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(Notes from an exhibition.)
This locomotive was one of a class of 110 engines originally designed and built at Brighton Locomotive Works in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s by Oliver Bullied. They were a slightly smaller version of the Merchant Navy Class and the weight reduction gave them a wider route available across the Southern Region of British Railways.
The locomotive has a unique design of wheel similar to an American pattern developed by Bullied with Firth Brown in Sheffield. The engine has 3 cylinders and in its original form had a special type of chain driven valve gear enclosed in an oil bath. The locomotives were also streamlined with an air smoothed casing. Many modern and revolutionary features were incorporated in the design including extensive use of welding and the provision of electric lighting powered from a small steam turbine.
The class were extensively rebuilt in the 1960’s removing the air smoothed casing and the chain driven valve gear to give the locomotive a more conventional appearance. The valve gear was replaced by 3 sets of Walschaerts gear.
This model represents 34008 Padstow in its rebuilt form which spent a considerable period of its working life based at Brighton Loco Shed (75A) both in its streamlined and rebuilt forms. It would have worked trains particularly to the West of the system to Bournemouth, Salisbury, Plymouth and Cardiff. The model has taken about 25 years to get to the present state and is being built to full size works drawings ( it is NOT Ariel - it was started long before that series began !)
The model is built to a scale of 1 1/16 in to 1 foot which represents approximately 1/12th scale and will run on 5 inch gauge track.
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