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==4566 in service==
4566 was built in Swindon in 1924 to Lot No. 226 and entered service at Newton Abbot, spending spent most of its working life based at sheds in Devon and Cornwall.<ref>[http://www.rail.co.uk/rail-news/2015/happy-birthday-dear-4566/ 'Happy birthday dear 4566', rail.co.uk, 19 June 2015] (Retrieved 3 January 2019)</ref> Post-War, the locomotive worked . It entered service in the far south westOctober 1924 at Newton Abbot, including allocations to St<ref>[https://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry. Ives and Penzance sheds php?action=locodata&type=S&id=4566&loco=4566 BR Database]</ref>from where it was a common sight worked regularly on the St. Erth to St. Ives Mortonhampstead and Gwinear Road to Helston Kingswear branches. 4566 was notable for being <ref group="note">The Kingswear branch is now preserved as the last steam locomotive overhauled at Newton Abbot works, completed Dartmouth Steam Railway.</ref> In July 1927 it moved to Taunton from where it worked on 15 July 1960 and being ceremonially driven out of the works by the chairman of the local urban district council (a mainline diesel driver)Minehead branch.<ref name=SVR15Warren>SVR News 15[[Bibliography#Other References|Warren (1988)]] p. 77.</ref> Two weeks later on 28 July 1960, 4566 was photographed entering Gwinear Road with a 2-coach Helston branch train.<refgroup="note">Photo reproduced in SVR News 46The Minehead branch is now preserved as the West Somerset Railway.</ref>
During the early 1930s it was based at Swindon and Westbury, before moving to Bristol Bath Road in November 1935. From there it worked services to Cheddar and Wells, to Frome via Radstock, and on the Clevedon branch from Yatton.<ref name=Warren/> 4566 was reallocated to Swindon in February 1938, mainly working out of the sub-sheds at Andover Junction and Chippenham (for the Colne branch). Inthe later years of the War, it was again based at Bristol.<ref name=Warren/> Post- War, the locomotive worked in the far south west, moving to Penzance in November 1946, from where it was a common sight working crowded holiday trains on the St. Erth to St. Ives branch and passenger services on the Gwinear Road to Helston branch, as well as freight traffic to Hayle Harbour.<ref name=Warren/> <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">St Ives station panorama geograph-3987952-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|4566 with a local service at St Ives, 23 April 1960.</gallery> 4566 was notable for being the last steam locomotive overhauled at Newton Abbot works, completed on 15 July 1960 and being ceremonially driven out of the works by the chairman of the local urban district council (a mainline diesel driver).<ref name=SVR15>SVR News 15</ref> Two weeks later on 28 July 1960, 4566 was photographed entering Gwinear Road with a 2-coach Helston branch train.<ref>Photo reproduced in SVR News 46</ref> Services in the far south west area were dieselised in September 1961, and 4566 was transferred to Plymouth Laira depot, <ref name=Warren/> probably intended for storage. It was as it saw little work until being officially withdrawn from BR service there in April 1962 having achieved 967,914 miles in service, but . It was stored for a further few months before being sold for scrap and arriving at [[Barry Scrapyard | Barry]] in August of that year.<ref name = "BarryStory">The Barry Story, Beckett & Hardingham (2010)</ref><ref name = "SB9"/><ref>[http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/262_4500det.htm The Great Western Archive] (Retrieved 27 January 2015)</ref>
An original 4566 cabside numberplate resides in Helston Museum of Cornish Life [https://museumofcornishlife.co.uk/ link].
