30865 1955-03 Mitcheldever
Ex-Southern Railway Maunsell 'Lord Nelson' class 4-6-0 No. 30865 'Sir John Hawkins'. Built at Eastleigh in November 1929 as SR No. 865 and withdrawn in May 1961.
With a down express for Waterloo, 30865 is well underway in March 1955 as it leaves Mitchedever in Hampshire. The class suffered from indifferent steaming and their long firebox made them notoriously difficult to fire. Following various attempts to resolve the problem, Bulleid fitted them with large diameter chimneys and Lematre multiple jet blastpipes, which effectively transformed their performance.
© Steve Armitage Archive