257 Squadron

"*When's Lunch?*"
— 257 Squadron

* **Class**: SR Battle of Britain Class
* **Designer**: Oliver Bulleid
* **Build date**: 1948
* **Configuration**: 4-6-2
* **Arrived on the DR**: 1954, returned 1964
* **Left the DR**: 1957

**257 Squadron**, known by almost everyone as "257", is a large express locomotive who lives on the Dark Railway.

## Bio

### Service with British Railways

257 Squadron was built in the spring of April 1948 at Brighton Works. While he was based in Bournemouth, he chose to spend time with his brothers such as Tangmere, Sir Keith Park, and Anti Aircraft Command, but often ignored his younger brother, Sir Eustace Missenden, whom he found overly pompous and rather boring at the time.

As well as his brothers, he also made good friends with two other engines stationed at Bournemouth: A Standard Class 5MT called "Kyle" and a Maunsell N15 called "Sir Mador de la Porte" (also known as De la Trip). The last engine would give 257 Squadron a great insight into the past of the Southern Railway, making 257 wish he had been built earlier to have seen the heyday of the Southern Railway.

In 1954, 257 Squadron was brought to the Dark Railway, and proved to be quite popular with the locals and enginemen alike. Unfortunately, one cold misty night in 1957, he was involved in a nasty accident at Axley. He was taking a ballast train to Galen Junction when another engine, James, collided with the back of his train, having missed a red signal. James was damaged beyond repair and scrapped. Later that year, 257 left the DR to continue working for British Railways.

### Preservation

257 was withdrawn in 1964, not wanting to be scrapped he decided to go on the run. He chose to return to the Dark Railway, but was spotted by Eustace as he passed Galen Junction, though he didn't recognise his brother due to his rebuilt form. He was spotted the next night at Merecombe Gasworks by Eddie, prompting the other engines to launch a search party. Eustace discovered him at Merecombe Industrial Estate, and when 257 explained his situation, Mr. Dark allowed him to stay on the DR.

257 quickly became popular with the other engines, but Eustace became rather jealous, and this culminated one night with Eustace declaring that he didn't care if 257 was scrapped. The following day, a group of men and their diesel, Howard, arrived at Galen Junction looking for 257. Still angry with his brother, Eustace revealed his location to the men and they tracked him down at Merecombe, intent on taking him away to Barry Island. Fortunately, Eustace realised the error of his ways and alerted Mr. Dark, who offered to buy 257 outright from BR. The men agreed, and 257 became a permanent DR resident.

A few months later, 257 was chosen to pull a football special, but ended up wrecking his valve gear as he was leaving Merecombe. He was the last engine captured by Leanne as part of her revenge scheme against the Dark Railway, but the coupling between them snapped, allowing 257 to escape and rescue the other engines. In 1967, when he learned that steam engines and privately owned diesels were now banned from the mainline, but Raymond was allowed to run express trains to London, he planned to sabotage the trial run by failing himself at Walschurch, but the plan was thwarted by Brian, who was present at the time. He was severely scolded by Mr. Dark for this and sent away for repairs, but 257 learned his lesson, and was forgiven upon his return.

In 1968, 257 was withdrawn from service with numerous problems, including requiring new thermic siphons. One day, while waiting in the back of the sheds, he spotted the recent new arrival, Repulse, muttering about previous events that the Dark Railway engines had been involved with. Not understanding how she could know them, 257 called Repulse over and, after a brief interrogation, discovered that she was, in fact, Leanne. After revealing her plans to him, she proceeded to drag 257 to Merecombe station and push him through the headshunt and over the cliff. He landed in the Industrial Estate, where he was found by Dave and Hannah. Warning them about Leanne, but just failing to mention her name, 257 succumbed to his injuries, with his spirit moving on to Pogo's Locker.

He awoke with Dave, who had also managed to get himself killed in the Gasworks Tunnel collapse, in an empty foggy space. Here, they encountered Pogo, who, despite his anger at the pair for getting themselves killed, agreed to send them back to earlier in the day, ordering 257 to fix everything. Once he had been sent back, he alerted the nearby Ed and told him everything once he had moved him to the carriage shed. They followed Leanne to the Industrial Estate and led Dave and Hannah away. Leanne tried to give chase, but derailed in the tunnel herself, crushing herself in the process.

257 was very pleased with his work, but he began to suffer nightmares about his experience. He also remained worried about his condition, until he was informed that he would be taken to Caracus Smash's yard to be repaired. He left for the yard, alongside Eustace and Ed, in the summer of 1969. 257 returned to the DR in October 1971, now repainted into his original malachite green, and was rostered onto the dining service, "The Ventura". Shortly after his return, he had a run-in with a multiple unit the engines called Clarence, and was present to see him get his comeuppance. In 1972, 257 learned of plans to send himself, Eustace and Caracus Smash out to pull charter trains on the mainline. He and Caracus tried to outperform each other in order to be able to pull the first train, but ended up humiliating himself in the process and lost out to Eustace.

