List of rolling stock preserved on the South Devon Railway

The South Devon Railway is a heritage railway in Devon, England. The rolling stock preserved on the South Devon Railway includes many examples of steam locomotives typical of the Great Western Railway types that would have once worked on the line, other types of steam locomotives, and a number of diesel locomotives. The engine shed is at Buckfastleigh.

As well as locomotives in service, there are others undergoing overhaul or restoration, or which are displayed in non-working condition. The most significant one of these is Tiny a South Devon Railway 0-4-0vb shunting locomotive on display in the museum at Buckfastleigh station. This is the only original 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad gauge locomotive still in existence in the United Kingdom.

There are a number of historic coaches in use including two "GWR Super Saloons", coaches once used in the Royal Train, and some auto coaches that were used on small branch lines such as this.

Locomotives[]

Main line steam[]

These steam locomotives are former Great Western Railway (GWR) locomotives. Some are types that would have operated on the line before it was closed by British Railways (BR), others would be seen on the main line at Totnes or elsewhere in Devon and Cornwall.

Operational[]

• 1369 – GWR 1366 Class 0-6-0PT

This small class of six locomotives were designed for shunting around docks and on branch lines with tight curves. 1369 was built at Swindon in 1934. It served as the Swindon works shunter until 1960 when it moved to the Weymouth Quay branch. In 1962 it was sent to Cornwall to work the Bodmin and Wenford branch which it did until replaced by diesel locomotives in 1964; the last steam locomotive working for BR in Cornwall. It arrived at Buckfastleigh on 2 April 1966.^[1][2] 1369 returned to service in 1996 following an extensive restoration and painted in BR unlined black livery. It was withdrawn from service in 2005 and a further overhaul was completed in 2007^{[citation needed]} which enabled it to work until 2017. It was steamed again in September 2019 following a two-year overhaul^[3] in original GWR green.^[4]

• 5526 – GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T

These 'small prairies' were medium sized branch line locomotive; they used to haul freight trains on the Buckfastleigh line. The 4575 Class were introduced in 1927 as an improvement on the earlier 4500 Class. 5526 was built in 1928 and worked from many sheds in Devon and Cornwall: St Blazey, Bodmin, Exeter, Plymouth Millbay, Laira and Truro before being withdrawn from Westbury in 1962. It then went to Barry scrap yard from where it was purchased in 1985. It was moved to Swindon for restoration but this was not completed until it was sold to a new group and moved to Buckfastleigh, where it was restored to working order and painted in British Railways black livery.^[5] It was withdrawn from service early because of cracks in the firebox. An overhaul to working order was completed in May 2017 and the locomotive was painted in Great Western Railway green for the first time in preservation. The loco went on loan to the Battlefield line in early 2020. The loco returned to the South Devon Railway in early 2021. The loco is to go on loan to The Mid Hants Railway in Late April 2021 before going to the Dartmouth Steam Railway for their 2021 season.^{[citation needed]}

Two other 'small prairies' have worked on the Buckfastleigh line in preservation. 4500 Class number 4555 worked the last BR train on the line and was first locomotive to arrive for preservation in 1965. It was joined in 1970 by 4575 Class 4588 which came from Barry scrap yard.^[6] 4555 and 4588 both moved to the Dartmouth Steam Railway ever since leaving Buckfastleigh; in 2015 4588 moved on to the Tyseley Locomotive Works.^[5]

• 5542 – GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T

5542 was built in 1928 and initially allocated to Gloucester before heading southwards. It was withdrawn from service in 1961 and sold to Barry scrap yard where it was eventually purchased in 1976 and moved to the West Somerset Railway for restoration. It was eventually placed in the ownership of the 5542 Fund (later 5542 Ltd), who saw the locomotive restored and returned to working order in 2003.^[7] The locomotive remained based at the West Somerset Railway, but frequently travelled on loan to other heritage railways including the South Devon Railway. In 2019, an agreement was reached between the SDR and 5542 Ltd. which will see 5542 become a resident at Buckfastleigh for the next 30 years, ensuring its operating future.^[8] The locomotive went on loan to the East Somerset Railway in September 2020 ^[9] and returned to Buckfastleigh in early 2021.

