A stunning collection of mostly previously unpublished photographs of one of the most iconic locomotives of all time - the SR Merchant navy class, better known as the Bulleid Pacifics.

This British Railways history recounts the life of a controversial steam engine and its miraculous transformation at the hands of a brilliant engineer. As Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway, Oliver Bulleid designed what were perhaps the most controversial steam locomotives ever built in Britain: the Pacifics. Loved and loathed in equal measure, the debate over their strengths and weaknesses took on a new dimension when British Railways decided to modify them in the 1950s. When noted engineer Ron Jarvis was charged with improving on Bulleid’s designs, he displayed a master’s touch, saving the best of Bulleid’s work while incorporating other established design principles. What emerged was described by Bert Spencer, Gresley’s talented assistant, as taking ‘a swan and creating a soaring eagle.’ This book explores all the elements of the lives of these Pacifics and their two designers. It draws on previously unpublished material to describe their gradual evolution, which didn’t start or finish with the 1950s major rebuilding program.

Echoing the format and character of the Haynes Great Cars Series, this new, highly detailed, colorful series dealing with individual and important classes of steam locomotive. This is it to be the ultimate book for lovers of these iconic locos with their distinctive ‘air-smoothed’ form. As well as detailing the history of the class, the book will also take a very close look at the surviving examples and use extensive close-up and scenic imagery of them.

A classic title of particular interest to all Southern Railway enthusiasts, the latest reprint in the popular 'Power Series'. Covers the Bulleid Pacific locomotives - temperamental, troublesome, expensive to run and complete with many well-documented shortcomings, the Pacifics were still magnificent machines in action.

A history of the man who served as Chief Mechanical Engineer for the Southern Railway and the many locomotives he developed. Oliver Bulleid’s locomotives guides the reader in the quest to understand what motivated Mr Bulleid in his work as a senior engineer and manager, and tries, with as little bias as is reasonable, to make sense of some of the more controversial aspects of his activities. For example, why did OVB not pursue the ideal of a 2-8-2 for the Southern Railway? How did the ‘Leader’ project go so much out of control? What role did Bulleid play in the massive dieselization program in Ireland when he was CME there? How did the 0-6-6-0T turf-burning steam locomotive fit in with Ireland’s traction policy, or did it? And why did ninety of his steam locomotives and ninety-four of ‘his’ diesels have to be rebuilt to make them either more economical or more reliable? These are fundamental questions to which the book provides the reader with answers based on the author’s experiences or on those of people who knew Bulleid. OVB’s undoubted successes are illustrated in words and photographs, too, to provide a hopefully balanced picture of one of Britain’s more exciting railway engineers. “This book is a well written overview of the Bulleid era, by a competent engineer who can express himself in layman’s terms.” —Martin Shill, Industrial Railway Society “The book deserves a place on the bookshelf of every student of locomotives, especially Bulleid's By current standards, it is good value, and it was a pleasure to examine it.” —The Railway Observer