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GWR Large Prairie 4150

575 bytes added, 21:53, 11 June 2016
4150 in service: add history
‘Large prairie’ tanks were a common sight on the GWR, with more than 300 built between 1903 and 1949 to the same basic design. The locomotives were designed to haul semi-fast and suburban passenger services to tight schedules, and were also used on medium distance freight services. A number of Large Prairies were allocated to [[Kidderminster]] and [[Shrewsbury]] sheds and were regularly used on the Severn Valley Railway in it declining years.
4150 was built at Swindon and entered service in June 1947. The first allocation was to nearby Stourbridge Junction shed (84F) where the locomotive would have worked local services towards Birmingham.  In November 1948 it was involved in an accident at Lapworth station. While running round its train bunker first, it was struck by another train which had overrun a signal at danger in thick fog. 4150 returned to traffic 45 days later, after repair at Swindon. The front buffer plank of 4150 is stamped "9006" and, as Dukedog 9006 was withdrawn for scrap shortly before this incident, it seems likely that parts of the older locomotive were used in the repair of 4150.<ref>[http://www.4150.org.uk/PDFs/The4150Fund-2016W-Newsletter.pdf The 4150 Fund Newsletter, 2016]</ref> 1953 to 1962 was spent in the West Country, mainly at Newton Abbot. The final allocation was to Severn Tunnel Junction where 4150, by then in run down condition, was used to bank heavy trains through the tunnel. The locomotive was withdrawn from service by BR in June 1965 after 18 years in service and sent to [[Barry Scrapyard]].
=== Gallery ===
File:4150 4.jpg|Date & location unknown
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==4150 in preservation==
4150 was purchased at a cost of £2,750 from Barry in 1973 by [[The 4150 Fund]]. No 4150 left Barry in 1974 in company with No.7812 Erlestoke Manor, and was towed by a Class 25 diesel to Parkend on the Dean Forest Railway.

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