| GWR Small Prairie 4566 | |
|---|---|
 4566 at Bridgnorth | |
| Built By | GWR Swindon Works |
| Configuration | 2-6-2T |
| BR rating | 4MT |
| Status | In Service |
| Loco Number | 4566 |
| History | |
| Built | 1924 |
| Designed By | George Jackson Churchward |
| Type | GWR 4500 |
| 1970 | Arrived on SVR |
| 1975 | First steamed in preservation |
| 2006 | Reentered service |
| Technical | |
| Length | 63ft 2¼" |
| Weight | 57t |
4566 is a GWR Churchward 4500 2-6-2T, designed for light mixed traffic work.
Contents
4566 in service
4566 is a GWR Churchward 4500 'Small Prairie', a class of small mixed traffic locomotives mainly used on branch lines. The class was rated 4MT by British Railways.
4566 was built in Swindon in 1924 and entered service at Newton Abbot. Post-War, the locomotive worked in the far Southwest, including allocations to St. Ives and Penzance sheds. 4566 was notable for being the last steam locomotive overhauled at Newton Abbot works, completed on 15 July 1960, being ceremonially driven out of the works by the chairman of the local urban district council (a mainline diesel driver).[1] The engine was withdrawn from service at Plymouth Laira shed by BR in April 1962.[2]
4566 in preservation
4566 arrived at the SVR from Barry Scrapyard on 25 August 1970. Following restoration, the locomotive first entered service in 1975. The following year 4566 was used in filming of Walt Disney's live action film Candleshoe.
4566’s most recent overhaul was completed in late 2006. The locomotive is therefore expected to be withdrawn from service during 2016 at the end of the boiler’s ’10-year ticket’.
4566 is owned by the 4566 Group.
Gallery
4566 with a local service at St Ives, 23 April 1960.
See also
References
- ↑ Didcot Railway Centre Facebook Page, retrieved 15 Jul 2016
- ↑ The Great Western Archive retrieved 27 January 2015.
Links
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