GWR 2857 Heavy Goods Loco
Contents
2857 in service
2857 is a GWR Churchward 2800 Class locomotive, designed for heavy freight work and classified 8F by BR.
It was built in 1918 at the GWR’s Swindon Works and delivered new to Salisbury GWR depot. During a working life of 45 years it was based in many depots around the GWR (and later British Railways Western Region), including a brief spell at nearby Stourbridge shed. The locomotive was withdrawn from Neath depot in April 1963 having recorded a total of 1,276,713 miles in service. It is fitted to a 3500 gallon tender.
2857 in preservation
2857 was purchased from Woodham Bros scrap yard in 1974 by The 2857 Society, and moved by rail from Barry to the Severn Valley Railway in convoy with Collett Mogul 7325, arriving on 20th August 1975.
The locomotive was first steamed in preservation on 9th September 1979, minus cladding, and was steamed intermittently through 1980, without entering regularly in service. It finally entered service in August 1985, and worked until withdrawn for overhaul in December 1994 (1992 was spent on loan to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway).
After overhaul, it re-entered service in July 2011.
Sources
The 2857 Society Retrieved 23 January 2015