam rising into the air from its chimney, with the train following along behind it.
As the engine got closer and closer to Ffarquhar Station, both Simon and Carrie could see it was painted in L.N.E.R apple green livery. It was in fact No.7684, who was an example of the L.N.E.R. V3 Class 2-6-2T tank engines and who was on his assigned job for today of taking passengers along the length of the Ffarquhar Branch Line (87).
"Here's our ride home, Carrie!" Simon said, as he and Carrie stood up as the train came closer and closer to the platform while it slowed down all the while.
"And thank goodness for that! I was afraid we would have to wait here for longer than expected!" Carrie said with a smile, as No.7684, blowing his whistle in greeting, came alongside the platform with his coaches before coming to a gentle stop. The doors to the coaches were opened, and both Carrie and Simon quickly stepped aboard the coach that was the closest to them.
(87): The L.N.E.R. V1/V3 Class 2-6-2T tank engines were designed by Nigel Gresley and were intended for use on the busy commuter trains that ran daily in and out of the suburbs of Britain's large cities, especially those in Scotland, like Edinburgh. The tank engines working the commuter trains on these routes were being pushed to their limits, and it was realised that something much more powerful was needed to replace them.
In 1925, it was originally proposed to build a class of three-cylinder 2-6-4T tank engines in order to cover these jobs. This proposed design would have used the cylinders, the driving wheels and running gear from the K3 Class, along with the boiler from the K2 Class. However, this proposal was shelved as the engine would have been quite long and it wasn't possible to alter Moorgate Street Station to take this engine along with the length of the suburban commuter trains it was to haul.
Eventually, Gresley decided that a three-cylinder 2-6-2T design would be the much more suitable locomotive type to work on the suburban trains. The new design incorporated his conjugated valve gear to work the middle cylinder, as well as incorporated a modified boiler from the earlier D34 Glen Class 4-4-0 locomotives, and a leading pony truck with double swing links from that which had been used on the Gresley K3 Class 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotives.
The entire class was built at Doncaster Works between 1930 and 1940. In total, 92 members of the V1/V3 Class were built, with the V1s coming into service first and the V3s being introduced much later on during the construction history of the class. These new tank engines were very handsome locomotives, and certainly had the heritage from the Great Northern Railway in their appearance.
The V1 Class had three cylinders that were 16in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, six driving wheels that were 5ft 8in in diameter, and a boiler that was fitted with a Robinson superheater and pressed to 180psi as well as a fire grate of 22sq feet, all of which combined to give the class a maximum tractive effort of 22,465lbf. Gresley's own design of conjugated valve gear was used to drive the inside cylinder, while the two outside cylinders were driven by Walschaerts valve gear. The side tanks on the V1s and V3s could carry up to 2,000 gallons of water, while the coal bunkers behind the cab could carry around 4.5 tons of coal.
All three cylinders and valve chests of the V1/V3 design were cast together in a single monobloc casting, a feature that was later seen on other Gresley-designed locomotive classes, including on the P2 Class 2-8-2 heavy express passenger engines, the V2 Class 2-6-2 mixed traffic engines, the K4 Class 2-6-0 mixed traffic engines, and the V4 Class 2-6-2 mixed traffic engines.
The V1s and V3s looked strikingly identical to each other at first glance, but one way to tell them both apart was with the design of the outside steam pipes; the V1 outside steam pipe design looked like a bent elbow, while the outside steam pipes on the V3s were straight.
When the first V1s came into service in late 1930/early 1931, they were put to work on hauling commuter trains in Scotland, including in the areas of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Once they were put into service, they were found to be excellent machines and able to handle any train they were tasked with pulling. They were also able to generate some impressive speeds, with one example reaching a speed of 72mph. In 1931, one example of the class, No.2911, was used with excellent results on the commuter trains that ran from London to Hitchin before it returned to work in Scotland.
In late 1939/early 1940, after the North East Area of the L.N.E.R. considered increasing the boiler pressure on the class to 200psi so they could work trains on the route from Middlesborough to Newcastle, the final 10 members of the class were built with higher pressure boilers that were pressed to 200psi. These engines looked no different in all appearances to the earlier members of the V1 Class, but with the boilers pressed to 200psi these engines had a higher tractive effort of 24,960lbf. These last 10 engines were reclassified as V3s, and they proved to be so successful that most of the earlier V1s were rebuilt as V3s by having the higher-pressure boilers installed during overhauls. The higher boiler pressure allowed for higher power as well as better acceleration, allowing the V3 Class to move heavier commuter trains at faster speeds.
In total, by the time the last V1 was rebuilt to a V3 standard, there were 92 members of the V1/V3 class in service, with 73 of them being members of the V3 Class and the remaining 19 members staying as V1s for their entire working lives. All the V1s and V3s were also fitted with French-style coal hopper bunkers behind their cabs, which allowed for more coal to be carried and thus extending their range.
During their service lives, the V1 and V3 tank engines were used extensively on the heavy and tightly timed commuter trains that ran around the Edinburgh and Glasgow areas, for which they were well-suited. In fact, more than 40 members of the class were assigned to work in Scotland. A few were also used maintained at Hull for hauling suburban trains, as well as branch line workings in that area. In the North East Area, 25 examples of the class were allocated to work, and they replaced the earlier older L.N.E.R. A8 Class 4-6-2T tank engines due to their superior adhesive weight.
There was only one problem with the class in their early days, and that was with the issue of coaling the engines before they went off to work, which resulted in a number of different coal bunkers being tried out on the class. The original engines had a coal rail around the tops of the bunkers, but this was removed on a number of engines. The eventual solution was to fit the class with a coal hopper bunker, and eventually all V1s and V3s were fitted with this.
During World War II, a number of the class were used to transfer heavy wartime loads from the Royal Ordnance Factory at Thorp Arch until the war came to an end. In August 1943, No.7669 was damaged in an air raid when it was standing in Middlesborough Railway Station, but it was repaired and returned to service again.
In the years after the war, the V1 and V3s were also used on trains that ran along the Whitby coastal route when the restrictions of heavy engines working on that line were lifted, and which allowed the class to work on this difficult route, which they did particularly well.
When the L.N.E.R. undertook its renumbering scheme in 1946, the entire class were numbered from No.7600 to No.7691, and then Britain's railways were nationalised in January 1948, the class were renumbered again, this time from No.67600 to No.67691. For the rest of their time in B.R. days, the V1s and V3s were used on their usual commuter trains, although some of them were displaced by the newer Thompson L1 2-6-4T tank engines that came into service in some numbers after the war. The newer L1 tank engines were more powerful than the V1s and V3s and could haul heavier trains, and the V1s and V3s that had been allocated to work in Stratford were reassigned to work in the Scottish and North Eastern sections of British Railways.
Withdrawals of the class began in 1960, as newer diesel and electric multiple units were coming into service and taking over their normal duties, as well as branch lines they worked on being closed down or taken over by diesel locomotives. The last of the V1s had been withdrawn by the end of 1962, and by the end of 1964 the last of the V3s had been withdrawn from service.
Sadly, not a single example of the V1 or V3 tank engines have survived into preservation, which is a great shame considering how useful they would have been on many of Britain's preserved heritage railways, and maybe even on the main line. However, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, based in Darlington, have a future plan in place to build a brand-new example of the L.N.E.R. Gresley V3 Class for people to enjoy sometime in the future, of which construction will begin after the trust have completed the project on building their next project, which will be a brand new Gresley Class V4 Class 2-6-2 in the form of No.3403 Highlander.
In this story, a number of V1s and V3s will be appearing, in both L.N.E.R. and B.R. conditions.
After stepping into the coach, Carrie and Simon went into a compartment along one side of the coach and sat down on the comfy seats. Now that they were seated, they were keen to enjoy the ride back to Knapford once No.7684 was given the all-clear to head off on his way down the line.
