20001: A SOUTHERN ODYSSEY
OLIVER Bulleid’s reputation is one of a restless genius, the flair of his designs sometimes exceeding their functionality, never content with simply refining tried and tested methods.
His career features a series of innovative, arguably eccentric, experiments such as the air-smoothed casing of his wartime ‘mixed traffic’ (and subsequently ‘8P’ classification) ‘Merchant Navy’ Pacifics, their challenging chain-driven and oil bath valve gear components, attempts to breach new ground for steam traction with his ‘Leader’ locomotives, or the turf (peat) burners of his subsequent Irish peregrination. ‘Predictability’ was not a word with which he has ever been associated.
While Spitfires were winning vicious dog-fights above Southern Railway metals, Bulleid was competing for scarce manufacturing resources to build his new steam locomotives.
A novel electric locomotive was also being developed at Ashford Works for use on the Southern’s third rail system, but one which could achieve little more than the steam locomotives being manufactured almost in parallel.
Unappreciated
To your author, then a schoolboy in 1950s’ Yorkshire, the presence of such strange Southern prodigies as the Southern electrics that were eventually numbered 20001 to 20003 remained unappreciated. There was more awareness of the LMS Nos. 10000/1, which ranged much further afield.
Had I been asked to guess the mainstay motive power of the daytime London Victoria to Newhaven Harbour boat train, I would have to admit that one of Bulleid’s prototype Co-Co 1,470hp straight electric locomotives would not have crossed my mind. Neither would I have been close to estimating the load as being well into the teens of vehicles.
Nevertheless the propulsion systems, which had been devised by electrical engineer Alfred Raworth for use within Bulleid-designed bodywork and bogies, proved equal to such tasks. Even in later years, my only experience of the Newhaven to Dieppe channel crossing was
