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|image = TawValley Eardington 1809201534027_20200912.jpg|caption = 34027 Taw Valley at Hay Bridge in 2015Bridgnorth (2020)

|othernos = SR 21C127

'''34027 Taw Valley ''' is a SR West Country Class 4-6-2 'Pacific' designed by Oliver (O.V.S.) Bulleid, CME of the Southern Railway (SR). Lighter in weight than their sister locomotives, the Merchant Navy class, they could be used on a wide variety of routes including in the south-west of England and the Kent coast. They were a mixed-traffic design, being used for both passenger and freight trains, and were rated 7P6F by British Railways. Originally built with innovative features including air-smoothed casings and chain-driven valve gear, many of the locomotives including 34027 were rebuilt by British Railways in the late 1950s.

Taw Valley was built in 1946 at the SR’s Brighton Works and named after a river in Devon. It was originally allocated to Ramsgate where it The locomotive entered service in April 1946 as SR number [[UIC classification | 21C127]]. It was originally allocated to Ramsgate where it worked London to Kent expresses. In 1947 Taw Valley moved to Exmouth Junction, working mainly in Devon and Cornwall. The Here the locomotive would have hauled named trains such as the ‘Atlantic Coast Express’ and ‘Devon Belle’. Taw Valley was re-numbered 34027 by BR in April 1948 as part of the re-numbering programme following nationalisation.<ref>[http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=locodata&type=S&id=346201027&loco=21C127 BRDatabase]</ref>

In 1947 September 1957 Taw Valley moved became the second member of the class to be rebuilt at BR's works at Eastleigh to Exmouth Junctiona more conventional design set out by Ron Jarvis, working mainly in Devon and Cornwall<ref group=note>Jarvis succeeded Oliver Bulleid as manager of the Brighton Works on the Southern Region of the newly nationalised British Railways.</ref> who had already been responsible for similar rebuilds to the Merchant Navy class. Here Following this rebuild the locomotive would have hauled named trains such as was allocated to the ‘Atlantic Coast Express’ and ‘Devon Belle’Bricklayers Arms depot in south-east London, working services to Kent. In 1957, after being rebuilt After the lines were electrified, Taw Valley 34027 moved to the Southeast and worked Brighton in May 1961 to work commuter services from Brightonthere. Following transfer to Salisbury in September 1963, Taw Valley was withdrawn from service by BR in August 1964 <ref name=SB8>SVR Stock Book Eight Edition</ref> and towed to [[Barry Scrapyard]], arriving there in December 1964<ref name=BarryList>[[Bibliography#Other References|Beckett & Hardingham (2010)]] pp. 66, 85.<br/ref>.

After being saved from Taw Valley became the 112th locomotive to leave Barry, Taw Valley’s restoration began elsewherewhen departing in April 1980. <ref name=BarryList/> The locomotive was initially privately purchased for use on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, but moved to the SVR East Lancashire Railway at Bury in November 1982 where restoration began in earnest.<ref group="note">The Barry List also refers to a move to Hull after the NYMR.</ref> In August of 1985 by her the SVR announced that agreement had been reached with then owners, owner Bert Hitchen for the locomotive to move to the SVR where restoration to main line standard would be completed by the SVR as a contract job. It was then anticipated that the locomotive would become resident while working both on the SVR and Brian Cooke[[The Severn Valley Railway on the main line | on the main line]]. <ref name=SVR77>SVR News 77, 78</ref>

Restoration The locomotive arrived by road at Bridgnorth on 18 August 1985,<ref name=SB8/> becoming the SVR's first Southern Region pacific (an earlier [[Tales from the Severn Valley#The 'Bodmin' Fund|attempt to acquire classmate 34016 Bodmin for the railway]] having been thwarted). At the time the tender was complete, everything above the frame level having been newly built, while the boiler was at the re-tubing stage.<ref name=SVR77/> Part of the restoration involved forging and machining new connecting rods, the originals having long since vanished. A steam test was successfully completed in April 1987,<ref>SVR News 83, 84</ref> and restoration was completed in October 1987 when trial running began; the locomotive also worked several trains with fare paying passengers on board. The Final painting began in February 1988, and the locomotive entered service in June 1998, 1988 with a formal re-naming ceremony taking place on 4 June<ref>SVR News 88, 89</ref>.34027 then worked every weekend until the winter season to allow as many of the footplate staff as possible to experience the new locomotive; highlights included lifting 16 coaches out of Bridgnorth with no difficulty during the [[Autumn Steam Gala]]. In spring 1981 34027 was examined by BR inspectors and declared mechanically fit for main line working apart from the tender wheels which were deemed to be below scrapping size.<ref>SVR News 90, 91</ref>

Following a loaded test run from Derby to Sheffield and back in on 12 May 1989, Taw Valley spent was then rostered for a good deal summer season of excursions on the 'North Wales Coast Express' between Crewe and Holyhead. During a press run from Crewe on 20 June, the locomotive suffered a slightly bent radius rod. After this was disconnected the locomotive completed the journey at a modest 50 mph. Repairs were completed within a week and the locomotive went on to produce a series of excellent performances Taw Valley returned in time for the September [[The Severn Autumn Steam Gala]] but was then requested at short notice by BR to run the Marylebone steam programme from early November until the end of March 1990.<ref>SVR News 93, 94</ref> Taw Valley Railway on returned in time to take part in the April 1990 [[Spring Steam Gala]]. Sunday 13 May saw the normal summertime Table C timetable in use, requiring 5 steam locomotives. Only later was it pointed out that the main line SVR had unknowingly achieved a ‘full house’ by rostering [[GWR Small Prairie 4566|GWR 4566]], SR 34027 Taw Valley, [[LMS Ivatt Class 2 46443|LMS 46443]], [[61994 The Great Marquess|LNER 3442 The Great Marquess]] and [[BR Riddles 4MT 75069| on the main lineBR Standard 75069]] as well as on the SVRsame day. This included regular excursions on the Another summer season of 'North Wales Coast Express followed. On return, a weep was found on one of the thermic syphons which was repaired in 1989 and time for the Autumn Steam Gala. The locomotive also worked the 1990Santa Services, although managing to run out of coal on the first weekend.<ref>SVR News 96, and 97, 98</ref> Taw Valley set off for a season on the Welsh Marches Express in February 1991. In summer 1991, of that year SVR News announced that Taw Valley was ''unlikely to return to the SVR after its current commitments''<ref>SVR News 99</ref>, and in winter 1991 the locomotive had moved to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. <ref>SVR News 101</ref> A brief return to the SVR took place between July and early September 1992<ref>SVR News 103</ref>, following which the locomotive again left the Railway.Taw Valley's last main line working was in March 1994, and by 1995 the locomotive was undergoing a full overhaul at the NYMR.<ref>SVR News 115</ref>

