SR Battle of Britain Class No. 21C166 "Spitfire" was a 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive designed by Oliver Bulleid and built by the Brighton Railway Works in September 1947.
History[]
SR Battle of Britain Class No. 21C166 "Spitfire" was constructed in September 1947 as one of the 110 examples of the SR West Country and Battle of Britain Classes designed by Oliver Bulleid and built for the Southern Railway in the UK.
It would be renumbered to BR No. 34066 after the 1948 nationalization that created British Rail.
On December 4, 1957, SR Battle of Britain Class No. 21C166 "Spitfire" was involved the Lewisham Train Collision during a foggy day and collided with a DMU set at Lewisham.
It was repaired and put back into service after its wreck at Lewisham.
Between 1955 and 1961, a total of 60 examples of the SR West Country and Battle of Britain Class Locomotives were rebuilt after British Railways/British Rail was formed, however, No. 21C166/34066 "Spitfire" would not be one of them.
It was withdrawn from service in October 1964 and was sent the Woodham Brothers Scrapyard/Barry Scrapyard in Barry, South Wales. It almost survived into preservation however, another engine was chosen instead due to it being in better condition than Spitfire was. SR Battle of Britain Class No. 21C166/34066 "Spitfire" became one of the few locomotives to be scrapped at the Woodham Brothers. (note: she was not actually scrapped at Barry Scrapyard, otherwise her number would have shown up alongside the engines that were actually scrapped there.)
Although SR Battle of Britain Class No. 21C166/34066 "Spitfire" did not survive into preservation, 10 members of the unrebuilt and 10 members of the rebuilt SR West Country and Battle of Britain Class Locomotives did manage to survive into preservation.