"I'm keen to get back to Knapford and to meet up with the girls and see where we should go for dinner this evening." Carrie said. As well as her and Simon taking a few days off this week, Saoirse, Alice, Olivia, and Sophie had also taken that week off as well, as they also hadn't taken any time off since they had started on the apprenticeship scheme back in January.
"Me too. And I also hope that wherever we go this evening, we'll be able to have a good dinner in a place where it isn't too busy." Simon said.
"Yeah." Carrie said in agreement, as she looked outside the window.
About two minutes later, with the last of the passengers having boarded the coaches, the guard blew his whistle loudly and waved his green flag, showing the train was clear to depart. With the sounds of a loud whistle from No.7684, there came the sounds of steam blowing off and then the familiar and slight jerk of the train setting off from the station and off down the line.
"We're on our way. Knapford, here we come!" Simon said, as he looked out the window with the sight of Ffarquhar Station starting to move away from them as they set off. Feeling herself smile as she got comfortable, Carrie settled back in her seat and enjoyed the ride back home. As the train moved away, she looked up to the clock over the platform and saw that the time was 3:10pm.
(Meanwhile, at Sodor International Airport)
A Boeing 747, which had taken off from Western Maine Airport a little over five hours before, had just touched down on the long runway at the airport after its long flight from across the North Atlantic. After it came to a halt near the end of the runway, it taxied off the runway to the apron in front of the main terminal building before it came to a halt in position for the jet-bridges to be moved up to the entrance doors. As the pilots shut down the four engines and work began on unloading the luggage bay of the 747, the jet-bridges were moved up into and then over the entrance doors, and once the doors were opened up, the first passengers began disembarking from the jumbo jet. After making their way up the ends of the jet-bridges connected to the terminal building, they made their way along towards the baggage reclaim area.
Among the passengers who were getting off the flight were four ordinary-looking people, two of them were men and the other two were women, who were dressed no differently from the other people they were disembarking with. Each of the four had a laptop bag over their shoulders or a backpack on their backs, as well as a small cabin bag on wheels they were pulling along behind them; all in all, these people looked no different in appearances from many of the other passengers who were making their way off the jumbo jet and towards the baggage reclaim area.
However, what all the other people didn't know was that these four people, who were sticking closely together, as they were obviously travelling together as a group, were police officers from the Chamberlain Police Department who had been sent over to the Island of Sodor in order to confirm if Carrie White was indeed the girl who had been seen in the photographs that had been presented to the Chamberlain Police Department nearly two weeks prior. The four of them had brought along cameras and some special lenses with them in order to undertake this particular job, and they were just as eager as the rest of the Chamberlain Police Department to confirm if the girl in the pictures was Carrie White and she was indeed here on the Island of Sodor.
As they made their way along towards the baggage reclaim area with all the other passengers, one of the two female officers, whose last name was Spacek, turned to speak with her other three colleagues.
"I'll be glad to get over to the hotel later on. I'm feeling quite tired after that long flight." she said, as she and her colleagues went along.
"Yeah, and the rest of us are as well, Spacek. I'll be glad just when we all get our bags from the carousel and are on the train over to Knapford…or is that the name of town we're going to?" the second female officer, whose last name was Irving, said.
"Yes, Knapford is the name of the town we're taking the train to. But we won't be doing that until we get our bags, and then get ourselves down to the station." said one of the male officers, whose last name was King.
"Let's hope that the train ride to Knapford is smooth. I don't think there's much chance of any turbulence taking place like on the flight over from Maine." said the other man, whose name was Brian. And the other three all agreed with Brian on that statement; there had been some turbulence during their flight over, which had made things a little bit uncomfortable at times, but on the whole, the flight had gone very smoothly.
Once they had arrived in the baggage reclaim area with all the other passengers, the four of them each got a luggage trolley and then stood near to the luggage carousel and just waited around amongst all the other passengers for their bags to come out from the back. It wasn't long before the first items of large luggage began to roll out along the carousel, but the four officers had to wait for quite a while, along with many other passengers, before their bags came rolling out.
However, once their bags came out on the carousel, they came out very closely together, and so the four of them were able to get their bags with all their things loaded aboard their luggage trolleys. Once that was done, the four officers made their way out together, amongst all the other passengers who had already collected their own bags, towards passport control and customs. Once they were through passport control, they made their way along towards the arrivals area of the terminal. Entering the arrivals area, the four of them looked around to see where the exits were, so they could make their way over to the railway station.
"Right over there." Brian said, as he pointed towards the exit doors.
"Let's go over there then!" Irving said, and the four of them made their way over to the exit doors, taking care going around the crowds of other people who were in this part of the terminal, and then they stepped out into the open air and headed over towards the railway station, which was only a few hundred yards away.
After they arrived at the railway station, they went straight over to the ticket office to collect their pre-booked tickets, and once that job was done, they then went out towards the platform where they were to catch their train to Knapford, which was Platform 8, and to do that they had to cross over the passenger footbridge to the middle of the station, and then take one of the lifts from the footbridge down to the platform.
When the four of them stepped onto the footbridge and entered the station area, they all paused and looked around in utter astonishment at just how vast the area under the extensive station canopy was. They were also astonished to see how many railway tracks passed through this station, as well as to see how the entire station area, including the different platforms, seemed to stretch into the distance.
"Wow! I've never seen any place quite like this before in my life." Spacek said, as she looked around in amazement at everything she saw there.
"I have…and that was at New York Central Station a few years back." Brian said.
"Shall we head over to the platform and wait for our train to arrive?" Irving suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea to me. Let's go." King said, and they made their way along the footbridge towards Platform 8.
After taking the elevator from the footbridge down to Platform 8, they went over to one of the kiosks that were along the platform so as to get some coffee and a bite to eat as all four of them were feeling quite hungry, with them having eaten anything since they were served lunch on the flight about two and a half hours before. Food was also being served in some of the restaurants that were built into the middle of each platform, but as the train they were to catch was due to arrive very soon, the four officers decided a much heartier meal could wait until later on.
They were soon sitting on one of the long benches along the platform and enjoying their coffee and what food they had bought while they waited for the train. As they ate and chatted, they looked all round at all the different activities taking place around them, including other passengers from the flight standing around and chatting…members of station staff going about and giving assistance to people who needed it…the sounds of luggage trolleys being moved about by people to another part of the platform.
"It seems quite busy around here. I never thought that it would be this busy here in the middle of September." Irving said, as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Well, railroad stations are always very busy places to be, regardless of what time of year it is." King said, as he took a bite out of his sandwich.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, King." Brian said, as he took a bite out of his own sandwich.
Just then, there came the sounds of a train in the distance towards the south east, along with the sounds of a steam whistle, and it was getting a little louder as time went on. As the four officers, as well as all the other passengers on the platform, turned their attention to see what train it was, an announcement came over the station's P.A. system.
"May I have your attention please, ladies and gentlemen? The next train approaching is not scheduled to stop at this station. Repeat; the next train approaching is not scheduled to stop at this station. Thank you." and then the P.A. system went silent…for now.
The four officers watched to see what train it was, and they soon found out soon enough. From behind a cloud of steam that got closer and close to the station, the locomotive appeared…and the four officers all gasped in some genuine surprise, as their eyes went wide and mouths dropped; the steam locomotive they were seeing approaching them had a face on its front! And the eyes on it were looking around, and a smile appeared on the engine's face as it began to move through the station!
The engine in fact was No.63872, an example of the L.N.E.R. Thompson O1 Class 2-8-0 freight engines, and behind him was a lengthy mixed freight train made up of all different kinds of wagons, including box vans, a few tankers, open topped trucks with canvas covers over them, and some conflats with containers secured down to them.
As No.63872 moved through the station along the line that ran beside Platform 8 on his way towards the Southern Main Line bound for the yards at Knapford, he blew his whistle in greeting to the passengers he saw standing on the platform.
"Hello, everyone! I can't stop! I have goods to deliver!" he said, as he blew his whistle again. From where they were sitting on their bench, the four officers watched in astonishment; this engine could talk like a human as well?!
