Steam train at Victoria station
Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria.
(Photos/words © urban75, 30th June 2007)
A steam locomotive in Victoria station!
![Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria station, London, 30th June 2007](images/victoria-steam-train-01.jpg)
Station concourse.
![Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria station, London, 30th June 2007](images/victoria-steam-train-02.jpg)
Built at Eastleigh locomotive works in 1948, the Clan Line 35028 is a Southern Railway rebuilt Merchant Navy 4-6-2 class locomotive.
![Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria station, London, 30th June 2007](images/victoria-steam-train-03.jpg)
The locomotive used to head up heavy trains on the main routes to the South East Channel ports, including glamourous-sounding expresses like the 'Golden Arrow' and 'The Night Ferry'.
![Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria station, London, 30th June 2007](images/victoria-steam-train-04.jpg)
Woman in a lively hat watches blokes oiling the loco.
![Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria station, London, 30th June 2007](images/victoria-steam-train-05.jpg)
Old folks having a go on the footplate.
![Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria station, London, 30th June 2007](images/victoria-steam-train-06.jpg)
Crowd of young and old around the loco.
![Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria station, London, 30th June 2007](images/victoria-steam-train-07.jpg)
Steaming tender and carriage.
![Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria station, London, 30th June 2007](images/victoria-steam-train-08.jpg)
The engine was painted in early British Railways colours.
In the early 1960s the loco headed exotic sounding trains like the Bournemouth Belle and the Atlantic Coast Express, unofficially notching up 104 mph passing Axminster in 1961.
![Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria station, London, 30th June 2007](images/victoria-steam-train-09.jpg)
Passengers checking out the train.
![Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive, No. 35028 Clan Line at Victoria station, London, 30th June 2007](images/victoria-steam-train-10.jpg)
Getting ready to back the engine out of the station, nearly thirty years after 35028 was retired from British Railways after hauling a farewell special from Waterloo to Bournemouth and back.
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