The Battle of Britain/West Country Class was introduced by O.V.Bulleid in 1945. Today, it possibly represents the largest class of preserved locomotives, thanks to the fact that, when decommissioned, many of them were bought by Dai Woodham and were amongst the 213 locomotives from Barry Scrapyard sold to preservation societies and enthusiasts. 34067 Tangmere was one of these and is modelled here in BR livery with late decals on the tender. It was one of the Bulleid Pacifics which did not receive a rebuild by R.G.Jarvis (chief technical Assistant at Brighton Works) from 1956 onwards.
The locomotives were built as light versions of the Merchant Navy Class of 1941, for use on lighter built lines. They were 11 tons lighter. Their air-smooth casing earned them the nickname 'Spamcans'. Those with West Country names were for use in the Western Sector and those named after airfields and RAF squadrons were for use in the east of the Southern Region.