They watched as No.63872 went on past them and then head on his way to the north west with his long and heavy train following along behind him. Once the last of the sounds had gone, the four of them continued chatting with each other. They knew their time on Sodor, until they had to catch their flight back home to Maine on the afternoon of the following Friday, which was September 28th, would be limited and that there wouldn't be much time for them to find out if Carrie White was on the island. They knew there was a lot at stake, and they had to be successful on this assignment.
A few minutes later, there came the sounds of another announcement over the P.A. system.
"May I have your attention please? The next train bound for Knapford Station is due to arrive at Platform 8 shortly. After here, the train will be making further stops at Wellsworth and Crosby Stations before arriving in Knapford. Thank you." and the P.A. system went silent again.
"Well…here comes our train." Brian said, as he stood up.
"Let's get ready to get aboard it then." Spacek said, as she also stood up. They unloaded their bags from the luggage trolleys, and then moved the trolleys over to a bay area where other luggage trolleys were stored together, and then waited for the train to arrive. And they didn't have to wait for very long.
The engine soon came into sight and along the very same line that No.63872 had been on only a short while before. But this was a very different looking engine; it was obviously built for pulling passenger trains, but it had this very strange casing fitted over the locomotive, and was unlike anything these four officers had ever seen before. And just like the first engine they had seen before, this larger engine also had a face on its front, and he smiled as he slowed down while he came alongside the platform. Coupled behind his tender, there appeared to be around 12 coaches, each of which looked to have been polished and cleaned.
This engine was in fact No.34083 605 Squadron, who was an example of the Southern Railway's West Country and Battle of Britain Class Bulleid Light Pacifics (88). He was in the original he was built in, which was having an air-smoothed casing fitted over the boiler and no Walschaerts valve gear fitted over the driving wheels along with having no balance weights on the driving wheels either, and his B.R. Brunswick green livery shone smartly in the mid-September sunlight.
"It looks like we'll be travelling behind quite a lot of steam engines that have faces on them before we have to go home." King said, as he and his three colleagues watched 605 Squadron slow down and then come to a stop alongside the platform. And Spacek, Irving, and Brian agreed with him. Then the doors along the coaches were opened up, and the passengers who were getting off at the airport disembarked from the train and made their way up the stairs to the long footbridge.
(88): The Southern Railway's West Country and Battle of Britain Class Light Pacifics were designed by Oliver Bulleid, and were intended to be used on taking passenger trains on lines that heavier classes like Bulleid's earlier Merchant Navy Class couldn't go due to weight restrictions, including routes in the South-West of England as well as on the Kent Coast. As a result of that, the Light Pacifics were much lighter than the Merchant Navies had been.
The Southern Railway had experienced great success in electrifying many of its suburban lines during the late 1920s and during the 1930s, but at the same time the Southern had less heavily used lines in the West Country beyond Salisbury that didn't merit the cost of electrification. Many of those lines were meandering routes that were heavily graded and, although they were certainly busy with heavy holiday traffic in the summer months, were lightly used during the wintertime. Many of the summertime trains on these routes were pulled by aging T9 Class 4-4-0s of the L.S.W.R., as well as by the highly versatile N Class 2-6-0s of the S.E.C.R. that could be better used elsewhere on mixed traffic services.
So, as a result, an order was placed in April 1941 for 20 passenger engines of a new type to be determined. At the same time, there was a need for fast fright locomotives that were capable of operating on routes that were either electrified or non-electrified, and without impeding the many passenger trains that were heavily using the system.
The design work for the new class took place at Brighton Works, and a number of different proposals were put forward, including a 2-6-0 design which would have been inadequate for the Kent coast lines. But eventually, a slightly smaller version of the larger Merchant Navy Class Pacifics was selected, as such a design would incorporate similar parts from the earlier class, thus allowing some standardisation between the two designs to take place.
The new class was some 5 tons lighter in weight than the Merchant Navies were, and this was achieved by reducing the overall length of the locomotives, using a slightly smaller boiler design, using more fabricated assemblies instead of using castings, and using a smaller tender. The cab was also reduced in width, and remodelled in order to comply with loading gauge restrictions on some routes they were to travel on.
Bulleid's unique chain-driven valve gear was used on the new Light Pacifics, based off experience gained with the Merchant Navy Class, and was also encased in an oil bath which provided constant lubrication to the moving parts. Just like with the Merchant Navies, the new design also carried a similar air-smooth casing fitted over the boilers. This wasn't regarded as streamlining by Bulleid, due to the fact the front of the new design was flat. Just like the Merchant Navy Class, the new design gained the nickname of "Spam Cans." They also gained another nickname, which was "flat tops."
The smoke boxes were an integral part of the air-smooth casings, being sheet-metal fabrications, and also housed the five-nozzle Lemaitre blastpipes that were arranged in a circle within a large-diameter chimney.
Electric lighting was also provided on the locomotives and footplates, just like on the Merchant Navies, and was powered by a steam-powered generator fitted below the footplate on the driver's side of the cab. All the gauges in the cab had fluorescent markings and were illuminated by ultra-violet light, which allowed for much better illumination of the various gauges, including the two water gauge glasses, while also eliminated dazzle and making it much easier for the crews to see signals along the side of the tracks. Close attention was also paid to the ergonomics of the cab design, with all the controls required for operating the locomotives grouped together according to the needs of the driver and fireman, thus allowing for safer operations. The cab was entirely enclosed, which allowed for improved working conditions for the engine crews in the wintertime.
As an aid to help the fireman when he was shovelling fresh coal from the coal space in the tender into the firebox, a foot treadle used steam pressure to open the firehole doors so as to make things easier for the fireman when he was stoking the boiler. Releasing the foot treadle released the steam pressure, and allowed the firebox doors to be closed.
Various other familiar features from the Merchant Navy Class were included in the new design, such as the unusual Bulleid Firth Brown (BFB) Boxpok cast steel wheels and the steam-powered clasp brakes. The boilers used were slightly smaller than those used on the Merchant Navies, and were entirely of welded construction, including the firebox which was made of steel as opposed to the usual copper. The boilers were also fitted with thermic siphons, which allowed for a constant flow of water around the boiler to provide excellent heat distribution.
The tenders for the new design were based off of those used on the Merchant Navy Class, but had a reduced water capacity of 4,500 gallons of water and 5 tons of coal. The tenders also had the same BFB wheels and streamlined raves at the top of the tanks that gave the tenders a similar cross-sectional outline to carriages. As with the Merchant Navy Class, the tenders were of welded construction in order to reduce weight, and the braking system was clasp-type brakes similar to that used on the locomotives.
Although the first orders for the new design were placed in April 1941, changes that were made to the design meant that it wasn't until late 1944 that production was able to begin on the Light Pacifics. Due to Brighton Works doing vital contract work for the British war effort, the boilers were built by the North British Locomotive Company. An order for an additional 10 engines was placed in September 1944, increasing the number of ordered engines to 30.
The class carried Bulleid's unique continental-style numbering and were numbered from No.21C101, with the first three numbers indicating the wheel arrangement; 2 leading axles, 1 trailing axle, and six (C) driving wheels. The last three digits indicate the series 1(00) light Pacifics, with the last two relating to the order in which they were built and numbered.
The new Light Pacific design had three cylinders that were 16.375in in diameter with a 24in piston stroke, a boiler that was fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 280psi, and driving wheels that were 6ft 2in in diameter, and all this combined to give the class a maximum tractive effort of 31,046lbf.
The first example of Bulleid's new Light Pacifics, No.21C101 Exeter, entered traffic in May 1945, and deliveries proceeded at a rate of 2 engines a month, with an order for 15 more engines being placed after the first 15 engines had come into service. When the first members of the class entered service, they were tried out on the Central Section of the Southern Railway when they were successfully tested out on services to Kentish and Plymouth. As the engines were intended to be used on route in the Western Section of the Southern, they were known as the West Country's, and were named after the many popular holiday resorts that were found in the West Country where British people went off for their holidays each summer.
