SR Merchant Navy Class No.35009 Shaw Savill is a 're-built' SR Merchant Navy Class 'Pacific' (4-6-2) steam locomotive, named after the Shaw Savill Line, a British merchant shipping company. The locomotive was built at Eastleigh Works in June 1942 in its original air-smoothed form, and given the number 21C9. One of a batch of eight Merchant Navy class locomotives whose air-smoothed casing was made of asbestos board, 21C9 was from the start in wartime black livery.[1] She was allocated to Salisbury shed.[2]
Between 1945 and 1947 the Merchant Navy class were repainted in Malachite green livery, with yellow lining. 21C9 was one of several in a variant of this livery, in which the smokebox cowls were painted green instead of black.[3] Shaw Savill was repainted in British Railways blue livery in August 1949, and in Brunswick Green in February 1953.[4]
Between 1956 and 1960 locomotives of the Merchant Navy class were rebuilt and the air-smoothed casing removed. Shaw Savill was rebuilt in March 1957,[5] withdrawn from service in July 1964[5] and arrived at Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales in December 1964. At the time of withdrawal it had travelled 1,127,452 miles.[6]
Some time after 1984, the locomotive left Barry for preservation on the Mid Hants Railway (Watercress Line). It spent just over 4 years there but with the Mid Hants railway buying more locos it was decided to move 35009 Shaw Savill again, to Bury.[6]
By late 2009, Shaw Savill lay dismantled at Buckley Wells shed in Bury. Its current owner Ian Riley had previously offered the locomotive for sale,[7] but the locomotive failed to attract a buyer. Riley has now said he will take 35009 on as a mainline restoration project and that it will be outshopped in BR blue livery. The bogies and pony truck were moved into the works in 2010.