Bulleid’s Pacifics

On October 25th Colin Boocock talked to us about some of the more controversial aspects of Bulleid’s activities. For example, why did OVB not pursue the ideal of a 2-8-2 for the Southern Railway? How did his light Pacifics become such outstanding locomotives for their size? But why did ninety of his steam locomotives need to be rebuilt to make them either more economical or more reliable?

These are questions which the talk provided the audience with answers based on the author’s experiences or on those of people who knew Bulleid.

The talk illustrated and described both classes of Pacific in some detail and includes an analysis of their performance and the results of their rebuilding.

Altogether a fascinating insight into the locomotives’ history