The Southern Railway (SR), sometimes shortened to 'Southern', was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent. The railway was formed by the amalgamation of several smaller railway companies, the largest of which were the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR). The construction of what was to become the Southern Railway began in 1838 with the opening of the London and Southampton Railway, which was renamed the London & South Western Railway.
The British Rail Class 12 is a diesel locomotive built primarily for shunting duties around London.
The SR Q1 class is a type of austerity steam locomotive constructed during the Second World War. The class was designed by Oliver Bulleid for use on the intensive freight turns experienced during wartime on the Southern Railway network. A total of 40 locomotives were built. Bulleid incorporated many innovations and weight-saving concepts to produce a highly functional design. The class lasted in service until July 1966, and the first member of the class, number C1, has been preserved by the National Railway Museum.
The SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes, collectively known as Light Pacifics or informally as Spam Cans, or "flat tops", are air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway by its Chief Mechanical Engineer Oliver Bulleid. Incorporating a number of new developments in British steam locomotive technology, they were amongst the first British designs to use welding in the construction process, and to use steel fireboxes, which meant that components could be more easily constructed under wartime austerity and post-war economy.
The Torbay Express is a named passenger train operating in the United Kingdom.
Eastleigh Works is a locomotive, carriage and wagon building and repair facility in the town of Eastleigh, in the county of Hampshire in England.
SR Merchant Navy Class 35028 Clan Line is a Southern Railway rebuilt Merchant Navy 4-6-2 class locomotive.
35027 Port Line was one of a batch of ten SR Merchant Navy class steam locomotives built by the Southern Region of British Railways between 1948 and 1949.
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. It was allocated to Salisbury shed.
The 1948 Locomotive Exchange Trials were organised by the newly nationalised British Railways (BR). Locomotives from the former "Big Four" constituent companies were transferred to and worked on other regions. Officially, these comparisons were to identify the best qualities of the four different schools of thought of locomotive design so that they could be used in the planned BR standard designs. However, the testing had little scientific rigour, and political influence meant that LMS practice was largely followed by the new standard designs regardless. However, the trials were useful publicity for BR to show the unity of the new British Railways. To record the locomotive performances, one of three dynamometer cars were included in the train directly behind the locomotive.
LNER Thompson Class B1 No. 61306 Mayflower is a 4-6-0 steam locomotive built in 1948 at the North British Locomotive Company to a design by Edward Thompson. It was employed for hauling mixed traffic trains on British Railways' Eastern, North Eastern, and Scottish Regions until it was bought for preservation in 1967, during which it was renumbered and given its current name.
The SR Merchant Navy class is a class of air-smoothed 4-6-2 (Pacific) steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway by Oliver Bulleid. The Pacific design was chosen in preference to several others proposed by Bulleid. The first members of the class were constructed during the Second World War, and the last of the 30 locomotives in 1949.
Port Line was a passenger and cargo shipping company, initially formed as the Commonwealth and Dominion Line in 1914, and in operation in one form or another until 1982.
The Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust (RSL>) is a charitable trust set up in 2009, to enable ownership and restoration to mainline running condition of the London Midland and Scottish Railway Royal Scot Class locomotive No. 6100 Royal Scot.
Albert Reginald Hitchen was an English professional road racing cyclist, who had also trained as an engineer with British Railways, becoming later known for his work in the preservation of steam locomotives.
21C18 British India Line is a preserved SR Merchant Navy class steam locomotive built by the Southern Railway in 1945.
Locomotive Services Limited is a train operating company in Great Britain. The company operates rail tours using heritage steam, diesel and electric locomotives with support from associated companies and trusts.
35022 Holland America Line was one of the last batch of ten SR Merchant Navy class steam locomotives to be built, although a Southern Railway design it was built by British Railways.