• 5786 – GWR 5700 Class 0-6-0PT

The 5700 'pannier tanks' are the archetypal GWR shunting and branch line locomotive. They first appeared in 1929 and 5786 was one of the earliest ones constructed – the class eventually numbered 863 locomotives. After British Railways had no further use for 5786 it was sold to the London Transport Executive and, carrying the number L92, worked engineers trains on the Metropolitan line until 1971. Upon its eventual retirement it was preserved by the Worcester Locomotive Society and after initially being based on the Severn Valley Railway it was moved to the Bulmer's Railway Centre in Hereford for preservation before moving to the South Devon Railway in 1996. After a major overhaul 5786 returned to steam in 2001 in Great Western Green. It gave ten years reliable service before being withdrawn for overhaul in 2011. This was completed in 2013 and 5786 now wears London Transport livery as number L92.^[10] The loco went on loan to the Gwili Railway in Wales in 2020 and will stay there until 2022.

• 6412 – GWR 6400 Class 0-6-0PT

One of 40 such locomotives built for working autotrains, it was delivered new to Swansea Landore shed towards the end of 1934. It worked in south Wales until 1963 when it was transferred to Exmouth Junction shed in Devon. It was later moved north to Gloucester and was taken out of service there in November 1964. It was sold to the Dart Valley Railway and arrived at Totnes under its own power on 5 June 1966. It hauled the first train when the line re-opened on 5 April 1969. After working on both the Buckfastleigh and Kingswear lines it was deemed as surplus to requirements and sold to the West Somerset Railway Association, moving to Taunton, again under its own power, on 25 March 1976. It was one of the first locomotives to work that line when it reopened, and starred in The Flockton Flyer television series, for which it was given "Flockton Flyer" nameplates.^[11][12] It was taken out of service for its ten-yearly overhaul in 2008. Although this work was started, it was decided that 6412 was too small for the large trains now operating on the West Somerset Railway, and so was sold to the South Devon Railway and returned to its old haunts on 8 January 2009.^[13] 6412 returned to steam in February 2015 following a very extensive overhaul, which saw most of the boiler and firebox replaced. Boiler ticket expires in 2024. It is painted in BR lined green with the late crest. The loco went on loan to the Chinnor and Princess Risborough Railway in April 2021.

Two other 6400 Class locomotives, 6435 and 6430, were based on the line with 6412 in its early preservation days. 6435 first moved to the Dartmouth Steam Railway with 4555 and 4588, before moving to the Bodmin and Wenford Railway in 2008, while 6430, initially used as a source of spares for its two sisters, has now been restored to service on the Llangollen Railway.^[12]

Under Overhaul/Stored[]

• 1420 – GWR 1400 Class 0-4-2T

The 1400 Class were fitted with controls for working autotrains which could be driven with the locomotive at the back of the train. The Great Western much favoured such trains for its branch line and some suburban services. The engine could work its train in either direction without the need to run round at termini. The 1400s were a familiar sight on the Buckfastleigh line for many years before its closure.^[14] 1420 was built in 1933 and spent its life in Wales, having been allocated to Pontrilas and Pontypool Road throughout the 1930s and 1940s. 1420 was at Fairford in 1953, Oxford in 1956 and Exeter in 1959. 1420's final location was Gloucester, where it remained until its withdrawal at the beginning of 1964, where it had done an estimated 600,000 miles in service; it came to Buckfastleigh on 17 October 1965.^[15][16] It is undergoing a major overhaul as of 2019,^[17] and a new boiler is being constructed as part of the overhaul.^{[citation needed]} Another 1400 Class, number 1450, was on the line from 1966 but has since moved to the Severn Valley Railway.

