30828 at Axminster in 1961

A scan from the original print.

E828 (BR 30828), was one of the S15 class of 25 heavy freight locomotives and was built in July 1927 at Eastleigh Locomotive Works. Although designed for freight haulage, E828 and its classmates also hauled frequent stop local passenger trains when needed.

This loco was withdrawn from service by British Railways in January 1964 and after a few months in storage at Salisbury it was sold for scrap to the Woodham’s Brother in Barry, south Wales and arrived there in June 1964. As with most locos (200+) sent to the same scrapyard it was eventually rescued for preservation and left there in March 1981 for restoration at Eastleigh Works. However, due to having to re-machine or replace most components restoration was not completed until 1993 and was then based on the Swanage Railway in Dorset. For the next nine years E828 was kept busy and was regularly seen on the national network hauling railtours until its boiler ticket expired in 2002. During that time it was probably my most photographed locomotive.