R30455 BR MERCHANT NAVY CLASS 'SHAW SAVILL' No 21C9 (VE DAY 80th ANNIVERSARY)

Hornby’s SR Merchant Navy Class 21C9 ‘Shaw Savill’, finished in black wartime livery, is an exceptional addition to the Victory over Europe 80th Anniversary Collection. This powerful locomotive OO model, with its sleek lines and impressive design, is DCC-ready, equipped with a 21-pin socket to easily accommodate digital control.

With its distinctive style and historical significance, ‘Shaw Savill’ is a must-have for collectors and enthusiasts looking to bring a piece of wartime rail history to their layouts.

History

Built at Eastleigh Works, this locomotive entered traffic in July 1942 as one Oliver Bulleid’s unconventional air-smoothed ‘Pacifics’ and named after Shaw Savill Line of London, a well-known merchant shipping company at the time. Turned out in Southern Railway black with green-shaded ‘Sunshine’ lettering, the locomotive was painted into traditional malachite green after hostilities ended. 

Renumbered to 35009 in August 1949 under British Railways following nationalisation the previous year, it was rebuilt in 1957 to a more conventional design and was allocated to Exmouth Junction, from where it was withdrawn in September 1964.