• 3205 – GWR 2251 Class 0-6-0

The 2251 Class were small locomotives introduced in 1930 for working freight trains, replacing the ageing locomotives the GWR inherited from the Welsh Railway companies it had absorbed in 1923. The 2251 Class became the last 0-6-0 tender locomotives to be built for service in the United Kingdom, our example being built in 1946. After nationalisation, the 2251 Class also found employment on other lighter duties on the Western Region of BR and 3205 eventually found herself on Somerset & Dorset metals after that line was taken over from the Southern Region. After withdrawal in 1965 it was moved to Buckfastleigh, the second locomotive to arrive for preservation. From 1967 until 1987 it operated on the Severn Valley Railway and hauled that line's first train when the line reopened in 1970, before moving to the West Somerset Railway in 1988, where it stayed for ten years. 3205 returned to Buckfastleigh in 1998, wearing Great Western green livery, where it operated until 2006 where it was withdrawn pending overhaul. 3205's overhaul was completed in 2010 and was painted BR unlined green livery.^[18] This was lined out a few years later, before it was repainted back into Great Western green livery. Despite its previous overhaul being an extensive one, 3205 was withdrawn from service in Jun 2017 requiring an "almost new" boiler alongside a new cylinder block which is expected to cost between £300,000 & £400,000.^{[citation needed]}

• 3803 – GWR 2884 Class 2-8-0

The 2800 Class were first put to work in 1903 for working heavy freight trains, and the improved 2884 Class followed in 1938. 3803 was built in early 1939 and withdrawn from Severn Tunnel Junction shed in 1963. Like many locomotives, it was sold to Woodham Brothers’ Barry scrap yard where it languished. Purchased from there in November 1983, it was restored at Buckfastleigh, finally entering service in 2005 in GWR unlined green livery. 3803 spent several years operating at the Battlefield Line but has now returned to Buckfastleigh, awaiting overhaul following withdrawal in 2015.^[19]

2873 GWR 2800 class 2-8-0 also found its way to Barry scrap yard and was purchased as a source of spare parts for other locomotives at Buckfastleigh where its frames and wheels are stored.^[20]

• 4160 – GWR 5101 Class 2-6-2T

The first GWR 'Large Prairies' entered service in 1909, with the 5101 Class emerging from 1929. 4160 was built in 1948. It was delivered to the engine shed at Barry and worked from various sheds around south Wales until it was withdrawn from Severn Tunnel Junction in 1965. 4160 then returned to Barry, but this time to Woodham Brothers’ scrap yard. It was purchased by the Birmingham Railway Museum in 1974 but restoration was not completed before it was sold again to the Plym Valley Railway. The engine remains wholly owned by 4160 Ltd since its purchase by Plym Valley Railway who originally formed the 4160 limited company. It moved again to the West Somerset Railway in 1990 where it was finally returned to service in 1993. The boiler ticket expired in January 2016 and it moved to the Llangollen Railway for its 10-year overhaul. Although it was due to return to the WSR upon the overhaul's completion, it was instead moved to the SDR to complete the overhaul. The SDR had also carried out its previous overhaul completed in 2006. Upon the overhaul's completion, 4160 shall become a resident of the SDR under the custodianship of 5542 Ltd.^[21]

Main line diesels[]

These former British Railways locomotives are of a variety of types but would not have operated on the line before preservation.

Operational[]

• D6737 – Class 37 Co-Co

The Class 37s are medium sized locomotives equally at home pulling freight or passenger trains. In common with many of these locomotives, it was based on the Eastern Region when it was built in 1962. 6737 became 37037 in February 1974.^[22] In the 1980s it moved to Scotland and, from 1986 until 1992 it carried the name Gartcosh. 1993 saw it transferred to the south west and it worked freight trains from Bristol Bath Road. In 1999 English Welsh & Scottish used it on engineering trains in France. After it was withdrawn in 2003 it was sold to the Harry Needle Railroad Company who sold it on to the South Devon Diesel Society at Buckfastleigh in 2004. It is running in BR green livery.^[23]

• D7535– Class 25 Bo-Bo

D7535 is another Sulzer Type 2 locomotive (class 25), built at Derby works in 1965. It was first allocated to Nottingham and withdrawn from service during the early 1980s. It was put into storage at Toton, near Nottingham, where it was used to educate and train apprentices for all aspects of loco maintenance. This meant that, when it was put up for disposal, it was in excellent order. It was purchased by the Dartmouth Steam Railway before coming into the ownership of South Devon Diesel Traction and moving to Buckfastleigh in 2018

• D7612 – Class 25 Bo-Bo

Three Class 25s are based at Buckfastleigh. Some of the class were based at Laira in the 1970s for working china clay trains; they superseded Class 22 diesel-hydraulics and were themselves later replaced by the larger Class 37s.

