Oliver Bulleid's Pacifics were perhaps the most controversial steam
locomotives ever built in Britain. They seem to been loved and
loathed in equal measure and the debate over their strengths and
weaknesses took on a new dimension when BR decided to modify them
in the 1950s. It was argued that they were too costly to operate
and maintain, by comparison to other types available. Their time
out of service, due to breakdowns, was also increasing to an
unacceptable level, and some of Bulleid's innovations were believed
to be more hindrance than help. Rightly or wrongly BR were faced
with a costly scrap and build programme or seek to make the engines
more reliable. To Ron Jarvis, an engineer of note, fell the job of
saving Bulleid's enigmatic locomotives in a bid to satisfy the
demands of the service. And he displayed a master's touch in the
programme that followed, saving the best of Bulleid's work and
adopting 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draws on previously unpublished material to describe their gradual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 programme.
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