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.
Designer: Oliver Bulleid
Build date: 1945
Fuel type: Coal
Locale: Great Britain
Total produced: 110
Preservation[]
Twenty Light Pacifics are preserved with examples in both rebuilt and unrebuilt forms, ten engines are in original unrebuilt form while the other ten are in "rebuilt" form. Two members of the class in unrebuilt form we're aquired directly from BR service for preservation: 34023 Blackmoor Vale & 34051 Winston Churchill. The remaining eighteen we're purchased from Barry Scrapyard, these being eight unrebuilt examples & all ten rebuilt Light Pacific's.
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. Fourteeen of the engines we're built by the Southern Railway and six we're built by British Railways. All but one of the surviving members of the class in preservation we're built at Brighton Works, the exception being 34101 Hartland which was built at Eastleigh Works. Of the twenty surviving engines four are yet to run in preservation: 34010 Sidmouth, 34051 Winston Churchill, 34058 Sir Frederick Pile and 34073 249 Squadron (34073 being used as a donor engine for 34067).
As of October 2024, of the sixteen engines which have operated in preservation, six have operated on the main line. Four being Southern built engines and two being British Railways built engines. The engines that have to date operated on the mainline in preservation are: 34016 Bodmin, 34027 Taw Valley, 34046 Braunton, 34067 Tangmere, 34072 257 Squadron & 34092 City of Wells. 34046 Braunton & 34067 Tangmere currently have valid main line certificates.
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 we're mainline certified. In September 2024, an announcement was made by 34028's owners (Southern Locomotives Ltd) that 34028 Eddystone is now planned to be mainline certified for a planned debut in 2025. Southern Locomotives Ltd confirmed that 34010 Sidmouth and 34058 Sir Frederick Pile are also under consideration for mainline certification. The owners of 34007 Wadebridge announced that following a donation made by a member of the public, 34007 is being overhauled to mainline standards. 34027 Taw Valley is in the process of undergoing an overhaul with plans for it to retain it's air brake equipment, it's not yet known if the engine will be returning to the mainline.
Loco numbers in bold mean their present number.
Preserved Engines[]
Southern Built Engines
| Number BR | Number SR | Name | Builder | Livery | B.O.B. or W.C. | Type | Photograph | Current Location | Status | Mainline Certified | Dual Braked | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34007 | 21C107 | Wadebridge | Brighton Works | TBC | West Country | Unrebuilt | 
|
Mid Hants Railway | Under Overhaul | No, to be certified | TBC | Following a donation is planned to operate on the mainline when returned to service. |
| 34010 | 21C110 | Sidmouth | Brighton | BR Lined Green, Late Crest (on completion) | West Country | Rebuilt | Herston Works, Swanage Railway | Under Restoration | TBC | TBC | Mainline Operations being considered for this steam engine on completion. | |
| 34016 | 21C116 | Bodmin | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest | West Country | Rebuilt | 
|
Carnforth MPD | Under Overhaul | No, to be certified | No | |
| 34023 | 21C123 | Blackmoor Vale | Brighton | TBC | West Country | Unrebuilt | Bluebell Railway | Under Overhaul | No | No | ||
| 34027 | 21C127 | Taw Valley | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest (on completion) | West Country | Rebuilt | Severn Valley Railway | Under Overhaul | TBC | Yes | Withdrawn for intermediate overhaul in January 2024, completion expected for 2025. | |
| 34028 | 21C128 | Eddystone | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest | West Country | Rebuilt | Swanage Railway | Operational | No, to be certified | Yes | Announcement made in Sept 2024 that 34028 is to be mainline certified for a debut in 2025. | |
| 34039 | 21C139 | Boscastle | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, TBC | West Country | Rebuilt | Great Central Railway | Undergoing Overhaul | No | No | ||
| 34046 | 21C146 | Braunton | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest | West Country | Rebuilt | 
|
Crewe Diesel TMD | Operational | Yes (20## - ongoing) | Yes | |
| 34051 | 21C151 | Winston Churchill | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest (on completion) | Battle of Britain | Unrebuilt | Locomotion, Shildon | Static display | No | No | ||
| 34053 | 21C153 | 303 Squadron "Sir Keith Park" | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest | Battle of Britain | Rebuilt | 
|
Spa Valley Railway | Operational | No | No | Temporarily renamed as 303 Squadron from Sir Keith Park for 12 months from September 2024. |
| 34058 | 21C158 | Sir Frederick Pile | Brighton | TBC | Battle of Britain | Rebuilt | Herston Works, Swanage Railway | Under Restoration | TBC | TBC | Mainline Operations being considered for this steam engine on completion. | |
| 34059 | 21C159 | Sir Archibald Sinclair | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest | Battle of Britain | Rebuilt | Bluebell Railway | Operational | No | No | ||
| 34067 | 21C167 | Tangmere | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest | Battle of Britain | Unrebuilt | 
|
Carnforth MPD | Operational | Yes (2022 - ongoing) | Yes | Returned to service in December 2024 following repairs to left side cylinder after failure on 21st Sept 2024 at Kirkby Stephen. |
| 34070 | 21C170 | Manston | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest | Battle of Britain | Unrebuilt | Swanage Railway | Operational | No | No |
British Railways Built Engines
| Number | Name | Builder | Livery | B.O.B. or W.C. | Type | Photograph | Current Location | Status | Mainline Certified | Dual Braked | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34072 | 257 Squadron | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest | Battle of Britain | Unrebuilt | 
|
Swanage Railway | Operational | No | No | Formerly based at Spa Valley Railway but relocated to Swanage Railway to take 34028 Eddystone's place. |
| 34073 | 249 Squadron | Brighton | N/A | Battle of Britain | Unrebuilt | Carnforth MPD | Stored | No | No | Acting as a donor loco to 34067 | |
| 34081 | 92 Squadron | Brighton | SR Malachite Green, British Railways Lettering | Battle of Britain | Unrebuilt | East Lancashire Railway | Operational | No | No | Formerly based at Nene Valley Railway. Moved to East Lancashire Railway in December 2024. | |
| 34092 | City of Wells | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, Early Crest | West Country | Unrebuilt | East Lancashire Railway | Operational | No | No | Fitted with Giesl ejector | |
| 34101 | Hartland | Eastleigh | BR Brunswick Green, Late Crest | West Country | Rebuilt | North Yorkshire Moors Railway | Undergoing overhaul | No | No | ||
| 34105 | Swanage | Brighton | BR Brunswick Green, TBD | West Country | Unrebuilt | Mid Hants Railway | Undergoing overhaul | No | No |
Trivia[]
- This class of engine is the basis for Rebecca from the Thomas and Friends television series.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Wadebridge (530149724).jpg (155 KB)")