Following overhaul, Taw Valley underwent a test run on the main line in late 1996, during which the middle cylinder liner suffered damage. Repairs required the removal of the old liner, re-boring of the cylinder block, and installing and re-boring a new liner.<ref>SVR News 121</ref> The new cylinder liner was machined at the SVR as a contract job during 1998.<ref>SVR News 127</ref> By 2000, Taw Valley was again working on the main line, notably appearing around the country that year in maroon livery as ‘Hogwarts Express’ 'Hogwarts Express' to publicise the Harry Potter books which were then being published.  Taw Valley arrived back on the SVR on 11 April 2001 having been put up for sale by Bert Hitchen and acquired by long-standing SVR member Phil Swallow via [[Taw Valley Limited]]. The locomotive soon became a regular on SVR services and took part in the 2001 Autumn Steam Gala, still in 'Hogwarts Express' livery.<ref>SVR News 136, 137, 138</ref> Taw Valley returned briefly to the main line, working main line tours either side of Christmas.

In March 2002 Taw Valley appeared at the Spring Steam Gala running as 34045 Ottery St. Mary. The locomotive arrived back on then spent nearly two months during the summer in the SVR on 11 April 2001, having been put up for sale by Bert Hitchen and acquired by long-standing SVR member Phil Swallow. The boiler was reshop in a semi stripped-stayed within this ticket during down state with the summer cab removed to enable two thirds of 1982the boiler stays to be replaced. Despite a major effort, the Locomotive Department were just unable to complete the work in time for the Autumn Steam Gala.<ref>SVR News 140, 141</ref>.

Main line running with periodic returns to the SVR continued until May 2005. This included a number of rail tours in which the locomotive ran as sister locomotive 34045 Ottery St Mary. In March 2004 Taw Valley made a 2-week visit to the West Somerset Railway during which during which it was successively renumbered and re-named 34022 Exmoor and 34046 Braunton.<ref>SVR News 147</ref> The locomotive also appeared in the Autumn Steam Gala of 2005 as 34036 Westward Ho, the last gala appearance before going out of ticket.<ref>SVR News 152</ref>.

<div id="MainLine"></div>As noted above, Taw Valley spend spent considerable periods of time on the main line during both her first and second boiler tickets. The table below has been compiled from various sources including Six Bells Junction, UK Steam and SVR News. However it may not be complete.

|30 Dec 1989|| The Thames-Avon || Marylebone - Stratford + return || || [http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/891230fs.htm SBJ] ||95-37

Taw Valley’s heavy overhaul had begun by the spring of 2006, with the locomotive being fully stripped down within eight weeks.<ref>SVR News 153</ref>. This The overhaul required a new left-hand cylinder to be cast.<ref>SVR News 155, 160</ref> Work on the boiler at Pridham's in Devon involved building an almost complete inner firebox and replacing most of the outer box.<ref>SVR News 165</ref> The overhaul continued to make steady progress and was eventually completed in time for Taw Valley to re-enter service on 16 May 2015, hauling an incoming "British Pullman" rail tour consisting of 12 coaches and a Class 67 diesel from Bewdley to Bridgnorth,<ref>I. Walker, "Steam Locomotive Notes", ''SVR News'' 190 (2015) p. 28</ref> and an SVR service from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster. Taw Valley is the only SVR steam locomotive, apart from 600 Gordon, equipped to work with air braked rolling stock.However the locomotive is no longer registered to work on the main line (the owner sold [[Carriages formerly resident on the SVR|support coach 35479]] in 2015 around the time the locomotive re-entered service). It has also not [[SVR-based locomotives visiting other events|appeared at another railway]] since that time. Taw Valley is currently in BR Green livery featuring the ‘Late Crest’. The coat of arms on her name plate were not carried in service. At the end of 2019, 34027 had recorded a total of 82,767 miles in preservation on the SVR. The reported total may include mileage on the main line and on hire to other railways<ref>SVR News 210, SVR-based Steam Locomotive Mileage 2017-2019, Duncan Ballard</ref>.<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">File:34027_20161204.jpg| Taw Valley at [[Safari Park|Safari Park Curve]] with a [[Christmas services|Santa service]] in December 2016</gallery> ==Notes==<references group="note"/>

*[[Steam Locomotives]] <br>*[[The Severn Valley Railway on the main line]]*[[SVR-based locomotives visiting other events]]*[[Locomotive numbering|Locomotives running under different identities]]

*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR_West_Country_and_Battle_of_Britain_classes SR West Country and Battle of Britain class locomotives on Wikipedia]*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Bulleid Oliver Bulleid on Wikipedia]*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Jarvis Ron Jarvis on Wikipedia]

[[Category:Locomotives at Bridgnorth]] [[Category:Featured articles]]