Locomotives

4277 HERCULES
Photo by Mark Wilkins

Built December 1920 in Swindon. Withdrawn British Railways 1964

Technical Details

7827 LYDHAM MANOR
Photo by Peter Roach

Built December 1950 in Swindon. Withdrawn British Railways 1966

The ‘Manors’ were the smallest and lightest of the Great Western Railway’s 4-6-0 and were built for use on secondary lines such as the North Wales Cambrian Coast. The original design for the Manors was made in 1938, but there was an order for ten more to be built in 1950. 7827 is an example of the later batch and though un-mistakably a GWR 4-6-0 it is actually a British Railways locomotive.

In 1966 Lydham went to Woodhams yard in Barry and was rescued in 1970 and went to Newton Abbot for restoration. 7827 made a return to service in 1973, ready for the first main season of the then Torbay Steam Railway, now the Dart Valley Railway.

Lydham’s claim to fame is that it once hauled the royal train in the late 1950’s, with its sister, 7828 Odney Manor.

Technical Details

75014 BRAVEHEART
Photo by Mark Wilkins

Built December 1951 in Swindon. Withdrawn British Railways 1966

The British Railway 4-6-0 standard class 4 was built for use on the Western, Midland and Southern regions of the recently nationalised rail network. They were extremely versatile mixed traffic locos, frequently used on passenger duties.

75014 was allocated to a number of Midland region sheds during its short life and 1964 saw it allocated to Shrewsbury from where it was withdrawn and sent to Barry scrap yard in December 1966. In Barry scrap yard for fourteen years, it rotted and donated parts to other locos, until it was brought as a wreck in 1981. A four man syndicate based on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway brought it back to steam in 1994. The syndicate decided to sell the loco in 2002 and the Dart Valley Railway were fortunate to become the new owners.

For four consecutive years, 1995-98, it was the mainstay of the “Jacobite” tourist train from Fort William. After a missing a year it returned in 2000 when it was named Braveheart, in recognition of the Mel Gibson film, which was shot in the West Highlands.  The boiler is currently being overhauled at Crewe and work should start on the servicing of the frames in the near future.

Technical Details

D7535 MERCURY
Photo by Mark Wilkins

Built in 1962 for British Rail.

The class 25 diesels were designed for freight work but a large number were fitted with steam heating boilers, allowing them to be used on passenger trains all year. Throughout the 70’s they could be found at work across the whole of the British Rail network, but the changing face of the rail system in the 1980’s made them surplus to needs. The last of its class was withdrawn from service in March 1987.

Technical Details

5239 GOLIATH
Photo by Mark Wilkins

Built August 1924 in Swindon

Withdrawn British Railways 1963

This class of locomotive was designed for use on heavy coal trains in the Welsh valleys, although two of the class were allocated to St Blazey in Cornwall for china clay traffic. 5239 was based at Neath for all of its working life being withdrawn from there in 1963 and sent to Barry scrap yard.

Technical Details

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