D7612 was delivered new to Glasgow Eastfield depot in April 1966 but moved south into England within a few months, eventually spending many years at Bescot TMD where it was renumbered 25262 in March 1974.^[24] In 1985 it went to Carlisle Kingmoor TMD and was renumbered again to 25901, which identified it as one of a pool of twelve locomotives allocated to a special pool for working chemical traffic, until withdrawn in March 1987. It was sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company who sold it in 1989 for preservation on the East Lancashire Railway. In 1999 it was sold again and moved to Buckfastleigh.^[25]

• 33002 Sea King – Class 33 Bo-Bo

The Class 33 was the Southern Region equivalent to the Class 37 and were once a familiar sight in Devon, working Southern Region passenger and freight trains into Exeter St Davids.. D6501 was delivered to Hither Green TMD in February 1960 but moved to Eastleigh in 1965 where it made its home for many years. It was renumbered to 33002 in February 1974^[26] and, in November 1991, was named after the Sea King helicopter.^[27] It arrived at Buckfastleigh in July 2008^[28]

Undergoing overhaul[]

• D402 Superb – Class 50 Co-Co

The fifty Class 50s were built to replace steam locomotives working on the West Coast Main Line. D402 was based at Crewe Diesel TMD from 1967 to 1973 when it was transferred to Bristol Bath Road TMD. After a spell at Old Oak Common TMD it was moved to Plymouth Laira in 1976 where it became a familiar locomotive on west country express trains. It renumbered 50002 in April 1974 and from 1978 carried the name Superb. At a ceremony on 12 November 1980 at Plymouth railway station, the crew of HMS Superb presented a set of the ship's crests to go with the name.^[29] It was withdrawn in 1991 and is currently undergoing restoration.^[30]

• D7541 – Class 25 Bo-Bo

D7541 was built in 1965 and allocated to the London Midland Region. It was renumbered 25191 in April 1974^[31] and withdrawn in March 1987. The following year it was purchased for use on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. It was purchased by the South Devon Diesel Society and arrived at Buckfastleigh in April 2011, but is undergoing a major restoration before it can enter service.^[32]

Steam shunting locomotives[]

• 1 Ashley – Peckett 0-4-0ST 2031

Peckett and Sons of Bristol built an 0-4-0ST in 1942 for use at Exeter Gas Works where it carried number 1. In 1969 it was withdrawn and moved to Buckfastleigh, arriving on 23 September.^[33] The name was bestowed by the South Devon Railway in memory of Ashley Burgess, the railway's first permanent way inspector. It is on static display in the museum at Buckfastleigh station.^[34]

• 47 Carnarvon 47 – Kitson & Co. 0-6-0ST 5474

Kitson’s 5474 was built to a Manning Wardle design for Stewarts and Lloyds' steel works at Corby in 1934, numbered by them as 47 and named Carnarvon after that town in Wales. After it was no longer needed it was sold in 1969 to the Worcester Locomotive Society and used on the Severn Valley Railway that year, and then moved to the Bulmers Railway Centre in Hereford in 1970, even being used for shunting Bulmer's freight trains during an oil shortage in 1973. In 1993 it moved to the South Devon Railway. It is currently undergoing an overhaul.^[35]

• Glendower – Hunslet 0-6-0ST 3810

The 'Austerity' tanks were designed for the War Department in World War II but continued to be built afterwards. Glendower was built by Hunslet in 1954 for the Ministry of Supply and went to work for the National Coal Board. After working at a number of collieries, it was withdrawn from Hafodyrynys. It was initially preserved in Bristol but moved to Buckfastleigh in 1978. It was taken out of service in 1995 as the boiler was in need of an overhaul. It is currently on display at Buckfastleigh.^[36]