Later examples of the Light Pacifics that were built during 1946 were used on the Central and Eastern Sections of the Southern Railway, and these engines became part of a new Battle of Britain division of the Light Pacifics, which commemorated the people, planes, squadrons, and airfields involved in R.A.F. Fighter Command's famous victory over the German Luftwaffe in the summer and autumn of 1940.
By the time Britain's railways were nationalised in January 1948, 70 examples of the Light Pacifics had already been built at Brighton Works. Under B.R.'s auspices, a further 40 Light Pacifics were built, of which 34 were built in Brighton, and the remaining 6 at Eastleigh Works. This brought the number of Bulleid Light Pacifics built to 110 engines in total, of which 66 were names as part of the West Country Division, and the remaining 44 engine being named as part of the Battle of Britain Division.
After nationalisation, Bulleid's original Continental-style numbering scheme that had been put on the engines was abandoned, and all members of the class were renumbered from No.34001 to No.34110.
The numbers and names of the West Country engines were as follows;
No.34001 Exeter, No.34002 Salisbury, No.34003 Plymouth, No.34004 Yeovil, No.34005 Barnstaple, No.34006 Bude, No.34007 Wadebridge, No.34008 Padstow,
No.34009 Lyme Regis, No.34010 Sidmouth, No.34011 Tavistock, No.34012 Launceston, No.34013 Okehampton, No.34014 Budleigh Salterton, No.34015 Exmouth,
No.34016 Bodmin, No.34017 Ilfracombe, No.34018 Axminster, No.34019 Bideford, No.34020 Seaton, No.34021 Dartmoor, No.34022 Exmoor,
No.34023 Blackmore Vale, No.34024 Tamar Valley, No.34025 Rough Tor (later Whimple), No.34026 Yes Tor, No.34027 Taw Valley, No.34028 Eddystone, No.34029 Lundy,
No.34030 Watersmeet, No.34031 Torrington, No.34032 Camelford, No.34033 Chard, No.34034 Honiton, No.34035 Shaftesbury, No.34036 Westward Ho,
No.34037 Clovelly, No.34038 Lynton, No.34039 Boscastle, No.34040 Crewkerne, No.34041 Wilton, No.34042 Dorchester, No.34043 Combe Martin, No.34044 Woolacombe,
No.34045 Ottery St Mary, No.34046 Braunton, No.34047 Callington, No.34048 Crediton, No.34091 Weymouth, No.34092 Wells (later City of Wells), No.34093 Saunton,
No.34094 Mortehoe, No.34095 Brentor, No.34096 Trevone, No.34097 Holsworthy, No.34098 Templecombe, No.34099 Lynmouth, No.34100 Appledore, No.34101 Hartland,
No.34102 Lapford, No.34103 Calstock, No.34104 Bere Alston, No.34015 Swanage, No.34106 Lydford, No.34107 Blandford Forum, and No.34108 Wincanton.
The numbers and names of the Battle of Britain engines were as follows;
No.34049 Anti-Aircraft Command, No.34050 Royal Observer Corps, No.34051 Winston Churchill, No.35052 Lord Dowding, No.34053 Sir Keith Park,
No.34054 Lord Beaverbrook, No.34055 Fighter Pilot, No.34056 Croydon, No.34057 Biggin Hill, No.34058 Sir Frederick Pile, No.34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair,
No.34060 25 Squadron, No.34061 73 Squadron, No.34062 17 Squadron, No.34063 229 Squadron, No.34064 Fighter Command, No.34065 Hurricane, No.34066 Spitfire,
No.34067 Tangmere, No.34068 Kenley, No.34069 Hawkinge, No.34070 Manston, No.34071 601 Squadron, No.34072 257 Squadron, No.34073 249 Squadron,
No.34074 46 Squadron, No.34075 264 Squadron, No.34076 41 Squadron, No.34077 603 Squadron, No.34078 222 Squadron, No.34079 141 Squadron,
No.34080 74 Squadron, No.34081 92 Squadron, No.34082 615 Squadron, No.34083 605 Squadron, No.34084 253 Squadron, No.34085 501 Squadron,
No.34086 219 Squadron, No.34087 145 Squadron, No.34088 213 Squadron, No.34089 602 Squadron, No.34090 Sir Eustace Missenden, Southern Railway,
No.34109 Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, and No.34110 66 Squadron.
The completion of the final engine in the class to be built, No.34110 66 Squadron, was delayed several months as British Railways management considered making changes to the engine by making it run on two cylinders and no chain-driven valve gear. But it eventually entered service in its original configuration.
When the class first entered service, they were used on the services that ran to the Kent Coast, as well as on the Continental Boat Trains that ran to and from London to Folkestone and Dover when these resumed in 1946. Later engines ran on the cross-country services from Brighton to Bournemouth, Plymouth to Cardiff, and most famously on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway from Bath Green Park to Bournemouth. They were also seen on the non-electrified lines that ran from London to Brighton.
Due to their excellent route availability, they were also used on mixed-traffic work, including on freight and parcels trains, as well as on secondary lines such as those that ran to Barnstaple, Bude, and other popular holiday resorts in Devon and Cornwall. They were also seen working on what's now popularly known as the Bluebell Railway between East Grinstead and Lewes. Because of their usefulness and reliability, and their good route availability, they were used all over the Southern Region network instead of having the West Country engines in South West England and the Battle of Britain engines in South East England.
Although the Light Pacifics proved to be very good engines and, just like the Merchant Navy Class, they could generate great power when using poor-quality fuel, as well as having the ability to run very smoothly at high speeds, they did have some problems, which they shared with their larger and heavier cousins when they came into service a few years before. These problems included;
Adhesion problems; the Light Pacifics were more prone to wheelslip when they started moving as they had a lighter axle-loading than the Merchant Navy Class, and so they needed careful controlling when starting from rest with a heavy train behind them.
Maintenance issues; the chain-driven valve gear was expensive to maintain and often rapidly wore out. The oil baths would often leak, causing oil to splash onto the wheels and the boiler lagging. When the lagging was saturated with oil, coal dust and ash would be attracted, forming a combustible material. Heavy braking would cause sparks which in turn caused the lagging to catch fire under the air-smooth casing. In that case, the local fire brigade would have to be called to put the fire out, with the cold water often causing thermal stress to the casing.
High fuel consumption; this was highlighted in the 1948 Locomotive Exchange Trials where it was discovered the Light Pacific engines burned up to 47.9lb of coal a mile, while the earlier T9 Class that they replaced only burned about 32lb a mile.
Restricted driver visibility; due to the air-smooth casing and soft exhaust from the multi-jet blastpipe, exhaust smoke and steam from the chimney would often obstruct the view of the drivers ahead. Despite many different experiments to try and resolve this problem, with varying degrees of success, the problem of drifting exhaust was never fully solved.
Due to these problems, as well as with the success of the rebuilt Merchant Navy Class Pacifics, B.R. decided to rebuild sixty of the Light Pacifics to a more conventional appearance at Eastleigh between 1957 and 1961. The first one to be rebuilt was No.34005 Barnstaple, and for the rebuild, the air-smooth casing was removed, balance weights were put onto the driving wheels, a new inside cylinder was cast, the boiler pressure was reduced to 250psi, the chain-driven valve gear was removed, and three sets of Walschaerts valve gear – one for each cylinder - was installed in its place. The steam reversing gear was also removed and replaced by a mechanical screw, a rocking grate was fitted in the firebox, and dampers were also fitted in the ashpan. The old smokebox was also removed and was replaced with a new and more conventional cylindrical one.
In total, 60 Light Pacifics were rebuilt to a much more conventional appearance, with No.34005 Barnstaple being the first member of the class to be rebuilt. However, plans to rebuild the remaining 50 engines were cancelled after 1961 due to the 1955 Modernisation Plan. In their rebuilt appearance, the engines looked very similar to the new B.R. Standard Class Pacifics. The rebuilt Light Pacifics were more sure-footed than they were in their original forms, and the maintenance levels were much less than before. The coal consumption was reduced by just over 8%, with repair costs being reduced by 60%, and the rebuilds retained many of the excellent features of the original design.
