SR Merchant Navy Class 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co.
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35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. nearing completion, on display at Toddington car park during the 2014 Cotswold Festival of Steam. | |||||||||||||
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35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. is a Southern Railway rebuilt Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 steam locomotive. It was built at Eastleigh locomotive works in December 1941 and given the Southern Railway number 21C6. Although the first two members of the Merchant Navy class had their air-smoothed casings made of sheet steel, 21C6 was one of eight in which the casing was made of asbestos board, with a visible horizontal fixing strip along the centre line.[1]
21C6 was allocated to Salisbury Shed where it remained based throughout her working life. Its first livery was unlined black, with hand-painted lettering in gilt with black blocking and yellow highlights.[2] In December 1942 the locomotive's Bulleid chain-driven valve gear failed near Honiton on an evening goods service when one of the valve chains parted, throwing oil over the boiler cladding, track and lineside vegetation, which then ignited.[3]
When Nationalisation came in 1948 the locomotive was renumbered as 35006. From November 1955 all members of the Merchant Navy class were substantially rebuilt, with 35006 and 35028 Clan Line being the last two examples to be modified in October 1959.[4] Rebuilding included the removal of the air-smoothed casing, and the fitting of Walschaerts valve gear.
35006 was withdrawn in August 1964, with a final mileage of 1,134,319.[5] It was bought by Dai Woodham for £350 and sent to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales. Whilst at the scrapyard the tender, which was notable in that it had had for its entire working life, was sold to a group restoring another Merchant Navy locomotive, and many fittings were removed from the engine. The remains of 35006 were purchased for preservation in 1983 with the intention of restoring it to running order. The locomotive was moved to Toddington, the principal station of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. It was the 144th locomotive to leave the scrapyard.
Restoration has been a long drawn out affair, but it is nearing completion and is expected to be operational for the beginning of the 2016 season. On 10 August 2015 35006 moved under its own power for the first time in under 50 years, albeit only with two of the three cylinders connected.
35006 has the longest name for a preserved steam locomotive, its full name being Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company.