Two other Austerity tanks have worked at Buckfastleigh, both former War Department locomotives. Errol Lonsdale and Sapper both left in 2009.^[36]

• Lady Angela – Peckett 0-4-0ST 1690

This small locomotive was built by Peckett and Sons in 1926 and used to transport gypsum from the mine at New Kingston, Nottinghamshire on a private railway to the main line sidings at Kegworth railway station^[37] and named after the second Lady Belper, the wife of the owner of the estate where the mine was situated. It was sold in the 1971 and initially preserved at Shackerstone railway station but was sold and moved to Buckfastleigh in July 1976.^[38] It is currently painted green.

• Lee Moor No. 2 – Peckett 0-4-0ST 784 (4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) gauge)

Two 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) gauge locomotives were built by Peckett and Sons in 1899 to work the upper section of the Lee Moor Tramway near Plymouth (the remainder of the line continued to be worked by stationary engines and horses). After the outbreak of World War II very little traffic was carried on the tramway, and on 3 March 1947 No. 2 was the last locomotive to be used. The two Pecketts were then locked away in the engine shed at Torreycombe until some members of the Plymouth Railway Circle took on their restoration. No. 1 went to the Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum in Cornwall in 1975. No. 2 and a restored wagon were moved to Saltram House near Plymouth in 1970, although they were not able to go on public display until 1978.^[39] They have now been moved to Buckfastleigh and are kept in a shed behind the workshops.

• Tiny – South Devon Railway 0-4-0VB (7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) gauge)

This small vertically boilered locomotive no longer works but is on display in Buckfastleigh station museum. It was built in 1868 to shunt the dockside railways around Plymouth but later moved to Newton Abbot where it was put to use in the workshops. After many years as a stationary power source it was moved across to the railway station and displayed on the platform until about 1987. It is the only original 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad gauge locomotive still in existence in the United Kingdom.^[40]

Diesel shunters[]

• D2246 – British Rail Class 04 0-6-0DM

These small diesel-mechanical shunting locomotives were first introduced in 1952. This example was built in 1956 and delivered new to Neville Hill TMD that December and was to be based there for the next ten years. Originally numbered 111216, it became D2246 in March 1959. It spent a couple of years being moved between other nearby depots in Yorkshire but was withdrawn in 1968. It was sold to the National Coal Board and worked at Crawley for some years before being moved to a coal depot at Tolworth in London where it was given the name Bluebell.^[41] It was purchased by the South Devon Railway in 2001 and is in operating condition.^[42]

• 2745 – Yorkshire Engine Company 0-6-0DE 2745

The Yorkshire Engine Company built this diesel-electric shunter for the National Coal Board in 1959. It worked at Agecroft Colliery near Manchester as their L052 until 1984, after which it was preserved at the Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum near Stoke-on-Trent. It moved to the South Devon Railway in 1994 where it carries the number 2745 but is sometimes known as 'Yorkie'.^[43]

• D3721 – British Rail Class 09 0-6-0DE

These larger diesel-electric shunters are still a familiar sight shunting depots and sidings all over the country. D3721 was built in 1959 with the higher-speed gearing used by the Southern Region. Its first home, in April 1959, was Hither Green but it spent some time working at other depots. In 1974 it was renumbered 09010.^[44] It was withdrawn in February 2004 and spent some time in store before being sold to the South Devon Railway in 2010. It arrived at Buckfastleigh in September that year and was restored to BR green livery, entering service in August 2011.^[45]

D3666, another Class 09, had been purchased for restoration at Buckfastleigh but was sold once D3721 had been acquired.^[45]

• MFP 4 – John Fowler & Co. 0-4-0DM 4210141

Fowler built this diesel-mechanical locomotive for the Ministry of Fuel and Power in 1958. It was used by Esso at places such as Milford Haven and Flax Bourton^[46] It came to the South Devon Railway in 1977.^[47]