However, there were two major issues with the rebuilds; first, the rebuilt engines were slightly heavier than they were originally, and the second problem was that the Walschaerts valve gear and the balance weights on the six driving wheels caused increased hammerblow on the track. These two factors combined to reduce the route availability of the rebuilt engines, which meant that they could no longer go on certain routes they could normally go before, such as on certain lines going through the West Country, like on the line running down to Ilfracombe.
The rebuilt Light Pacifics still had the same cylinders, boiler, and driving wheels as they had when they were in their original condition, but as the boiler pressure had been reduced from 280psi down to 250psi, it also meant that the tractive effort of the rebuilt locomotives had been reduced to 27,720lbf.
Various different modifications were made to the class in their original and rebuilt states during their working lives. The first one to be made was fitting steam sanding gear to the engines of the first batch in order to improve the tractive effort of the engines, and it was subsequently fitted to the other members of the class as they were being built. Some of the early engines built by the Southern had narrow footplates that were only 8ft 6in wide as it was intended to use these engines on the Hastings Line between Tonbridge and Hastings, but these engines never saw any use on this line and so slight wider cabs were eventually fitted.
The tenders of 4 examples were fitted with T.I.A. chemical feed-water equipment that precipitated scale-forming minerals in the hard water of southern England into a non-adhesive mud that could be cleared out from the boilers with a manual "blow-down" valve. A few other members of the class were subsequently fitted with this equipment.
In 1948, the tender design was enlarged so it could carry 5,500 gallons of water, which was important for operational range as there were no water troughs on the main lines of the Southern Region. The tender raves were removed in 1952, as they obstructed the packing of coal into the coal space and also restricted the driver's view when the engines were running in reverse. The resultant "cut-down" tender included new, enclosed fire-irons storage and glass spectacle plates in order to protect the crew from flying coal dust when the engines were running tender-first.
When the rebuilding programme was halted in 1961, further modifications were made to the un-rebuilt engines. The most notable one was when No.34064 Fighter Command was fitted with a Giesel ejector in the smokebox in 1962, which was done on grounds that an ordinary spark arrestor might cause problems for an ordinary blastpipe. The ejector proved to have a positive impact, reducing fuel consumption – allowing it to steam even when it was being fired with low-grade fuel – and reducing drifting smoke from obstructing the driver's view. Many of the engines were also fitted with Automatic Train Control (A.T.C.) so as to help alert the crew on the state of the signals along the line ahead of the trains.
On December 4th 1957, one member of the class, No.34066 Spitfire, got involved in a major accident just outside St John's Station at Lewisham, where 90 people were killed and 173 injured. The driver of No.34066 failed to see a number of yellow warning signals due to very foggy conditions and so the engine was going too fast and failed to see a red signal, with the result that No.34066 ran into the back of a local stationary train. It was because of this serious accident that the class were fitted with A.T.C. equipment. The Lewisham accident was the third worst accident in the history of Britain's railways, after Quintinshill in 1915, and the Harrow and Wealdstone Disaster of 1952.
The Bulleid Light Pacifics did sterling service on the work and routes that they were designed to run on, and did occasionally venture further afield to other places as well. Yet despite the good work they did, the end soon came upon them and far sooner than anyone would have wished. Once the Chatham Main Line from Dover to Ramsgate was electrified in 1959, some work was deprived from the class, and even more work was removed once the lines west of Salisbury were transferred to the Western Region in 1962.
The first withdrawals of the class began in 1963, when 10 of the un-rebuilt engines were removed from service that year, starting with No.34035 Shaftesbury, No.34043 Combe Martin, No.34055 Fighter Pilot and No.34074 76 Squadron, which were withdrawn from service in June of that year. Withdrawals of the rest of the class continued on throughout the rest of the 1960's. Yet it was during these withdrawals that the most famous event to involve a Bulleid Light Pacific occurred; when Winston Churchill died at the age of 90 in January 1965, his funeral train was hauled from London Waterloo to Handborough by No.34051 Winston Churchill, and crowds of people lined the route to watch the funeral train go on past.
The greatest numbers of Light Pacifics to be withdrawn took place in 1967, which was the final year of steam operations on the Southern Region, when the final 37 engines of the West Country and Battle of Britain Class Pacifics that were still running at that time were removed from service that year. Many of the rebuilt engines were still able to achieve impressive performances, often able to reach top speeds of up to, or in excessive of, 100mph on occasion.
Thankfully, a very respectable 20 Bulleid Light Pacifics have survived into preservation in various forms today, ranging from engines waiting to be restored to examples running out on the main line. Of the 20 survivors, two were bought directly from B.R. upon their withdrawal, while the remainder were saved from Woodham's Yard in Barry. Ten of the survivors are in rebuilt condition, while the remaining 10 engines are in original condition with the air-smooth casing. There had been hopes to save two more examples of the class for preservation, No.34066 Spitfire and No.34086 219 Squadron, but sadly the efforts to save these two engines for preservation were ultimately unsuccessful.
The twenty surviving members of the Bulleid Light Pacific Class include;
No.34007 Wadebridge; survives in the original un-rebuilt condition with air-smooth casing. She was built in Brighton Works in August 1945 as part of the first batch, she's the oldest surviving member of the class. She was withdrawn from service in October 1965, having covered 823,193 miles in service, and sent to Barry Scrapyard. She was bought in May 1981 and taken to the Plym Valley Railway for restoration, which took 25 years to complete. In 2006, the work was completed, and No.34007 moved under her own power for the first time since 1965. During her career in preservation, No.34007 has visited many different heritage railways, including the Bodmin and Wenford Railway, the Mid-Hants Railway, the Bluebell Railway, and the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway. As of 2024, No.34007 is undergoing a major overhaul on the Mid-Hants Railway with the intention of returning her to steam in 2026.
No.34010 Sidmouth; survives in the rebuilt condition. She was built in Brighton Works in Septembers 1945, was rebuilt in February 1959, and then was finally withdrawn in March 1965 having covered 922,906 miles in service, and was sent to Barry Scrapyard not long afterwards. She was rescued from Barry in 1982 and taken to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for restoration. However, as of 2024, restoration work is still underway on No.34010, with the boiler at Bridgnorth on the Severn Valley Railway, with the frames on the Swanage Railway, and other components being restored at Herston Works.
No.34016 Bodmin; survives in rebuilt condition. She was built in Brighton Works in November 1945, and was then withdrawn in June 1964 having covered over 800,000 miles in service, and sent to Barry Scrapyard in November of that year. She left the yard in July 1972 and taken to the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, and then to the Mid-Hants Railway for restoration. The work was completed in 1979, and she entered service on the Mid-Hants Railway, where she remained for many years. She returned to the main line in 2000 after a major overhaul. As of 2024, No.34016 is undergoing a major overhaul to main line condition at Carnforth.
No.34023 Blackmoor Vale; survives in the original un-rebuilt condition with air-smooth casing. She was built in Brighton Works in February 1946, and then was withdrawn in July 1967 after covering 921,268 miles during her career. However, she was purchased by the Bulleid Preservation Society after she was withdrawn and was then taken to the Longmoor Military Railway shortly afterwards. When Longmoor closed in 1970, No.34023 was moved to the Bluebell Railway, and has remained there ever since. In 1976, she returned to working order on the Bluebell Railway and worked on the railway for many years hauling trains along the line's length. In 2008, No.34023 was withdrawn from service due to firebox problems and put on display in Sheffield Park. As of 2024, although some work has already been done on stripping down No.34023 in readiness for an overhaul, she's still waiting in line for an overhaul, which will likely start after work on overhauling 9F No.92240 had been completed. Any future overhaul will include a brand-new inner firebox to replace the older one.
