Railway Train Steam Locomotive Christmas Xmas Birthday Card featuring Southern Railway / B.R West Country Class engine at Tavistock, Devon from a painting by John Austin GRA

The doyen of a class that would eventually number over 100 locomotives, 21C101 'Exeter' entered traffic in June 1945 as a smaller version of OVS Bulleid's Merchant Navy Class Pacifics. Fitted with a number of innovations carried over from the earlier class, such a  chain driven valve gear and electric cab lighting, the class were at the cutting edge of steam design. The original batch of three locomotives would be supplemented at regular intervals during the last years of the Southern railway and into BR days.

In John Austin's Southern Railway Blank card, ideal for Christmas, Exeter is seen at Tavistock in her original "Spam Can" appearance with Malachite Green and Yellow lined livery.