The Bluebell Railway is delighted to welcome 7812 Erlestoke Manor as the first guest visitor to the 2024 branch line gala weekend. This extremely popular and versatile locomotive is one of several Great Western Manor class locomotives to survive into preservation. Entering service in January 1939, this locomotive would be used on a variety of passenger and freight workings across the Great Western network. It was not uncommon, however, to see Manors run on Southern Region metals, usually seen on inter-regional workings between Reading, Redhill and Tonbridge, which makes 7812 an ideal candidate for a gala visitor to The Bluebell Railway. In the late 1960s, 7812 was moved to the Cambrian coast area where it would end its working life under British Railways, being withdrawn from Shrewsbury shed on the 6th of November 1965.

7812 was then moved to the infamous Barry scrap yard in South Wales, where in 1974 the locomotive was purchased by The Erlestoke Manor Fund and consequently moved to its current home, the Severn Valley Railway. The restoration was quick and by 1979 the locomotive returned to working order. From this point, the locomotive would serve the Severn Valley Railway well during its running, in 2016 7812 achieved 100,000 miles in preservation. Withdrawn from traffic in 2017 the locomotive returned to working order in early 2023. Having spent time on loan at the West Somerset railway during the summer season, 7812 returned to the Severn Valley railway for their Christmas specials.

We are extremely grateful to welcome this locomotive to this year’s branch line gala. We must thank the Severn Valley Railway and The Erlestoke Manor Fund for allowing this locomotive to take part and travel to the Bluebell Railway for this weekend’s gala.

Joining 7812 ‘Erlestoke Manor’ is Great Western Collett Pannier Tank No.1369. Built in 1934, this unique and diminutive Tank Engine is an ideal choice to take part in this year’s branch line gala. With its short wheelbase, this locomotive was ideal for working the branch lines of Devon and Cornwall and was also ideal for working trains on the Weymouth Quay tramway system. When displaced by diesels in 1961, a handful of the locomotive’s class was reallocated to Wadebridge shed to work the Wenford China clay branch in Cornwall. 1369 was the last of the class to be withdrawn in November 1964. It would become the sole survivor of the class.

When the locomotive was withdrawn from BR service in 1964, the locomotive was purchased by the South Devon Railway and moved to Buckfastleigh in 1965. Despite the initial steaming of the locomotive, it would take a long time for 1369 to be steamed again on the South Devon Railway. This would be achieved in 1996, with the engine eventually being taken out of service for overhaul in May 2017. The locomotive would return to traffic in 2019, which eventually would see the locomotive be loaned out to the Gwili railway in Wales between February 2022 and January 2023.

We are very grateful to the South Devon Railway and the South Devon Railway Association for allowing 1369 to join us at The Bluebell Railway for the 2024 branch line gala weekend.

Our third visitor to the 2024 branch line gala weekend is yet another locomotive from the Severn Valley Railway. Pannier tank number 7714 was built in 1930 by Kerr Stuart at Stoke-on-Trent. Being based around the Birkenhead area when the railways were nationalised in 1948 it would remain in this part of the western region and so December 1958 when the locomotive was transferred to Wales to Wrexham where would then remain until being withdrawn from service from BR in January 1959.

7714 would then transfer over to the industrial sector where the locomotive was sold to the National Coal Board and used at the Penallta Colliery near Rhymney in South Wales. Unfortunately, due to the tight curves of the track the locomotive proved unsuitable and mostly acted as a spare engine during its spell with the NCB. When the loco was sold to the NCB, 7714 had completed a total of 520,259 miles in service with the Great Western Railway and British Railways respectively.

The locomotive would pass into preservation in 1973 and was bought by the Severn Valley Railway. 7714 would make its debut in preservation in 1992 after a long and extensive overhaul. After withdrawal from service in 2009, 7714 would undertake a new overhaul and in 2016 the locomotive would return once again to preserved line services on the Severn Valley Railway.

We must thank the SVR Pannier Tank Fund and the Severn Valley Railway for allowing 7714 to join 7812 and 1369 for a western-flavoured theme for this year’s branch line gala weekend at The Bluebell Railway.

Visiting on a long-term loan from the Buckinghamshire Steam Centre at Quainton Road, 6989 ‘Wightwick Hall’ has certainly added a Western flavour to The Bluebell Railway during its stay. The locomotive also ties in nicely to the days of these locomotives rubbing shoulders with other Southern-based engines on inter-regional workings to and from the Western Region.

6989 was completed in March 1948 at Swindon Works. Although a design of the Great Western Railway, this locomotive is a British Railways engine, being outshopped three months after Nationalisation. The class are a superb example of an excellent multi-purpose locomotive, which could perform equally well on both passenger and freight duties. A few even survived up to the final day of steam operation on the Western Region in late 1965.

During its BR career, 6989 was based at Hereford, Worcester and Gloucester Horton Road, where the engine would be used on a variety of different trains- a trait of these versatile locomotives and its uses throughout the Western Region.

6989 was eventually withdrawn from BR service in June 1964 from Gloucester Horton Road shed, and sold to Woodham Brothers scrapyard on 17 July 1964 having done over 640,000 miles.

In 1978, the locomotive was purchased by the Wightwick Hall Restoration Group, based at Quainton Road in Buckinghamshire. After a long and dedicated restoration, in December 2018, 50 years after the society bought 6989, the locomotive moved under its own steam once again, becoming the 150th locomotive from the Barry scrapyard to return to working order.

After a spell running at Quainton Road and on loan at The Battlefield Line in Leicestershire, the Modified Hall arrived at The Bluebell Railway in 2022. The engine is continuing its long term hire at The Bluebell Railway until the end of 2024.