No.34027 Taw Valley; survives in rebuilt condition. She was built in Brighton Works in April 1946 and was rebuilt in September 1957. She was withdrawn from service in August 1964, and sent to Barry Scrapyard that December. She was in the yard for 16 years before she was removed from Barry in April 1980. She was taken to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for restoration, and then moved to the Severn Valley Railway for the restoration to be completed, which took place in 1987 when No.34027 returned to working order. In her career in preservation, No.34027 ran on the Severn Valley Railway, and then later returned to work on the main line until she was withdrawn in 2006 for an overhaul. In her career on the main line, No.34027 has carried the identities of two scrapped classmates, No.34036 Westward Ho and No.34045 Ottery St Mary.
For a brief period while she was on the main line, No.34027 was painted in maroon livery in order to promote the Harry Potter series. It had been originally intended for the engine to appear in the first Harry Potter film, but it was rejected by the director as he felt No.34027 looked too modern. So G.W.R. 49XX Hall Class 4-6-0 No.5972 Olton Hall was chosen for the role instead.
In 2022, in order to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, No.34027 was painted in purple livery, given the number No.70, and temporarily named Elizabeth II in honour of the Queen's 70 years on the throne. As of 2024, No.34027 is about to undergo a major overhaul to working order, which may include returning her to main line working order.
No.34028 Eddystone; survives in rebuilt condition. She was built at Brighton Works in April 1946, and was rebuilt in August 1958. She was withdrawn from service in May 1964, becoming the very first rebuilt Bulleid Light Pacific to be withdrawn, having covered 851,549 miles during her career. In November 1964, she was sent to Barry Scrapyard where she stayed for 22 years until April 1986 when she was rescued and taken to Sellindge for restoration.
As a lot of parts were missing from her when she was bought, it took many years to return No.34028 back to running order again, which included a lot of work needing to be done on the boiler, as well as building a new tender as the original was long gone by then. The restoration work was finally completed by the spring of 2004 when No.34028 entered service on the Swanage Railway. During her career in preservation, No.34028 has run extensively on a number of heritage railways, including the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, the Bluebell Railway, the West Somerset Railway, and the Churnet Valley Railway.
As of 2024, No.34028 is in working order on the Swanage Railway and owned by Southern Locomotives Limited.
No.34039 Boscastle; survives in rebuilt condition. She was built in September 1946 at Brighton Works, and was rebuilt in late 1958. She was withdrawn from service in May 1965, having covered 745,000 miles in her career, and was sent to Barry Scrapyard that September. She left Barry in January 1973 and was taken to the Great Central Railway to be restored, which was finally completed by November 1992 when she moved under own power for the first time. She settled into work on the Great Central Railway, where she became a very popular addition to the railway's fleet.
As of 2024, No.34039 is undergoing a major overhaul to working order at the Great Central Railway's workshops at Loughborough.
No.34046 Braunton; survives in rebuilt condition. She was built in Brighton Works in November 1946, and was rebuilt in February 1959. She was withdrawn from service in October 1965, and sent to Barry Scrapyard in January 1966. In 1988, she left Barry and was taken to Brighton for restoration, but it was sold to the West Somerset Railway in 1996 where the restoration was completed. She returned to steam in September 2008 and ran about 10,000 miles on the West Somerset Railway, after which she was approved to return to the main line again in 2013. She has also visited the East Lancs Railway and the Mid Hants Railway in her career in preservation, and has also masqueraded as long-scrapped Battle of Britain classmate No.34052 Lord Dowding.
As of 2024, No.34046 is operational and approved to run on the main line.
No.34051 Winston Churchill; survives in its original air-smooth condition. She was built in Brighton Works in December 1946. She's best known for hauling her namesake's funeral train from London Waterloo to Handborough on 30th January 1965. Due to that feat, she was selected for preservation as part of the National Collection when she was withdrawn from service in September 1965, after she had covered 807,496 miles in her career. After spending a number of years out of public view, she spent 1977 to 1983 in the Didcot Railway Centre before being moved to the National Railway Museum in York for static display. She has been on static display in York, or at the Locomotion Museum in Shildon, for many years with no chance of her ever returning to steam again.
No.34053 Sir Keith Park; survives in its rebuilt condition. She was built at Brighton Works in January 1947, and rebuilt in 1958. She was withdrawn from service in October 1965, and taken to Barry Scrapyard the following March., She remained in the yard for the next 18 years before she was rescued from Barry in June 1984 and taken away for restoration. No.34053 spent time in a number of different places while restoration work was carried out on her, but it wasn't until late 2008 when work really started to speed up and good progress was made on her restoration. The work was completed by May 2012, and No.34053 entered service on the Severn Valley Railway that August.
She worked extensively on the Severn Valley Railway, as well as on the Spa Valley and Great Central Railways, before being withdrawn for an overhaul in 2022. It's being carried out on the Spa Valley Railway, and it's hoped to have No.34053 restored to working order very soon.
No.34058 Sir Frederick Pile; she survives in rebuilt condition. She was built in March 1947 in Brighton Works, and was rebuilt in March 1960. She was withdrawn in October 1964 having covered 812,568 miles during her career, and was sent to Barry Scrapyard in 1965. She was rescued from Barry in 1986 and was taken to a number of different places for restoration, including the Avon Valley Railway and the Mid Hants Railway. As of 2024, No.34058 is on the Mid Hants Railway where she's being restored, and recently had the boiler lifted off the frames so it could be sent off to be restored.
No.34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair; she survives in rebuilt condition. She was built in Brighton Works in April 1947, and rebuilt in March 1960. She was withdrawn in May 1966 and entered Barry Scrapyard in October that year. She was rescued from Barry in October 1979 and taken to the Bluebell Railway, where restoration began in 1980. In April 2009, the restoration was completed and No.34059 rolled under her own power for the first time since 1966. Shortly afterwards, she entered service on the Bluebell Railway.
As of 2024, having undergone a major overhaul that recently ended, No.34059 is in operational condition on the Bluebell Railway.
No.34067 Tangmere; preserved in original air-smooth condition. She was built at Brighton Works in September 1947, and she was withdrawn in November 1963 after covering only 588,269 miles during her time in service. She was sent to Barry Scrapyard in April 1965 and stayed there for nearly 16 years before being rescued in January 1981 and taken to the Mid Hants Railway. Restoration began in 1995 and it was completed in 2003, when No.34067 returned to steam on the East Lancs Railway before returning to work on the main line in that same year.
During her career after being restored, Tangmere has done a lot of main line work, as well as having worked on many heritage railways. As of 2024, No.34067 is undergoing some major repairs after suffering a severed piston rod and a punctured cylinder while hauling the Cumbrian Mountain Express.
No.34070 Manston; survives in original air-smooth condition. She was built in Brighton Works in November 1947 as the last locomotive built in Brighton before the railways were nationalised in January 1948. She was withdrawn from service in August 1964 and sent to Barry Scrapyard in December that same year. She was rescued from Barry in June 1983 and taken to Kent for restoration to begin. Eventually, a new home was found on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough. Eventually, by 2008 all the restoration work was completed and No.34070 entered service on the Swanage Railway. Although No.34070 is based on the Swanage Railway, she has visited other heritage railways, including the Great Central Railway, but has not yet had a chance to run out on the main line.
No.34072 257 Squadron; preserved in original condition with the air-smooth casing. Built at Brighton Works in April 1948, she was withdrawn from service in October 1964, having covered 698,843 miles during her career. She was sent to Barry Scrapyard in March 1965 and rescued from there in November 1984. Restoration work ensured that No.34072 was fully restored to working order by 1990. Ever since then, No.34072 has visited and worked on many heritage railways, but she has not yet had a chance to travel on the main line. As of 2024, No.34072 is based on the Spa Valley Railway, where she's currently in running order.
No.34073 249 Squadron; survives in its original air-smooth condition. She was built in Brighton Works in May 1948, and was withdrawn from service in June 1964 and taken to Barry Scrapyard in 1965. She was rescued from Barry in 1988, and was the last Battle of Britain engine to leave the yard. It was first taken to Brighton, but was then moved to the Mid Hants Railway some years later. She was moved to the East Lancs Railway in 2006, but has remained in storage at Carnforth for a number of years, often being used as a source of spares for No.34067.
