GWR 4936 Kinlet Hall
Kinlet Hall is a GWR Collett 4900 Hall Class locomotive and sister to the SVR’s 4930 Hagley Hall. The locomotive has spent two periods on hire to the SVR and appeared as a guest at four steam galas.
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4936 Kinlet Hall in service
Kinlet Hall was built at Swindon and entered service at Chester in June 1929. In 1941, the locomotive’s bogie and main frames were severely damaged when falling into a bomb crater after a heavy bombing raid on Plymouth. Repaired at Newton Abbott, the locomotive continued in GWR and BR(W) service until finally withdrawn from Cardiff East Dock shed January 1964. She was then acquired by Woodham's, Barry in June 1964.[1][2]
4936 Kinlet Hall in preservation
Kinlet Hall left Barry in May 1981 as the 126th departure. After spells at Peak Rail, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway and Llangollen,[3] restoration was finally completed at the Birmingham Railway Museum (now Tyseley Locomotive Works) in 2000. The locomotive was mainline certified in June 2000 and worked a ‘ten year ticket’.[2] She appeared as a guest at the 2007 [[[Autumn Steam Gala]]]; as the line was only open between Kidderminster and Bewdley due to that summer’s storm damage, Kinlet Hall and sister locomotive 4953 Pitchford Hall made a number of runs between Bewdley and Birmingham Snow Hill. In 2009, now out of mainline certification, Kinlet Hall spent the summer and autumn on hire to the SVR to cover for a locomotive shortage and also appeared at the Autumn Steam Gala.
After a further overhaul, Kinlet Hall was again mainline certified and returned to service in 2011.[2] She arrived back on the SVR for a second period on hire in autumn of 2013. After appearing at the Autumn Steam Gala and working the Christmas services, Kinlet Hall made a final appearance at the Spring Gala before moving on.
References
- ↑ Great Western Archive (Retrieved 2 June 2016)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kinlet Hall history page (Retrieved 2 June 2016)
- ↑ The Barry Story, Martin Beckett, 2010