GWR Pannier 1501
1501 in service
1501 is the only surviving example of a GWR 1500 class 0-6-0PT shunting engine. Although a GWR design, 1501 was built at Swindon by the Western Region of British Railways in 1949, two years after nationalisation. The class was classified as 4F by BR. Unlike the SVR’s other panniers, 1501 has outside cylinders.
1501’s working life was spent at Southall, hauling long rakes of empty coaching stock in and out of Paddington Station. It was withdrawn from service by BR in January 1961 after a working life of just 11 years 5 months, and was one of three sold to the National Coal Board for use at Coventry Colliery.
1501 in preservation
In Autumn 1970 all three 1500 class locomotives were acquired from Coventry Colliery for use on the SVR. 1501 was initially moved from Coventry to Tyseley for wheel turning, before a further move to Bewdley, both moves being by rail behind a diesel. During the latter move, excessive speed caused damage to one of 1501’s axle boxes. The other two NCB locos (1502 and 1509) were used as a source of parts for restoring 1501; the remains were then scrapped.
In service on the SVR, 1501 has proved a powerful locomotive for its size, acquiring the nickname “the raging bull”. The locomotive is owned by the 15xx Pannier Trust.