==4566 in preservation==
===Restoration and first boiler ticket===
4566 was selected by two S.V.R. members, David Rouse and Bob Sim, as the most suitable small prairie for preservation out of several examples of the type at Barry, appearing in generally good order apart from missing footplate fittings.<ref name=SVR15/> It was only the 8th locomotive to leave Barry <ref group="note">4566 was the first GWR tank engine to leave Barry. It was preceded by five tender engines (3 GWR, one LMS and one SR) and two LMS 'Jinties'.</ref> and the first from there destined for the SVR.<ref name = "BarryStory" />
4566 left Barry tagged on the back of a 'Warship' hauled banana train. It arrived at Bewdley by rail, diesel hauled, on 25 August 1970, with restoration beginning there shortly afterwards.<Ref> SVR News 18</ref> By the end of 1972 the boiler had been re-tubed and passed a hydraulic test. The complete bunker unit had been sent away to a railway engineering factory and returned with new platework. The side tanks were found to be thin in places and patching was carried out.<ref>SVR News 26</ref> By the end of 1974 new boiler cladding plates had been cut and rolled at Bridgnorth, using the existing badly rusted ones as patterns. The tanks and cab roof were refitted, and new ashpan built and fitted. Two new spectacle windows were remade and fitted in the front of the cab to replace those originally installed when built but later blanked out by BR.<ref>SVR News 34</ref>
The restoration was completed in time for the locomotive to enter service on 5 July 1975, the inaugural trip from Bewdley to Bridgnorth being an evening special train double headed with [[46521]] to mark the 10th anniversary of the formation of the SVR.<ref>SVR News 36</ref> The locomotive initially proved very reliable, recording 3,310 miles in just 5 months including 1,410 miles in 22 days during August.<ref>SVR News 38</ref> Over the following winter the locomotive was fitted with steam heating.<ref>SVR News 39</ref>
The following year 4566 was used in filming of Walt Disney's live action film [[Candleshoe]],<ref>SVR News 42</ref> with the locomotive also appearing in the 1977 TV movie [[Silver Blaze]]. In summer 1977 the SVR celebrated the Royal Silver Jubilee week by running two named trains, 'The Silver Jubilee' with 4566 and the GWR set, and 'The Elizabethan' with various LMS locomotives and the LMS set.<ref>SVR News 45</ref> That year the locomotive recorded 4,410 miles, the highest mileage of those used.<ref>SVR News 46</ref>
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
Candleshoe_screenshot_Victoria_Bridge.jpg | 4566 crosses Victoria Bridge in a scene from 'Candleshoe'
===Overhaul and third boiler ticket===
4566 was then stored at Bewdley awaiting overhaul. In 1998 an [[:Category:SVR fundraising lotteries|SVRA Wolverhampton Branch raffle]] helped raise money towards the cost of new driving wheel tyres which would be required.<ref>SVR News 128,129</ref> Over the next eight years some preliminary work was carried out there by the 4566 Group.<ref>SVR News 139</ref>. In July 2004 4566's new tyres arrived<ref>SVR News 149</ref> and shortly afterwards the locomotive was moved to Bridgnorth for the overhaul proper to begin. Within weeks 4566 had been dismantled and the boiler moved to the boiler shop.<ref>SVR News 148</ref>
In May 2007, 4566 was used on a steam-hauled revenue earning freight charter, taking a load of pipes to Trimpley Reservoir for Severn Trent Water. Following the lengthy closure of the railway for repairs to the [[2007 Storm Damage]], partial reopening of services between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade was achieved on Saturday 9 February 2008, with 4566 working the first of five return trips to Hampton Loade.<ref>SVR News 160</ref>
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
4566_20100522.jpg| 4566 at Highley in May 2010
</gallery>
At the end of 2011 4566 was described as "''running OK but showing signs of the increasing mileage and time since last repair''".<ref>SVR News 176</ref> On examination, the left hand driving horn blocks were found to be loose due to cracks in the frame. These had to be ground out and welded up before the blocks could be refitted and the locomotive returned to traffic.<ref>SVR News 177</ref> During the Victorian Weekend event on 19-20 May 2012 which celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the SVR,<ref group="note">On 1 February 2012, the actual anniversary, the line was closed for repairs to Bewdley Tunnel</ref> 4566 hauled the Royal Train carrying ‘Queen Victoria’ from Bewdley to Bridgnorth.<ref>SVR News 177,178</ref>
On 20 June 2018 4566 was moved from storage in [[Kidderminster Carriage Shed]] to be put on display in [[The Engine House]] at Highley.
At the end of 2019, 4566 had recorded a total of 112,000 miles in preservation on the SVR. The reported total may include mileage on hire to other railways.<ref>SVR News 210, SVR-based Steam Locomotive Mileage 2017-2019, Duncan Ballard</ref> 4566 is owned by the [[4566 Group]].
==See also==
*[[Steam Locomotives]]<br>*[[SVR-based locomotives visiting other events]]<br>*[[Locomotives used on the Severn Valley Branch in commercial service|Classes of locomotives used on the Severn Valley Branch in commercial service]] ==Notes==<references group="note"/>
==References==
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==Links==
