SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes
Number BR Number SR Name Builder BOB or WC Shape Current Location Status
34007 21C107 Wadebridge Brighton West Country Unrebuilt Mid Hants Railway Awaiting overhaul
34010 21C110 Sidmouth Brighton West Country Rebuilt Herston Works , Swanage Under restoration
34016 21C116 Bodmin Brighton West Country Rebuilt West Coast Railways Carnforth Under overhaul to main line standards
34023 21C123 Blackmoor Vale Brighton West Country Unrebuilt Bluebell Railway Awaiting overhaul
34027 21C127 Taw Valley Brighton West Country Rebuilt Severn Valley Railway Operational ( fitted for air brakes but not mainline certified )
34028 21C128 Eddystone Brighton West Country Rebuilt Swanage Railway Undergoing overhaul
34039 21C139 Boscastle Brighton West Country Rebuilt Great Central Railway Undergoing overhaul
34046 21C146 Braunton Brighton West Country Rebuilt Southall MPD Operational , main line certified ; running since 2016 as 34052 Lord Dowding
34051 21C151 Winston Churchill Brighton Battle of Britain Unrebuilt National Railway Museum Static display
34053 21C153 Sir Keith Park Brighton Battle of Britain Rebuilt Swanage Railway Operational
34058 21C158 Sir Frederick Pile Brighton Battle of Britain Rebuilt Mid Hants Railway Undergoing restoration
34059 21C159 Sir Archibald Sinclair Brighton Battle of Britain Rebuilt Bluebell Railway Undergoing overhaul
34067 21C167 Tangmere Brighton Battle of Britain Unrebuilt West Coast Railways Carnforth Undergoing mainline standard overhaul
34070 21C170 Manston Brighton Battle of Britain Unrebuilt Swanage Railway Undergoing overhaul ( mainline standard to be confirmed due to funding requirements )
34072 257 Squadron Brighton Battle of Britain Unrebuilt Swanage Railway Operational
34073 249 Squadron Brighton Battle of Britain Unrebuilt West Coast Railways Carnforth Stored , awaiting main line standard restoration
34081 92 Squadron Brighton Battle of Britain Unrebuilt Nene Valley Railway Operational
34092 City of Wells Brighton West Country Unrebuilt East Lancashire Railway Operational . Fitted with Giesl ejector
34101 Hartland Eastleigh West Country Rebuilt North Yorkshire Moors Railway Undergoing overhaul
34105 Swanage Brighton West Country Unrebuilt Mid Hants Railway Undergoing overhaul
Preservation
For location details and current status of the preserved locomotives , see : List of West Country and Battle of Britain class locomotives . 34073 249 Squadron at Woodhams ' Scrapyard in 1984 Twenty Light Pacifics still exist , in varying states of preservation : [ 62 ] two were acquired directly from BR for preservation , 34023 Blackmoor Vale & 34051 Winston Churchill ; the other eighteen being purchased from Barry Scrapyard . Of these twenty class members to survive , ten are in original form , whilst ten are in `` rebuilt '' form . Had it not been for Woodham Brothers ' scrapyard in Barry , South Wales , no rebuilt Light Pacifics would have been preserved . [ 10 ] Eleven of the surviving engines are named after West Country locations in the South of England and the remaining nine after RAF Squadrons or significant persons , including Prime Minister Winston Churchill . [ 63 ] All but one of the class in preservation were built at Brighton Works , the exception being 34101 Hartland which was built at Eastleigh Works . The class has proved to be useful for preservation societies , due to its good route availability and ample power , with some having returned to the main line to haul special trains . [ 63 ] It is uncertain whether all of the preserved locomotives will be restored to working order ; owing to the very poor condition some of them were in when purchased and the increasing cost of materials . [ 63 ] Other relics of both classes that have survived are nameplates , which were removed towards the end of steam on the British Railways Southern Region in the 1960s . As a result , many exist in private collections , and several have been seen at auction , selling for several thousands of pounds . [ 18 ] Just four members of the class are yet to run in preservation : 34010 Sidmouth , which is awaiting restoration from scrapyard condition ( its boiler is stored at Bridgnorth ) ; 34051 Winston Churchill , which is on static display at the National Railway Museum in York ; 34058 Sir Frederick Pile , which is under restoration at the Mid Hants Railway ; and 34073 249 Squadron , which is awaiting restoration at Carnforth MPD . Of the sixteen engines which have operated in preservation , six have operated on the main line : 34016 Bodmin , 34027 Taw Valley , 34046 Braunton , 34067 Tangmere , 34072 257 Squadron & 34092 City of Wells . 34046 is the only member of the class operating currently that has a valid main line certificate . 34028 Eddystone and 34070 Manston did briefly return to the mainline in 2009 to attend an event at Eastleigh , but the two engines were towed behind a diesel as neither was mainline certified . [ 64 ]
The SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes, collectively known as Light Pacifics or informally as Spam Cans, are air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway by its Chief Mechanical Engineer Oliver Bulleid. Incorporating a number of new developments in British steam locomotive technology, they were amongst the first British designs to use welding in the construction process, and to use steel fireboxes, which meant that components could be more easily constructed under wartime austerity and post-war economy. They were designed to be lighter in weight than their sister locomotives, the Merchant Navy class, to permit use on a wider variety of routes, including in the south-west of England and the Kent coast. They were a mixed-traffic design, being equally adept at hauling passenger and freight trains, and were used on all types of services, frequently far below their capabilities. A total of 110 locomotives were constructed between 1945 and 1950, named after West Country resorts or Royal Air Force (RAF) and other subjects associated with the Battle of Britain. Due to problems with some of the new features, such as the Bulleid chain-driven valve gear, sixty locomotives were rebuilt by British Railways during the late 1950s. The results were similar to the rebuilt Merchant Navy class. The classes operated until July 1967, when the last steam locomotives on the Southern Region were withdrawn. Although most were scrapped, twenty locomotives are preserved on heritage railways in Britain.