The 'Atlantic Coast Express', a name that evokes a time when travelling on the railways was the norm - and perhaps a holiday journey from London to the South-West's sunny sandy beaches.   And the locomotive hauling the train - probably one of the powerful Merchant Navy class, the first of the Bulleid Pacifics.

Intoduced in 1941, they were advanced, complex, and not without problems. Fresh from his time working with Nigel Gresley on the L.N.E.R., Bulleid was keen to develop his own ideas, and although the design was approved in 1938, production was held back because railway workshops were busy supporting the War effort.

Bulleid was not afraid to incorporate new techniques he had gleaned through his career, notably this included extensive use of welding. To reduce weight, the minimum of heavy castings or riveting was used, instead parts were fabricated, building up shapes in steel plate, and joined by the new science of welding. The smokebox and boiler were also substantially of welded construction, incorporating a steel firebox to save weight.

The air-smoothed casing - a bold and modern new direction for Southern Railway motive power - tied in perfectly with the clean 'Art Deco' styling of many Southern stations.  It hid a massive free steaming boiler with 280lb pressure and 3 'pop' safety valves.

Building on his recent experience of L.N.E.R. Pacifics, Bulleid's new design was a three cylinder arrangement, but in a radical change, the inside connecting rod, crank axle, crosshead and slidebars, along with three sets of chain driven valve gear were contained in a sealed sump holding 40 gallons of oil, which was sprayed onto the motion joints. While this reduced preparation work for the driver, flood lubrication also ensured proper oiling on long high speed runs.

For it's day the cab was comfortable, well laid out for the driver and fireman, and had electric lighting for the headlamps, cabs, on the controls and even under the casing. The powerful locomotives also gave a very smooth ride, and complementing the locomotives was Bulleid designed coaching stock.

They were introduced in matt finish Malachite green, with broad yellow lines, a matt black roof, and distinctive name and number plates made from brass castings with a red painted background. Two variations of blue were also tried, but Wartime black livery did this class no favours, giving them a very slug like appearance.

The early locomotives suffered from bad visibility as the low chimney and smooth casing allowed exhaust smoke to cling to the body, obscuring the drivers vision. This led to a redesign including smoke deflectors to lift the smoke clear.   Later, as the encased valve gear began to wear, valve timing became erractic, and identifying and fixing small problems became a big job; also oil leaked out, occasional causing fires, and additional wheel slipping.

None of these locomotives survive in their original condition. The entire class was substantially rebuilt by British Railways from 1956, during which they lost their distinctive casing, and the chain driven valve gear with oil bath; please see the separate article on the modified version. However, some members survived beyond the end of Southern steam into preservation, with several still running today.

Here a number of owners have contributed articles on their own versions of these intriguing locomotives. This is an ambitious model to undertake, particularly as there are no scaled plans available.

The 5" gauge models featured also incorporate chain driven valve gear, giving them extra complications to get working satisfactorily.

Please hover your mouse over the photos for their descriptions.