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BR British Railways Steam Locomotive Bulldog Class 3443 Chaffinch at Taunton in 1948
Caught by the photographer looking into a low sun, Bulldog 4-4-0 No 3443 ‘Chaffinch is eking out its final days as west end station pilot at Taunton on 26th August 1948. Withdrawal came 9 months later in May 1949, terminating this engine’s 40 year career. Sister engine at Taunton, No 3444 ‘Cormorant’, kept the breed going there until it too was scrapped in June 1951. Beneath the grime, ‘Chaffinch’ is painted in unlined black which had been used at Swindon from early 1942 for all except top link express locomotives. (Safety valve bonnets were also painted over during the war years.)