‘MERCHANT NAVY’ No. 35025 BROCKLEBANK LINE
It is somewhat unfair to describe ‘Merchant Navy’ No. 35025 Brocklebank Line as a ‘rust in peace’ engine. Unlike the other locomotives covered in this series, the rebuilt Bulleid ‘Pacific’ has actually been the subject of restoration work.
Nonetheless, looking at it now, you could easily believe this engine was essentially still in ex-Barry condition, but that it escaped Dai Woodham’s scrapyard at all is a story in itself.
In July 1980, the hitherto plentiful supply of redundant wagons – which had ensured the prolonged survival of the locomotives stored at the docks – dried up, and Dai Woodham announced that he would scrap the remaining locomotives that had not already been reserved for preservation.
Brocklebank Line had been earmarked for destruction after ‘Large Prairie’ No. 4156 and single-chimney ‘9F’ No. 92085, both of which fell victim to the cutter’s torch, but before the workforce could turn their attentions to No. 35025, they departed for their annual fortnight’s holiday; by the time they returned, the supply of wagons had resumed and the ‘Merchant Navy’ was reprieved.
This close call prompted enthusiasts into action. Keith Marshall, who was already involved with a number of groups campaigning to save the remaining Bulleids at Barry, spearheaded a crusade to preserve No. 35025, which was purchased for £8,500 in November 1985.
Initially planned to live at what is now the Northampton & Lamport Railway, Brocklebank Line instead found a home at the Great Central Railway, where initial restoration was undertaken. Progress suffered a body blow in early 2005 when the Brocklebank Line Association was given notice to quit the GCR to make way for the railway’s then planned northward extension. After two years of trying to find a home, Brocklebank Line eventually moved to its current base at Sellindge in November 2007. Three weeks before the move, however, the locomotive was dealt a further blow when a number of parts, including the injectors, were stolen from the GCR.
Sellindge has been home to multiple Bulleids over the years, and its present tenants include No. 35025’s classmate No. 35011 General Steam Navigation, as well as one of only two surviving Bulleid ‘4DD’ EMU cars. While No. 35011 is now the subject of an extensive restoration project, Brocklebank Line has “been in hibernation for many years now,” says BLA chairman Brian Seddon.
The boiler remains separated from the locomotive and sits on the ground alongside, half-covered in bushes. The cab, newly built during the engine’s time at the GCR, is also gradually being taken over by weeds, as is the adjacent tender tank. Ambitious plans for steam-hauled main line trips between London and Folkestone over the now-closed Folkestone Harbour branch also came to nothing.
What future awaits No. 35025? Now aged 75, Brian says: “It is unlikely that I will have either the physical energy or the financial reserves to complete full restoration to main line standard, though that would certainly be my goal.”
All hope is not lost however, as at least one party is reportedly interested in acquiring and restoring the beleaguered ‘Merchant’. So, will it ever return to steam? Only time – and money – will tell.