Locomotive Wiki
Advertisement

The Great Western Railway (GWR) No. 1420 "Bulliver" is a 0-4-2T 1400 Class tank engine preserved at the South Devon Railway.

Overview[]

No. 1420 was built in November 1933 at Swindon Works as No. 4820. It was the twentieth member of the 4800 class, which totalled 75 by 1936. In 1946 the locomotive along with the rest of its class were rebranded as the 1400 class, as the GWR converted twelve of its 2800 Class of Consolidations to burn oil, reassigning the 4800 class to that series of experimental locomotives.

Operational history[]

No. 1420 spent it's working life in Wales, having been allocated to Pontrilas and Pontypool Road throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In 1953, No. 1420 found itself at Fairford, then Oxford in 1956, and then Exeter in 1959 after spending nearly a year at Southall. After a time at Hereford working the Leominster to Kington branch, No. 1420 was withdrawn from service in October 1964.

Preservation[]

No. 1420 entered preservation once it arrived at Buckfastleigh, the future headquarters of the South Devon Railway (SDR), on October 17, 1965. It was given a heavy overhaul in 1972 which enabled it to enter traffic in the following year.

At some point No. 1420 was given the nickname "Bulliver" while in preservation. "Bulliver" was the local name given to the Ashburton branch line push-pull train service during the Great Western Railway days (which used the route of the present South Devon Railway).

In 2006 the locomotive was taken out of service and placed into storage due to a leaking foundation ring.

At this time No. 1420 is currently undergoing a major overhaul while a new boiler is being constructed for the locomotive.

Trivia[]

  • No. 1420 is one of four surviving examples of the 1400 Class in preservation.

Gallery[]

Preserved steam locomotives in Devon
Museums Devon Railway Centre No. 14 Rebecca
Tiverton Museum GWR No. 1442 Tivvy Bumper
St. Marychurch Bygones Museum Falmouth Docks No. 5 Patricia
Leaky Finders Ltd. BR No. 35028 Clan LineGWR No. 9629GWR No. 1638 • S&L No. 47 CarnarvonSR No. 541
Heritage Railways South Devon Railway GWR No. 1420 BulliverGWR No. 5526GWR No. 5542LT No. 92GWR No. 6412GWR No. 6430GWR No. 3205BR No. 4160GWR No. 1369 • EGW No. 1 AshleyLee Moor Tramway No. 2 • British Gypsum Lady Angela • NCB Glendower • GWR Tiny
Exmoor Steam Railway ExmoorDenzilLorna DooneSAR No. 115SAR No. 77
Dartmoor Railway NCB Newmarket S. 103 Firefly
Dartmouth Steam Railway GWR No. 5239 Goliath • GWR No. 4277 Hercules • GWR No. 4555 WarriorGWR No. 3803 • USATC No. 2253 OmahaGWR No. 2873 • BR No. 75014 Braveheart • GWR No. 7827 Lydham Manor
Plym Valley Railway Byfield Quarries No. 2 Byfield • HOS Fablok TKh49 No. 5374 VanguardSSEB No. 4 (No. 705)W. G. Bagnall No. 3121 • British Sugar Corp. Albert
Lynton & Barnstaple Railway SR No. 762 Lyn (replica) • Vallée Heureuse & Le Haut-Banc Quarries Axe • Tongaat Sugar Sir George Newnes
Advertisement