34053 Sir Keith Park – BR Service
Built at Brighton Works in 1947, and allocated to Salisbury MPD, 34053 spent considerable time on loan to Stewarts Lane depot, where it was recorded hauling the heavy Continental boat expresses, including the Golden Arrow on many occasions. Following brief spells at Nine Elms and Exmouth Junction, it returned to Salisbury in 1951 working over the entire South Western network
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34053 Sir Keith Park |
In November 1958 the locomotive was rebuilt and its air smoothed casing was removed. It returned to Salisbury MPD. A final transfer in 1960 saw it operating out of Bournemouth depot and many times it traversed the Somerset & Dorset at the head of the Pines Express.
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34053 after rebuilding, Basingstoke shed 28th August 1963 |
SLL shareholder Malcolm Garner timed Sir Keith Park on a run between Woking and Waterloo on 8th January 1965. Details can be found here.
It was withdrawn in October 1965 and towed to Barry scrap yard in South Wales the following March, where it somehow avoided the cutter's torch for a further 20 years.