GWR 7812 Erlestoke Manor

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7812 Erlestoke Manor entering Arley with a DownIn reference to the direction of travel means away from the major terminus (i.e. towards Bridgnorth on the present day SVR) train.
Footplate diary showing probably the last move of 7812 by a BRBritish Rail or British Railways driver

7812 Erlestoke Manor in service

7812 Erlestoke Manor is one of three GWRGreat Western Railway CollettCharles Benjamin Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1922-1941 7800 Manor class locomotives based at the SVRSevern Valley Railway, the others being 7802 Bradley Manor and 7819 Hinton Manor.

The Manor Class 4-6-0 mixed traffic locomotive was designed as a lighter version of the GWRGreat Western Railway Grange Class, giving a wider Route Availability. The first 20, including all three at the SVRSevern Valley Railway, were built between 1938 and 1939 and incorporated parts from old GWRGreat Western Railway 4300 Class Moguls. BRBritish Rail or British Railways built a further 10 in 1950 and rated the class 5MTThe British Railways system of classifying steam locomotives by power using a number from 0, least powerful, to 9, most powerful, followed by either F for freight, P for Passenger or MT for Mixed Traffic..

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 Both locomotives were thought to have been withdrawn at Shrewsbury on 6th November 1965, and both moved to Woodham’s scrapyard at BarryWoodham Brothers Scrapyard, Barry, South Wales. The source of many locomotives now in preservation. in June 1966. However, in November 2015, evidence in the form of a footplate diary (see right) was presented to the Erlestoke Manor Fund, indicating that Erlestoke Manor was still in service on 13th November 1965.

7812 Erlestoke Manor in preservation

Both 7812 and 7802 were acquired from BarryWoodham Brothers Scrapyard, Barry, South Wales. The source of many locomotives now in preservation. by The Erlestoke Manor Fund.

7812 was the first to enter service on the SVRSevern Valley Railway 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 SVRSevern Valley Railway.

After overhaul, Erlestoke returned to service in 2008.

See Also

Steam Locomotives
The Severn Valley Railway on the main line

Links

Erlestoke Manor Fund

SharposWorld video of 7812 climbing towards Foley Park tunnel, 20/12/14