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BoB 4-6-2 - 3041
(Photo: Ben Boggis)
Away from Sheringham.
"92 Squadron" is owned by the
Battle of Britain Locomotive Society
History
92 Squadron - A Brief History-by Steve Allen-cont
In July 1964 34081 was transferred to Eastleigh, and was
condemned almost immediately. It was officially withdrawn
in early 1965, and together with 34058, 34067 & 34073 was
hauled to Barry by 34006 ‘Bude'. Sadly 34006 was the only
one of these five not to survive into preservation. For
eleven years 34081 languished in the corrosive salt air at
Dai Woodhams' Barry scrap yard until 1976 when it was
purchased for preservation by the Battle of Britain
Locomotive Society.
The years at Barry had taken their toll, and much of the
streamline casing had rusted away and many fittings gone
missing. So, in November 1976 a very woebegone 34081 was
moved by road to the Nene Valley Railway at Wansford near
Peterborough where restoration commenced. Twenty-one years
later, in December 1997, after a very thorough rebuild,
34081 passed its first steam test with flying colours. It
re-entered traffic on the NVR in May 1998, since when it
has been a mainstay of the NVR locomotive fleet.
34081 has also made a number of visits away from the NVR,
which has included 3 visits to the Bluebell Railway (where
it was paired with the Bluebell's own Bulleid Pacific
21C123 ‘Blackmore Vale'), the North Yorkshire Moors
Railway where it coped with the line's 1 in 49 gradients,
and most recently the Mid-Hants Railway.
In the Spring 34081 is due to arrive at the NNR where it
will be used throughout the summer period and be the star
at the railway's Steam Gala in September.
You might be forgiven for wondering how a Bulleid Pacific
fits into East Anglia's railway heritage. Surprisingly
though, 34081 will not be the first one to operate in
Norfolk. In 1949, 34059 ‘Sir Archibald Sinclair' was
loaned to the GE Section for a short while to see if the
Liverpool Street to Norwich services could be accelerated
using high-powered Pacifics. This must have been a success
as in 1951 the first batch of the brand new BR standard
Britannia class locos were allocated to the GE section.
Then, in May 1951 five of the ‘Light Pacifics' were loaned
to Stratford to stand in for the Britannias which were
experiencing severe teething problems. These were 34039 ‘Boscastle',
34057 ‘Biggin Hill', 34065 ‘Hurricane', 34076 '41
Squadron' and 34089 ‘602 Squadron'. During this period
they not only worked Norwich trains, but also ran to
Cambridge, Great Yarmouth and Parkeston Quay. When the
Britannias' problems were resolved the Bulleids all
returned to the Southern Region in January 1952. A
question that has to be asked, that members may be able to
answer – Did any of the Bulleids make it north of Norwich
to Cromer High, or even via the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint
line onto the M&GN?
Details from ‘Barry Scrapyard – The Preservation Miracle'
by Alan Warren, and the Battle of Britain Locomotive
Society's website.
This article first appeared in Joint Line, the Midland and
Great Northern Joint Railway Society's award winning
quarterly journal, which all members of the Society
receive.
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