Saint Class Locomotives Gallery

Saint Class locomotive, 2947 Madresfield Court with gun fire damage, c.1940

This photograph of Saint Class locomotive, Madresfield Court, shows damage to the cab after it came under aircraft machine gun fire at Yarnbrook, near Westbury. Even though precautionary measures were put in place, some locomotives still came under fire. During the war drivers and firemen reported that some of the German fighter planes flew so close to their trains that they could see the swastika on the tail, and even a waving pilot. Quite often a German fighter plane would chase a train for miles, only to fly off and disappear into the clouds. It must have been a scary moment for those on board