malachite green, with yellow/black lining, and sunshine yellow lettering. Some of the class (Nos. 782 and 800, Sir Brian and Sir Persant) did not receive this livery. British Railways British Railways gave the class the power classification of 5P after nationalisation in 1948. For the first 18 months the locomotives sported a transitional livery: Southern Railway malachite green with "BRITISH RAILWAYS" on the tender in sunshine yellow lettering. As each member of the class became due for a heavy general overhaul, they were repainted in the new standard British Railways express passenger livery of Brunswick green with orange and black lining from April 1949. Initially, the British Railways "Cycling Lion" crest was located on the tender, replaced from the 1957 by the later "Ferret and Dartboard" crest. Numbering was initially a continuation of the Southern Railway system, though an 'S' prefix was added to denote a pre-nationalisation locomotive, so that No. 448 would become No. s448. As each locomotive became due for overhaul and received its new livery, the numbering was changed to the British Railways standard numbering system, in the series 30448–30457 for the first ten and 30736–30806 for the rest. Operational assessment and preservation After the poor steaming of the Urie batch was addressed, the class proved popular amongst crews, mechanically reliable and capable of high speeds. However, their heavy hammerblow at speed meant that they were prone to rough riding and instability. The two Maunsell batches with their streamlined steam passages and better draughting arrangements were superior in performance, and were a popular choice when Bulleid's locomotives were unavailable. Their use of standard parts considerably eased maintenance, and the fitting of different tender and cab sizes meant few operational restrictions for the class on mainline routes. The class gave many years of service, and were noted for their ability to "do the job". The electrification of the Eastern and Central sections and the increasing number of Bulleid Pacifics in service meant the lack of a suitable role for the class under British Railways ownership. In spite of the reduction in work, high mileages were obtained with No. 30745 Tintagel achieving in service. The decision to preserve a member of the class was made in November 1960. It was first intended to preserve the King Arthur class doyen No. 30453 King Arthur, and it was stored for a time after withdrawal in 1961 pending restoration to museum condition.