Conceived in 1937 when Oliver Bulleid became Chief Mechanical
Engineer of the Southern Railway, the Merchant Navy Class represented
Bulleid’s vision for a quick accelerating, mixed traffic 4-6-2
locomotive, equally capable of hauling passenger services (such as the
Golden Arrow and Atlantic Coast Expresses), or freight workings, to a
speed of around 75mph.
Bulleid’s ‘air-smoothed’ design was easy to clean mechanically and
hid the boiler’s external pipes and internal workings. Reaction to the
new design varied, footplate staff appreciating the locomotive’s
characteristics and steaming abilities, whilst the maintenance staff
cursed them, multiple panels having to be removed to gain access to even
the most minor of mechanical items, especially during the early life of
the locomotives, as the design evolved.
Locomotive 35023, Holland-Afrika Line, entered service on November 6,
1948 at Exmouth Junction and was named at Southampton Docks on January
24, 1949 by M.A Pelt, the Managing Director of the company at the time.
35023 stayed allocated to Exmouth Junction until it was sent for its
rebuild on Janyary 7, 1957.