The Great Western Railway (GWR) No. 1466 is a 0-4-2T 1400 Class tank engine preserved at the Didcot Railway Centre.
Overview[]
No. 1466 was built in 1936 at Swindon Works as No. 4866. 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. 1466 was first allocated to Newton Abbott in 1936. It moved between there, Ashburton and Exeter for the next few years, until being reallocated to At Blazey in 1939 to work the Fowey branch.
Shortly before World War II, No. 1466 achieved some notoriety. Whilst waiting in Newton Abbot station the crew saw a train bearing down on them on their track. They set the engine in motion, the fireman jumped and the driver was flung off with the impact. No. 1466 did not hang around, and was routed driverless on to the Kingswear line where it ran on for about seven miles until being purposely derailed between Torquay and Paignton.
With the closure of the South Devon lines, No. 1466 was then transferred to Exeter in 1961. The Exe Valley line closed in October 1963 and No. 1466 was transferred for the final time to Taunton before being officially withdrawn from Taunton on December 28, 1963.
Preservation[]
No. 1466 was sparred from the cutters torch and was selected for preservation. In April 1964, No. 1466 became the first locomotive to be purchased by the newly formed Great Western Preservation Society (GWS) and was then delivered to the Society's Totnes depot. The locomotive ran in steam for the first time in preservation just a month later and has become a popular attraction at the Didcot Railway Centre over the years.
In 2000, No. 1466 was withdrawn from service due to the poor condition of its foundation ring.
At this time the locomotive is still currently still out of service while undergoing an overhaul. It is currently expected to return to traffic sometime in 2023 at the earliest.
Trivia[]
- No. 1466 is one of four surviving examples of the 1400 Class in preservation.
Gallery[]