Later that year, 257's old friend De la Trip arrived on the railway. Although he was pleased to see him, De la Trip quickly made himself unpopular by causing a major argument in the sheds about the lack of Southern engines on the railway. When Eustace revealed to De la Trip that 257 was actually built by British Railways, he was outraged, as 257 had previously told him he had been built by the Southern. Confronting him about his deceit, the N15 proceeded to disown 257 as a friend, much to his dismay. 257 tried to make amends with De la Trip for weeks afterwards, but to no avail. When he finally snapped at 257 and declared that he wished he had never been built, Mr. B told him that De la Trip had been lying to him since they had first met, revealing that, contrary to his past claims, De la Trip was actually built in Glasgow. This revelation devastated 257. Eventually, however, he decided to forgive De la Trip along with Eustace. When Clyde gained the ability to shapeshift into different forms, he tricked 257 by disguising himself as Hannah and starting to flirt with him, making him both uncomfortable and furious when he realised what was happening. He also jumped to De la Trip's defence when Clyde started picking on him during this time. When Clyde continued to pick on him some time later, 257 and Eustace confronted him on the matter again, with 257 turning aggressive and threatening Clyde if he kept at it. When Clyde turned his ire on Colossus, the pair confronted him once again, only backing off when Warrior intervened.

257 and Clyde did not speak much after these events, but after both failed at Galen Junction in the midst of a panic over Colossus' "unlucky" number, the pair began to make amends. In 1979, 257 longed for a chance to go back onto the mainline and explore elsewhere once again, and Zeke agreed to send him and Eustace on loan to the North Western Railway.

## Persona

257 Squadron is generally a friendly engine, but can be prone to bouts of jealousy in his fellow engines.

He now has a close relationship with his younger brother, Eustace, whom he is most often seen with. Though the two engines have their disagreements, the brothers care very much about one another, and always attempt to make amends with each other.

257 speaks with an excited affliction, always seeming overly optimistic and thrilled with whatever he happens to be saying. He also has a keen eye for detail, believing to be very good at reading other engine's personalities. He also fancies himself as a bit of an investigator, revelling in mysteries and odd goings on.

## Livery

257 Squadron is painted in British Railways malachite green with sunshine yellow lining and "British Railways" on his tender. For most of his life both in service and on the Dark Railway, he has worn BR lined green with both the early and then late crest's. When he returned from repairs in 1967, he briefly carried Dark Railway green with white and black lining, but this was removed the following year, as Mr Dark did not like it.

## Basis

257 Squadron is based on a Southern Railway Battle of Britain Class 4-6-2, known as the "Bulleid Light Pacifics". The real No. 34072 *257 Squadron* has been preserved and is currently running at the Swanage Railway. The real engine unlike the loco in TDRS wears BR lined green with the late crest.

## Appearances

### The Dark Railway Series

Episodes:

* Series 1 - Will and Won't (*cameo*)
* Series 3 - 257 Squadron, Tender Moments of Tender Engines, BR Blues, Football Shortfalls, Poor Leno (*mentioned*), Who Goes There? and Revenge of the Forgotten
* Series 4 - Cammer, Colin and Cows, Owen's Woes (*does not speak*), Tender Tantrum, The Big Bad Wolf, Turbo (*mentioned*), Trucks and Instant Crush
* Series 5 - What a Catch!, Abomination, Haunted Hannah (*does not speak*), Ed and Sid, Claim to Fame, Repulse, Time Waits for No One and Time Waits for No One, Part 2
* Series 6 - Ouverture, Trepid, Fustercluck (*does not speak*), Ed, Ed and Eddie and Plunk 'n Bang
* Series 7 - Futura (*mentioned*), Smashing! (*mentioned*), The Red Herring (*mentioned*), Mothership Reconnection (*mentioned*), What a Clarence! and The Man in Overalls (*mentioned*)
* Series 8 - One More Time, De la Trip, Face to Face, Time Waster, Short Circuit (*mentioned*), Autumn (*cameo*) and Outro (*does not speak*)
* Series 9 - Rock Shock, Extend Extra, Wipeout and Shapeshifter
* Series 10 - 101, Body Angels (*mentioned*), Tunnel Vision, The Road to Bellgrave, Coaled Weight, Dirty Colossus, Quack Attack (*cameo*) and Buckin' Hell (*cameo*)
* Series 11 - Relations, Quatro, Feel It (*mentioned*) and Chord Memory (*mentioned*)
* Series 12 - 1202 (*mentioned*)

Specials:

* The Aspergers Flyer
* You Bang Snowploughs (*cameo*)

## Trivia

* 257 Squadron is Dark DJ's favourite real life preserved steam locomotive.
* Originally, 257 Squadron was to appear in the first series, but time constraints and other story arcs prevented this happening until Series 3.
* He is often known by his unusal nickname of "Two Five Seven". Thus, he is the only engine in the series to be referred to by a number, rather than a proper name, until the Introduction of Five.
* He is one of the only main characters in the series to be based on a real preserved locomotive.
* 257 Squadron is one of four known Bulleid pacific's to survive in the Dark Railway series, the other engines being: 34029 Lundy, 34051 Winston Churchill & 34090 Sir Eustace Missenden. 257 is also one of two known Dark Railway series surviving unrebuilt Battle of Britain pacific's, the other being 34051 Winston Churchill, Lundy and Eustace are rebuilt engines.
* 257 Squadron's departure from the Dark Railway to the North Western Railway was in preperation for Bossman Games's future model for the unrebuilt light pacific's. 257 is expected to appear in his new model form on his return to the Dark Railway.