Heritage Railway

How SLL came together…

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Southern Locomotive­s Ltd can trace its origins back to 1982, when the Port Line Locomotive Project rescued Merchant Navy No. 35027 from Barry scrapyard, completing its restoratio­n in just six years. The group then returned a second ex-Barry Bulleid, 257 Squadron, to steam in just two years for the 50th anniversar­y of the Battle of Britain in 1990.

SLL was formed in 1995 as a merger of the limited companies created to safeguard Port Line and 257 Squadron, together with Standard 2-6-4T No. 80104, and the P Class Project, which owned SECR 0-6-0T No. 178 at the Bluebell Railway.

Next to come on board were the Southern Pacific Rescue Group (which had saved Eddystone from Barry), Project 78 (restorers of 4MT tank No. 80078) and MN No. 35022 Holland-America Line, then the subject of a proposal to ‘unrebuild' it into original air-smoothed condition. The Manston Locomotive Preservati­on Society joined in 1998 with their ex-Barry Battle of Britain, No. 34070.

The P class was sold back to the Bluebell Railway in 2006, while Jeremy Hosking acquired Port Line and Holland-America Line in 2004, and Stewart Robinson purchased No. 80078 in 2012; it is currently at the Mid-Norfolk Railway.

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