• Dusty – Ruston and Hornsby Class 0-4-0DH No 418793

Ruston and Hornsby built 418793 in 1958 as a demonstrator. After a while it was sold work in gypsum mines near Newark-on-Trent. In 1976 it was sold and moved to Downlow Quarry near Buxton. It was sold again in 1991, going to the Bulmer's Railway Centre at Hereford for two years before moving to Buckfastleigh.^[48]

Former locomotives[]

Other types of locomotive that have been based at Buckfastleigh during preservation, but have since moved to other railways, include:^[49]

• 1638 – a GWR 1600 Class built in 1951.
• 4920 Dumbleton Hall – a GWR 4900 Class bought for preservation at Buckfastleigh in 1974.^[50] After being out of service for many years it was sold in and was transported to Carnforth in February 2021 for overhaul and possibly main line service.
• 30587 – a LSWR 0298 Class built in 1874.
• 80064 – a BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T built in 1953.
• D1023 Western Fusilier – a British Rail Class 52 diesel-hydraulic, part of the National Collection based at the National Railway Museum in York.

Diesel Multiple Units[]

These diesel multiple units (DMU) are typical of the many such self-propelled trains used on branch lines and suburban services from the 1950s to the 1990s, but the Buckfastleigh line had closed to passengers before they became a familiar sight in Devon. They are all of the 'suburban' type with doors to each seating bay.

• 55000

A Class 122 single-car Motor Brake Second with driving cabs at each end. It was built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company in 1958 and saw use on local lines including the Kingsbridge branch line. It works in BR green livery.^[51]

• 51352 & 51376

A class 117 Diesel multiple unit. Arrived at the railway in 2020 and is curently under overhaul to operational condition

• 59740

A centre trailer composite car from a Derby Carriage and Wagon Works Class 115 four-car DMU set is painted black and used as a van by the railway's permanent way team. Four other Class 127 cars have also seen service on the line but have since been sold: power cars 51592 and 51604, trailer cars 59659 and 59719.^[52]

Coaching stock[]

There are a number of historic coaches in use, mainly built by the Great Western Railway.

9111 King George and 9116 Duchess of York are two "GWR Super Saloons" once used on the Plymouth to London Ocean Mail trains, as was Special Saloon 9005. Hawksworth Brake Composite Corridor (BCK) 7377 was formerly used on the Royal Train. Saloon Coach 8249 was a GWR Directors' Saloon and part of Queen Victoria's Royal Train but is not currently in service.

More ordinary coaches are Tourist Second Opens (TSO) 1285 and 1295, and a Collett Brake Third (BT) number 1645. Third Corridor (TK) 536 is a "Toplight" coach on long-term loan from Great Western Society. 6515 is another BTK, though it has been converted for disabled passengers, and W276 is a Gangway Brake (BG) parcels van.

These are supplemented by a few British Rail Mark 1 coaches: TSOs W4496 and W4962; Second Open (SO) W4785; Composite Corridor (CK) E15644; Brake Second (BS) E43147 (currently loaned to the Helston Railway) and Restaurant Buffet (RB) W1917. Another Second Open, W4805, was fitted with a bar for many years and saw use predominantly on dining trains, although recently it has been converted back to its original condition, while a third vehicle of this type, 4802, has been modified both to carry wheelchair-bound passengers and provide a buffet, with conventional seating also retained. There are also 3 Brake Second Corridors (BSK) on the line: W35326, which has had a kitchen built into the luggage area and is used on the dining trains, W34945, formerly based at the Plym Valley Railway, and 34991, formerly based at Stewarts Lane as a baggage car on VSOE duties, and being restored to passenger use by the Locomotive 5542 Ltd.

Four ex-BR auto coaches are also on the railway, numbers W225, W228, W233 (owned by the Locomotive 5542 Ltd) and W240. The first two of these were the last auto coaches in use on the Tiverton branch in 1964.^[53]

Freight stock[]

There are a number of wagons and vans on the railway, some on display at the stations and others used in engineering trains.

References[]

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