No.34081 92 Squadron; survives in original air-smooth condition. She was built at Brighton Works in September 1948 and was withdrawn in June 1964 after having covered 741,511 miles during her career. She was sent to Barry Scrapyard in April 1965, and stayed there until it was rescued in November 1976 and taken to Peterborough, and then later on to the Nene Valley Railway. By March 1998, all restoration work was completed and No.34081 ran under her own power for the first time, and she began running trains on the Nene Valley Railway later that year. In her career, No.34081 has run extensively on the N.V.R., as well as on the Great Central, Llangollen, Severn Valley, and Mid Hants Railways, as well as having undergone an overhaul that took six years to complete.
As of 2024, No.34081 is based on the Nene Valley Railway, where she's currently in operational condition.
No.34092 City of Wells; survives in her original air-smooth condition. She was built at Brighton Works in September 1949, and was withdrawn from service in November 1964. She was taken to Barry Scrapyard in March 1965 and remained there until she was bought by the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and moved there in October 1971. After restoration work, No.34092 entered service on the K.W.V.R. in 1979, becoming a regular performer on that railway, as well as out on the main line where she became a very popular choice for running rail-tours, and was given the nickname of "The Volcano".
In 1986, No.34092 was fitted with a Giesl ejector, which was done based off the experience from scrapped classmate No.34064 Fighter Pilot. This resulted in No.34092 having better fuel economy, more power output, as well as the exhaust being lifted clear of the cab much better. In 1989, No.34092 was taken out of service for a much-needed overhaul, which took 25 years to complete and resulted in the engine returning to service in 2014. After another overhaul, she returned to working order on the East Lancs in September 2023.
No.34101 Hartland; survives in rebuilt condition. She was built at Eastleigh Works in February 1950, and she's the only surviving engine of the batch of six members of the class to be built at Eastleigh. She was also the last member of the class to be rebuilt at Eastleigh, which took place in 1960, and she was withdrawn from service in July 1966, having covered 330,106 miles in her career. She arrived in Barry Scrapyard in October in 1966, and rescued from there in July 1978 before being taken to Derby to be restored, with the work being finished at Loughborough on the Great Central Railway in 1993.
She was moved to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in 1995, and spent several years running there before being withdrawn for an overhaul. She's still at the N.Y.M.R. and undergoing an overhaul to full working order.
No.34105 Swanage; survives in her original air-smooth condition. She was built at Brighton Works in March 1950, and is thus the youngest surviving member of the class. She was withdrawn from service in October 1964, having covered 623,405 miles during her career. She was sent to Barry Scrapyard in February 1965 and was rescued from Barry in March 1978 before being moved to the Mid Hants Railway for restoration. She was returned to working order by 1987 and ran on the Mid Hants for a decade before being withdrawn for another overhaul. As of 2024, No.34105 is undergoing a heavy overhaul at the Mid Hants Railway.
In the course of this story, a number of different members of both the West Country and Battle of Britain Class engines will be appearing as the course of the story progresses, with some being seen in their original conditions with air-smooth casings and others being seen in their rebuilt states.
"Okay, all aboard everyone! This train is for Knapford and stops at Wellsworth and Crosby Stations along the way! All aboard please! All aboard!" A man with a megaphone in his hand called, as passengers on the platform began to board the train.
"Let's get aboard!" King said, as he and his colleagues grabbed their heavy bags, moved to the coach nearest to them, which was the one their reserved seats were on, and got aboard the coach, while one of the station staff helped them get their bags onto the coach. With that done, the four of them made their way along the corridor to the compartment reserved for them, and stepped into it, placing some of the heavier bags on the luggage racks over the seats and placing their lights bags on the seats beside them.
"Oh, I'm glad to be aboard the train at last!" Spacek said, as she settled into her seat and made herself comfortable.
"Me too! It's time to enjoy the ride to Knapford Station…and to discuss how we're going to find Carrie White and what to do if we do find her." Irving said.
"Well, one thing I'll say is this…" Brian said, as he got the attention of the others, "…if she is indeed working on this railway like what we saw in those pictures we say back at H.Q.…I think it would be best if we tried our best to avoid taking any pictures that shows the faces on the fronts of any of the engines here on this island. I think if we were to do that, some people back in Chamberlain might think we put them in with computers or something like that."
"Sounds like an idea to me. What do you two feel about it?" King asked, turning his attention to Irving and Spacek.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Spacek said.
"I agree, but what about taking pictures of Carrie if she's alongside any of the engines…like by the cabs or something like that?" Irving asked.
"Oh, that's all right. But try not to take photos of here when the faces of the engines are in the same frame as she is." Brian said, and they all agreed.
It wasn't long before the last of the passengers had boarded the train and the doors to the coaches were closed, and then the guard blew his whistle loudly and waved his green flag. Acknowledging the signal, the driver blew 605 Squadron's whistle, released the brakes, and opened the regulator. With a slight jerk, the train set off on its way out of the station and up the line towards the Southern Main Line and then on to Knapford. From the compartment they were sitting in, the four officers settled back in their seats to enjoy the ride.
(Meanwhile, with Carrie and Simon)
By now, Carrie and Simon had already arrived back at Knapford Station on the train hauled by L.N.E.R. V3 Class No.7684. After they disembarked from the train, they left the station and made their way to the middle of Knapford to one of their favourite coffee shops. Both of them were feeling hungry after their long hike through the forest near Ffarquhar Station, and they also wanted to rest up before they met up their friends that evening for dinner.
"Come on, Carrie. Let's get to the coffee shop before it gets too busy." Simon said, as they made their way along the path towards the coffee shop, which was known as the Boiling Kettle.
"There's no need to rush, Simon. I'm quite sure there'll still be plenty of cakes there when we arrive." Carrie said.
"I know, but I want to get there soon so we can get a good table to sit at." Simon said.
They soon arrived in front of the coffee shop, which didn't appear to be too busy at this time, and there were plenty of tables still available. Smiling, the two of them went inside and ordered what they wanted to have at the counter, and they soon sat down at a table that was right beside the window where they could look out onto the street. Right across the street from them was a hotel called the Westbury, and it was six stories high with large windows on the different floors looking out onto the street and buildings before them. The hotel looked no different in appearance from any large hotel that was on Sodor. There wasn't much activity taking place there right now, but there was no doubt that some guests were still staying there.
"Oh, I've been looking forward to this." Carrie said, as she tucked into her slice of chocolate fudge cake with whipped cream on the side.
"Me too. I think we've earned this after our time in those woods this morning." Simon said, as he took a sip of tea before taking up his fork and cutting a piece off his slice of apple pie with it.
The two of them were quiet for a few long moments as they enjoyed their tea and slices of cake or pie, while the odd car or lorry passed by outside on the street. Pedestrians passed by on the pathways on both sides of the street, and many were minding their own business as they went along the paths.
"What do you think we'll doing tomorrow out on the line?" Carrie asked.
"I honestly don't know, Carrie. But whatever comes our way tomorrow, let's just do our jobs to the best of out ability." Simon said.
"I agree. Let's do everything to the best of our ability." Carrie said, as she took a sip of tea.
As they chatted together, a white taxi van came up the street and stopped alongside the path in front of the Westbury hotel. The sliding side door on the left side of the van opened, and the four officers from Chamberlain disembarked from the van, unloading their bags as they did so. Once King had paid the taxi driver for giving them a ride from Knapford Station, the four of them grabbed their bags and went into the hotel, where they checked in. Once given the cardkeys for their hotel rooms, which were all on the second floor of the building, they went over to one of the elevators and went upstairs.
Once they had settled into their rooms and had changed their clothes, they all met up with King in his room. By sheer chance, the window of King's room overlooked the Boiling Kettle coffee shop directly across the street where Carrie and Simon were sitting.
