These engines were the GWR's lightweight 4-6-0. Having a lower axle weight than the larger Granges or Halls meant they could be run on more restricted routes and came to be the passenger work horses of the Cambrian network in Wales.
Erlestoke Manor left Swindon Works in January of 1939 and went to the SVR in 1979 and again via Woodhams scrap yard at Barry. You can only admire the good sense of the Woodham Brothers in seeing the long term investment value of holding onto the better examples of each class arriving at their yard and also the dedication of those who raised the money to buy these engines back from the brink and worked so hard to restore them.
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Copyright ©1999 Jim Rushton