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GWR No. 7820 or "Dinmore Manor" is a preserved GWR 7800 Class steam locomotive that was built by the Swindon locomotive works in November 1950 and was operated by the Great Western Railway and later British Railways.

One of nine out of the thirty 'Manor' Class engines set aside for preservation, she is now operational at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.

British Railways (BR) Service[]

Named after the ancient 12th century Knights Hospitaller preceptory 'Dinmore Manor' in Herefordshire, she was initially based out of Oswestry, eventually being reallocated to Shrewsbury before her withdrawal in November 1965 as the last of her class in operation under British Railways (BR) ownership.

She was soon moved to the famous Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales, joined by three of her classmates withdrawn around the same time: No. 7802 "Bradley Manor", No. 7812 "Erlestoke Manor", and No. 7821 "Ditcheat Manor", all of which were also to be saved for preservation.

Preservation[]

In 1979, "Dinmore Manor" was purchased by the Gwili Railway, moving her to its headquarters at Bronwydd Arms for restoration efforts to begin. Unfortunately, a lack of facilities and funding resulted in little progress, leaving her to be sold again in 1983, this time to the Birmingham Railway Museum (Tyseley Locomotive Works).

The next decade saw a slow but steady overhaul for the Swindon-built workhorse, with financial backing from the West Somerset Railway, where she was to make her preservation debut upon completion in 1995.

With her first boiler certificate expiring in July 2004, she became the beneficiary of a second overhaul from Tyseley before returning to service in April 2014, and finding a new home on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. Since then, she has also ventured on other heritage lines throughout the UK, having most recently paid a visit to the Churnet Valley Railway in celebration of the line's 25th Anniversary Gala in October 2017.

Gallery[]

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