The owners of 34058 Sir Frederick Pile are now Southern Locomotives Ltd, having been transferred from the Mid Hants Railway in 2023, with a plan for a cooperative restoration of the loco.

If you'd like to support this restoration please contact Simon Troy at 01474 833263 or at southernlocos@btinternet.com

34058 Sir Frederick Pile – BR Service

Timeline

34058 Sir Frederick Pile was built at Brighton Works, numbered 21C158 and entered service on 2nd April 1947. It was named at Waterloo on 28th April 1948, by Sir Frederick Pile himself, thus joining a fairly short list of people who have done that in person. It was the 10th member of the Battle of Britain class. 21C149 was the first loco named in the Battle of Britain series and was named Anti-Aircraft Command at the same ceremony though it had entered service four months earlier.

34058

The public invitation to the naming ceremony at Waterloo in April 1947.

Liveries

The loco entered service in Malachite Green and two yellow strips, and a cast 'Southern' roundal on the smokebox door. It was renumbered 34058 in December 1948, and repainted in BR Green in February 1951.

34058

Sir Frederick Pile in original form, but after renumbering as 34058. Photo: Pete Boor

It was rebuilt in November 1960, having run 639,472 miles from new. It ran a further 128,865 miles in rebuilt form.



Boilers

During its working life it ran with boilers 1329, 1301, 1320 and finally 1266.

34058

34058 seen in rebuilt form at Exeter Central, with the Up ACE. It was probably an Summer Saturday section, as the ACE was almost always hauled by an MN. Photo: B.MILLS, COLLECTION-CLASSIC TRACTION.


Tenders

The loco ran with tender 3309, then 3311 and finally 3300, which was 'cut down' in November 1960.

Allocations

21C158 was shedded at Nine Elms until 1951 (except for a month at Stewarts Lane), and moved to Exmouth Junction as 34058 on 11th April 1951. It remained there for 12 years until moving to Eastleigh on 11th November 1963.

Disposal

It was withdrawn from Eastleigh on 15th October 1964, and stored there until 2 April 1965 when it was towed by 34006 Bude via Bath to Woodham Bros at Barry Docks in a convoy with three other Battle of Britain class Light Pacifics, 34073 249 Squadron, 34067 Tangmere and 34081 92 Squadron.