B of B Class loco '257 Squadron' brings a train through Wittersham Road Station past the oil seed rape fields on the Kent and East Sussex Railway
34072 ’257 Squadron’ is a Bulleid Pacific of the Battle of Britain Class. The engine, was built in Brighton, and designated initially to work from Dover Marine locomotive shed to haul the Boat Trains to London. It was later transferred to Nine Elms shed in South London and worked express trains from Waterloo to Bournemouth and Weymouth until it’s withdrawal by British Railways in 1964. These types of locomotive were notable for their flat sides, and a unique chain driven valve gear. A number of the class were later modified with the streamlining removed with conventional valve gear but 34072 retained it’s original design It was purchased by Southern Locomotives Ltd and restored at Swindon in 1990, moving to Swanage in 1992. It ran until 2003 needing a major overhaul. This started in 2013 and it returned to service in 2018 and in 2023 was based on the Spa Valley Railway in Kent. The Kent and East Sussex Railway today is a tourist attraction in the South East of England. It offers an 11 1⁄2 miles ( km)) ride through the Rother Valley in vintage and British Railways coaches usually hauled by a steam locomotive, although some off peak services are operated by diesel multiple unit. 34072 was the largest locomotive ever to visit the light railway.
Size: 5013px × 3346px
Location: Wittersham Road Station on the Kent and East Sussex Railway in Kent, England
Photo credit: © patrick nairne / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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