#2705
SR Merchant Navy class
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Eastleigh Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Works· from 1941· class of 30 three-cylinder 4-6-2 locomotives
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Merchant Navy Class 35005 "Canadian Pacific" at Ropley station: Maxopolitan· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. SR Merchant Navy 35011 "General Steam Navigation": Bradley Wurth· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. SR Merchant Navy Class 35006 Toddington (2): BWard 1997· CC BY 4.0
- 4. SR Merchant Navy Class 35022 Holland America Line: Tony Hisgett· CC BY 2.0
- 5. SR Merchant Navy Class 21C09 Shaw Savill around 1944: Wikimedia Commons· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 6. SR Merchant Navy Class 35006 Departing Toddington: BWard 1997· CC BY 4.0
- 7. SR Merchant Navy Class 35006 GWSR: BWard 1997· CC BY 4.0
- 8. Canadian Pacific 35005 & 47327 (8427324396): Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 9. 35005 "Canadian Pacific" approaches Chappel on the River Colne viaduct Autumn 2001: kitmasterbloke· CC BY 2.0
- 10. 35005 at The Didcot Railway Centre in June 1994 (2): The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
what is it?
The SR Merchant Navy class (originally known as the 21C1 class, and later informally known as Bulleid Pacifics, Spam Cans – which name was also applied to the Light Pacifics – or Packets) 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.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 85 years ago, in 1941.
- 21 m long: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 26 years (1941–1967).
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 1941–1949
- in service from
- 1941
- retired
- 1967
- status
- retired
- number built
- 30
- kind
- Steam
- traction
- steam
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- Eastleigh Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Works
- designer
- Oliver Bulleid
- operators
- Southern Railway, British Rail, Southern Region of British Railways
- top speed
- —
- power
- —
- wheel arrangement
- 4-6-2
- length
- 21 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7392898, Wikipedia: SR Merchant Navy class (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.