35027 Port Line

35027 was completed at Eastleigh Works in 1948 as part of the third series built after nationalisation with larger 6,000 gallon tenders. It did not acquire its own tender until April 1949 and was originally fitted with a West Country 4,500 gallon tender.

It was initially allocated to Bournemouth shed where it would primarily have been used on express trains bound for London Waterloo. In 1950 Port Line was painted in BR express blue and transferred to Stewarts Lane in March 1950 to work the Golden Arrow Pullman. It returned back to Bournemouth in May 1955.

Along with the rest of the class Port Line was rebuilt by removal of the air-smoothed casing (at Eastleigh in 1957) and this rebuilding made them more like the BR Standard class engines of the time.

In April 1959 Port Line achieved the rare honour for a member of the class of hauling the Royal train from Windsor to Hamworthy Junction, at which place the train was berthed overnight.

It was withdrawn in September 1966 and sent to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry where it arrived in March of the following year. When withdrawn 35027 had only accumulated a total mileage in service of 872,290 miles.

Port Line stayed in the scrapyard until December 1982, following its purchase for £6,500 for preservation by The Port Line Locomotive Project in January 1982 and taken to the Swindon and Cricklade Railway where restoration commenced. As the locomotive was boxed in at Barry because of the number of engines there it took from January until December to enable it to be moved out of the yard.

Restoration work started at the former Swindon works but after three years the locomotive moved to the Swindon Works weighbridge and 19 Shop in 1988 where the work was completed. This later site was owned by Tarmac Properties .

After restoration Port Line ran on the Bluebell Railway from 1988 until 1996 when it was taken out of service.

It was to become the first ex Barry Merchant Navy to return to steam, this was achieved in 1988.

35027 moved to the Swanage Railway in early 2000, further boiler work allowing it to operate a limited number of steamings from 2000 until 2003, when it was stopped with firebox cracks.

Port Line was sold in 2005 to Jeremy Hosking, and moved to Southall.

From 2007-2011 35027’s tender had been in use with rebuilt West Country class 34046 Braunton, owned by Hosking. It was until recently in use behind unrebuilt West Country class 34007 Wadebridge.

In 2011 it was transferred to the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust (RSL&GT). Port Line was moved to Ian Riley’s workshops at Bury on the East Lancashire Railway for overhaul to mainline standard, using the boiler from 35022 Holland America Line.

The parts of the locomotive were subsequently moved to Crewe.