Rebuilt ‘bb’ No. 34059 SIR ARCHIBALD SINCLAIR

It took nearly 30 years to restore Sir Archibald Sinclair, but just two years after it returned to steam in March 2009, the rebuilt ‘Battle of Britain’ was withdrawn with serious firebox problems and has remained out of service ever since. No. 34059 is the second most recent ‘Light Pacific’ to return to steam, moving under its own power for the first time since 1966 at the Bluebell Railway, the locomotive’s home ever since it left Barry scrapyard in 1979. Three decades previously, Sir Archibald Sinclair was based at Stratford, working the Eastern Region lines out of Liverpool Street and, on at least one occasion, was tasked with hauling the ‘Norfolkman’ between Liverpool Street and Norwich. Originally a Nine Elms engine, it was sent to Exmouth Junction in April 1951, ending up at Salisbury four years later, where it was withdrawn in May 1966. After just two years in traffic, stay problems on both sides of the lower firebox and cracks where the thermic syphons meet the crown sheet forced ‘Archie’s’ premature withdrawal from service in October 2011. It was decided that the most appropriate course of action would be complete renewal of the inner firebox. The new firebox is being built at SDR Engineering Ltd as part of a batch for other ‘Light Pacifics’ (see No. 21C123) and will be fitted to Sir Archibald Sinclair’s boiler - also at Buckfastleigh - before the whole assembly returns to the Bluebell for stay fitting. It is hoped that both of the Bluebell’s Bulleids will run together for the last two years of No. 34059’s boiler ticket.