"So…what's the plan for finding Carrie White?" Spacek asked, once they were all together in the room.
"Well…I reckon we should find out the places she and any friends she's made frequent, and then we should follow her to where she lives, as well as find out who she's living with." King said.
"And try to get pictures of her as discreetly as possible without her or anyone else she's with knowing about it." Irving added.
"And I think finding her may be easier than you think…because I think that's her in the front of that coffee shop down there." Brian said, as he looked out the window and pointed down. The other three gathered round the window and looked down to the coffee shop across the street, where Brian was pointing down to. King brought his camera up with him, and he had a special lens fitted to it so he could get clear pictures from a distance.
"Are you sure of that, Brian?" Spacek asked, as she looked down to the window, and the figure of the girl they could now clearly see sitting at the table with a boy.
"We'll find out soon enough." King said, as he switched on his camera, brought it up to his eye, and focused it on the figure of the girl. Then, keeping the camera as steady as he could, there came the sounds of "click, click, click" as he snapped a few pictures of the girl.
"Now…let's see." King said, as he looked through the pictures he had just taken.
"Well…what do you think?" Brian asked, as he waited with some anticipation to what King would say. Taking a small picture of Carrie he had in his pocket, King looked from the photograph in one hand to the screen of his camera, and back again. After a moment, he looked up at his colleagues.
"I'd say you three…that the girl down in that coffee shop very probably is in fact Carrie White." King said, as a small smile came onto his face.
"What should we do now?" Irving asked.
"Well…what I'd say we do next is this; I want at least two of you to watch her and follow her, as discreetly as you can, to where she's currently living and who with, as well as the friends she's made. In the meantime, I'll see about renting us a vehicle for the time we're here, and that way we'll be able to follow Carrie around more easily." King said.
"Regardless of how things go…as well as where we might see Carrie in the next few days…we should try and be as careful as we can. I know we've been instructed to find Carrie and get pictures of her to send back to H.Q…but even so, this could qualify as stalking to some extent." Brian said.
"I know…but we've got no choice in the matter. After all, everyone back in Chamberlain has to know about where Carrie is." King said.
"I'm know…but also remember what the chief said to us before we left Chamberlain." Spacek said.
"I know." King said, as he remembered back two days to their final briefing before they flew over to Sodor.
(Flashback – two days prior; police headquarters – Chamberlain)
"And that's what we want the four of you to do while you're over on the Island of Sodor. Make sure you try find Carrie and get pictures of her without her knowing about it." said the Chief, as he gave his final instructions to the four officers who volunteered to go over to Sodor.
"Yes, sir." Brian, Irving, King, and Spacek all said together.
"Are there any final questions before we finish all this?" the Chief asked, as he looked around the room.
"Yes, sir." Irving said, as she raised her hand, "What do we do if we ever come very close to Carrie White?"
"Well…my advice would be this; as this trip is strictly meant to be a reconnaissance mission, DON'T interact with her at ANY cost. And don't interact with anyone else who's with her. After all, we don't want her to know we're from Chamberlain, as it could cause her to move away from Sodor and evade us. Stay as far from her as much as you possibly can for as long as possible, and as it's clear that Carrie is working on a railroad, please try not to go to places where Carrie can go but you're not supposed to go to." the Chief said.
"Yes, sir." Irving said.
"Okay…anything else?" the Chief asked, as he looked round again. There were no more hands raised from the four officers; it was quite clear that they understood everything that they needed to know.
"All right, thank you very much, you four. That's all." the Chief said, as he stood up from his desk, while the four officers before him all stood up from their seats.
(End of flashback)
Once the last details of the plan were made, the four officers went downstairs to the lobby on the ground floor, where they had a cup of coffee and cake. The table they were sat at was by a window that looked out onto the street and over towards the coffee shop across the street, and from where they were, they all could clearly see Carrie White and the boy she was with chatting with each other at the table at the coffee shop window. As the four chatted with each other, each of them took a glance over towards the coffee shop, waiting to see when Carrie and the boy she was with would leave, and then two of the officers would then leave the hotel and discreetly follow the couple to see where they went to. And the two officers had brought their cameras down with them as well, so they could get pictures if they could get the chance to take them.
They had just finished their coffee and cake when Spacek looked over towards the coffee shop, and saw Carrie and the boy she was with stand up from their table and head towards the door.
"Look! They're leaving now!" Spacek said quietly, as she pointed over across the street.
"Okay then…Brian and Irving…you follow them to see where these two are going. In the meantime, Spacek and I will go and see about where to rent a vehicle while we're all over here." King said.
"Okay!" Brian and Irving said together, as they stood up with their cameras and prepared to leave the hotel reception area.
"And remember…don't let Carrie know you're following her and her boyfriend." King said.
"Okay. And we'll be in touch with you two with any information we have." Irving said.
"And we'll see you two back here later on." Brian said.
"All right, you two. And be careful." King said, as he and Spacek watched their two colleagues leave the hotel and head outside.
(With Carrie and Simon)
Walking along the pathway along the street towards where Carrie and her father lived, both Carrie and Simon were feeling in good spirits after their day together. After their time together in the coffee shop, they were both feeling great, but now they were eager to get themselves back home and rested up in readiness to meet up with their friends for dinner that evening.
"I can't wait to meet up with the others this evening. I hope they had as good a day as we did." Carrie said.
"Yeah, me too, Carrie. And I hope that we'll all have a good dinner this evening as well." Simon said, as they walked along, hand in hand, towards Carrie's place.
They soon arrived in front of the house and stepped up the driveway to the front door. Ralph White opened the front door as soon as he saw them come in through the front gate. He had arrived home earlier on in the day, as he had been working on the 4am to 12pm shift earlier on, which had meant an early start for him that morning.
"Hello there, you two. Did you both have a good time hiking in the forests near Ffarquhar Station earlier on today?" he asked.
"Yes, dad. We did. We saw quite a lot of sights up there on our hike." Carrie said.
"And there weren't too many people up there either, and we had large parts of the forest to ourselves at times during the morning as well." Simon said.
"Well, that's good to hear. Anyway, if you two are going to be meeting up with your friends for dinner this evening, you'd best go and get ready." Ralph said.
"Okay." Carrie said, before she then turned to look at Simon. "I'll see you and the others later on this evening." Carrie said, as she and Simon then shared a quick kiss on the lips, as well as a quick hug.
"I'll see you then, Carrie." Simon said, as he and Carrie released the hug and then she turned and went inside the house, as Simon then turned and went back down the driveway.
However, unbeknown to Carrie or Simon, the two officers from Chamberlain, Irving and Brian, were watching them from a distance away, with Irving having a camera in her hand and taking some pictures of them from behind a bush. However, from the angle they were at, they didn't see Ralph White, as he was standing inside the door just out of view of the two officers.
"Click, click, click."
"So…that's where Carrie is living. But I wonder who it is she's living with." Irving said, as she watched Simon walk down the driveway from where they were and then walk away down the street on his way back home.
"Be patient, Irving. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Brian said, as he looked towards the house Carrie had just stepped into.
"Did you get the name of the street this is?" Irving asked.
"I did…and I wrote it down in my little notebook." Brian said, as he patted the pocket of his jacket where his notebook was.
"Good…now that we know exactly where Carrie is living, I think we should inform Spacek and King about this." Irving said, as she put her camera back into its carry bag.
"I agree. Let's get back to the hotel, and we'll show them the pictures of what we've got." Brian said, and they turned around and went back down the street the way they came, and back to the hotel.
And that's it for this chapter, everyone! It's the first part of the time where the four officers from Chamberlain spy on Carrie White and the people she's with, as well as the engines she's going to be working on for the time the four officers are going to be on the Island of Sodor.
Also, if any of you were paying attention to the names of those officers, then you'll probably see something familiar about the names I chose for them, particularly to those who've read the novel "Carrie" or seen the original 1976 movie.
As for the next chapter that'll be loaded up, well I hope to have that loaded up as soon as I possibly can. So, until then…good reading!