SR Merchant Navy Class 35028 Clan Line

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Merchant Navy Class 35028 passing through Cosham railway station at 17:09 on 22 March 2008

Clan Line 35028 is a Southern Railway rebuilt Merchant Navy 4-6-2 class locomotive. 35028 was built at Eastleigh locomotive works in 1948. After a few weeks running in she was allocated to first to Dover then to Stewarts Lane shed in London where she worked heavy trains on the trunk routes to the South East Channel ports, frequently working the prestige expresses, Golden Arrow and "The Night Ferry". After rebuilding in 1959 she was initially allocated to Nine Elms shed where she headed such trains as the Bournemouth Belle and the Atlantic Coast Express. Indeed, it was while working the A.C.E. in 1961 she was unofficially timed at 104 mph passing Axminster. On July 2nd 1967 Clan Line hauled a farewell special from Waterloo to Bournemouth and back and thus ended her BR career.

[edit] Preservation

Clan Line was bought one month after finishing her farewell special by the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society straight off BR for the sum of £3,850. The Group had wanted 35022 "Holland-America Line" but she was sent to Barry to be scrapped before they could get to her so they went for Clan Line instead. Clan Line was one of the first preserved locomotives to participate in steam specials and in 1974 she hauled her first revenue earning train in preservation from Basingstoke to Westbury. She thus commenced her long and distinguished career in private ownership. This locomotive is currently based at Stewarts Lane TMD, Battersea. It returned to main line operation in October 2006.