SR 34056 "Sir Archibald Sinclair"

Southern Railway 'Battle of Britain' class express passenger engine for secondary mainline services designed by Oliver Bulleid during WW2 and built at Brighton in 1947 with an air-smoothed casing around the boiler and footplate. This caused maintenance issues resulting in reliability problems, so nearly half the class was rebuilt in 1960 at Eastleigh in a more conventional form as seen here. Withdrawn in 1966 and arrived on the Bluebell Railway in 1979 from the scrapyard, and entered service on 24 April 2009.

 

Note the crossed RAF flags on the front to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, which was on this weekend.

 

See www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pic2/nigel_kendall_34... for more information

 

Sir Archibald Sinclair, 1890-1970.

 

A Liberal MP, and leader of the Liberal Party from 1935, Sir Archibald Sinclair had a close relationship with Churchill in the 1930's, which led to him becomeing the Secretary of State for Air in the National Government from 1940-45. He was the last Liberal to sit in the Cabinet until the recent formation of the Coalition Goverbnnment in May 2010.

 

Bluebell Railway 50th Anniversary Gala weekend.

7 August 2010

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