GWR Pannier 7714

7714 at Bewdley

Contents

7714 in service

7714 is a GWR Collett 5700 class 0-6-0PT ‘pannier tank’, one of two examples on the SVR (the other being 5764). This was the largest class of engine designed and built by the Great Western Railway; more than 860 were built between 1929 and 1950 (so many were built that they quickly exceeded the original numbering range of 5700-5799). Pannier tanks could be found at work all over the former GWR system and although designed primarily for shunting duties, they were regularly used on local freight and passenger workings. The class was rated 4F by British Railways.

7714 was built for the GWR by Kerr Stuart & Co. of Stoke, Works No 4449 of 1930. It entered service at Tyseley the same year, and worked until withdrawn by BR in 1959, having run an estimated 520,259 miles in service.

7714 was sold to the National Coal Board for use at their Penallta Colliery near Rhymney in South Wales. Initially used daily, the long wheelbase proved unsuitable for the tight curves in the track there so it mostly acted as a spare engine.

7714 in preservation

7714 came to the SVR in 1973 following a successful bid by the SVRA – Kidderminster Branch. A lengthy restoration followed; the locomotive was not first steamed until 1992. The locomotive is now owned by the SVR Pannier Tank Fund, who also own GWR Pannier 5764.

7714 last saw service in August 2009. Following a period on display in The Engine House, an overhaul is now under way at Bridgnorth. It is thought the damage to the right hand half of the cylinder casting occurred during its NCB ownership. As of January 2016, the riveting of the boiler barrel has been completed, and work is continuing on marking and drilling the firebox stay holes. It is expected that the locomotive will be outshopped during the summer of 2016.

See also

Steam Locomotives