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→7812 Erlestoke Manor in preservation: mileage
{{Infobox GWR steam loco
|image = 7812AY.jpg
|caption = 7812 Erlestoke Manor entering Arley with a Down train, July 2011
|construc = GWR Swindon Works
|wheels = 4-6-0
|rating = GWR: D, BR: 5MT
|axleload = GWR: Blue
|status = In Service
|locono = 7812
|designed = Charles Benjamin Collett
|locotype = '''GWR 7800'''
|built = 1939
|years1 = 1974
|events1 = Purchased by The Erlestoke Manor Fund
|years2 = 1979
|events2 = First steamed in preservation
|years3 = 1985
|events3 = Withdrawn for overhaul
|years4 = 2008
|events4 = Reentered service
|years5 = 2017
|events5 = Withdrawn for overhaul
|length = 61ft 9¼"
|weight = 68t 18cwt
|power = 27,340 lb
|pressure = 225 lb/sq in}}
7812 Erlestoke Manor is a GWR Collett 7800 Manor class 4-6-0 mixed traffic locomotive. The Manor Class 4-6-0 mixed traffic locomotive was designed as a lighter version of the GWR Grange Class, giving a wider Route Availability. The first 20, including all three at the SVR, were built between 1938 and 1939 and incorporated parts from old GWR 4300 Class Moguls. BR built a further 10 in 1950 and rated the class 5MT.
==7812 Erlestoke Manor in service==
7812 Erlestoke Manor is one of three Manor class locomotives based at the SVR, the others being [[GWR 7802 Bradley Manor | 7802 Bradley Manor]] and [[GWR 7819 Hinton Manor | 7819 Hinton Manor]]. 7812 was named after the Manor at Erlestoke, a village near Devizes in Wiltshire. It entered service in January 1939 in the Bristol/Bath area, working passenger and freight trains to places such as Salisbury, Weymouth, Weston Super Mare and Cardiff. Post-War, 7812 was based in the far South-West, often assisting with long distance expresses on the notorious ‘Devon banks’.
In late 1960, 7812 moved to the Oswestry/Shrewsbury/Cambrian area where 7802 Bradley Manor was already working. Both locomotives were thought to have been withdrawn at Shrewsbury on 6th November 1965, and both moved to [[Barry Scrapyard | Woodham’s scrapyard]] at Barry in June 1966. However, in November 2015, evidence in the form of a footplate diary (see below) was presented to the Erlestoke Manor Fund, indicating that Erlestoke Manor was still in service on 13th November 1965.
<gallery>
File:FredWellsDiary.jpg|Footplate diary showing probably the last move of 7812 by a BR driver
</gallery>
==7812 Erlestoke Manor in preservation==
Both 7812 and 7802 were acquired from Barry by [[The Erlestoke Manor Fund]]. 7812 was the 56th locomotive to leave Barry for preservation, departing in May 1974 initially to Parkend and then to the now-closed Ashchurch preservation near Tewkesbury.<ref>The Barry Story, Beckett & Hardingham (2010)</ref>
A move to the SVR followed on 23 April 1976, accompanied by two GWR breakdown vans numbers [[GWR 66 Breakdown Tool Van | 66]] and [[GWR 162 Riding/Dormitory Van | 162]] and [[GWR/BR 92090 Fruit D Van | Fruit D 92090]]. Restoration of 7812 quickly began at Bewdley, where the locomotive was one of 5 to participate in the ‘great boiler lift’ on [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1970-1979#1976 | 3 May 1976]].<ref>SVR News 40</ref>
Restoration was completed in time for 7812 to enter service on the SVR in September 1979.<ref>SVR News 53</ref> Service continued during 1980, but in Spring 1981 the locomotive was failed with boiler tube issues.<ref>SVR News 59</ref>. These were addressed in time for a return to service in Spring 1982,<ref>SVR News 63</ref> following which 7812 made several appearances on main line rail tours as follows:
<div id="MainLine"></div>
{| class="wikitable"
!Date!!Tour name !! Route !! Notes !! Web !!SVR News
|-
|17 April 1982||Welsh Marches Express || Hereford - Newport - Hereford || D/H with 4930 Hagley Hall || ||64-28
|-
|24 April 1982||Welsh Marches Pullman || Shrewsbury - Hereford || D/H with 4930 Hagley Hall || [http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/820424wm.htm SBJ] ||64-29
|-
|5 May 1982||Welsh Marches Express || Hereford - Chester || || ||66-9
|-
|5 June 1982|| || Shrewsbury-Newport || D/H with 43106 || ||
|-
|colspan="6"|<small>For further information on sources and references, see [[The Severn Valley Railway on the main line#SVR-based locomotives which hauled revenue-earning services on the main line | The Severn Valley Railway on the main line]]</small>
|-
|}
7812 appeared in the 1983 TV movie [[The Weather In The Streets]]. The locomotive was withdrawn from service in late 1985 with a large crack in an old firebox weld.<ref>SVR News 78</ref> Following the withdrawal of sister locomotive 7802 Bradley Manor during the [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2000-2009#2000 | 2000 boiler crisis]]<ref>SVR News 134</ref>, the decision was taken to use Erlestoke’s repaired boiler and refurbished bogie to allow Bradley Manor to make a quick return to service.<ref>SVR News 136, 208</ref> A similar swap took place during April 1948 when boiler number 14/6406 was removed from Erlestoke and later fitted to Bradley in November 1948 following repair.<ref>[http://www.erlestokemanorfund.co.uk/EMF_history.html EMF History]</ref>
==7812 Erlestoke Manor in preservationSee also ==Both 7812 and 7802 were acquired from Barry by [[The Erlestoke Manor Fund]]. 7812 was the first to enter service on the SVR in September 1979 and ran through to 1985. During this time it hauled a number of main line rail tours as well as services on the SVR. After overhaul, Erlestoke returned to service in 2008.
== Links ==
*[http://www.erlestokemanorfund.co.uk/ Erlestoke Manor Fund]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_7800_Class GWR 7800 Class on Wikipedia]
*[http://youtu.be/BfbFjxKR_8o SharposWorld video of 7812 climbing towards Foley Park tunnel, 20/12/14]
*[[Locomotive numbering|Locomotives running under different identities]]
[http[Category://youtu.be/BfbFjxKR_8o SharposWorld video of 7812 climbing towards Foley Park tunnel, 20/12/14Rolling stock owned by The Erlestoke Manor Fund]][[Category:Featured articles]]
