GWR 7800 Class 7802 Bradley Manor
Encyclopedia
7802 Bradley Manor is a 7800 'Manor' Class
4-6-0
steam locomotive
. Built by the Great Western Railway
at its Swindon Works
in January 1938 it had an operating life of 27 years being withdrawn in November 1965. Designed by Charles Collett
, it is one of nine of the class to make it into preservation and is currently based on the Severn Valley Railway
.
it was sent to Old Oak Common TMD
being transferred to Bristol Bath Road TMD
in 1939. Like most of its class it eventually ended up on the Cambrian section, arriving at Machynlleth
in 1946 where it stayed until its final transfer to Shrewsbury
in 1964. Withdrawn from service in November 1965 it was sent to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in July 1966.
originally as spare parts for 7812 Erlestoke Manor
. However the owners had a change of heart and in 1983 the decision was taken to return 7802 to steam. This was accomplished in 1993 and since then has given excellent service on the Severn Valley Railway
, West Somerset Railway
and on various mainline excursions.
Bradley Manor was withdrawn for overhaul in August 2000, and to help speed up the process it was given the boiler of preserved classmate Erlestoke Manor which was already partially restored. The work on Bradley Manor continued with it first moving under its own steam on 12 March 2002 and entering service for the Severn Valley Railway later in the year. It completed over 9,000 miles during the 2000 season with almost continuous daily service.
The summer of 2003 saw Bradley Manor haul a number of trains in August under the name Torbay Express
. Promoted by Past-Time Rail
, the itinery was Bristol Temple Meads to Kingswear
and return. The originally planned four trains were so popular a fifth was added in September. Bradley Manor developed a hot axle box on the first run on 10 August and so was unable to haul the next two outings which saw 5051 Earl Bathurst
step in. However Bradley Manor returned for the 31 August and 7 September trips. On commenting about the success of the Torbay Express, Past-Time Rail director Andy Staite said that "Bradley Manor was the 'right' motive power for the line - Newton Abbot shed had 'Manors' in steam days and they were a familiar sight on the South Devon Coast route."
The engine also made an appearance at the beginning of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
In April 2007 new Network Rail
standards were introduced requiring all preserved steam locomotives to be fitted with On-train monitoring recorders (OTMR) before they could run on the mainline. So halfway through its latest mainline certificate the owners decided the cost of returning 7812 Erlestoke Manor to steam and fitting OTMR to 7802 was just too much. Bradley Manor did receive a stay of execution and could run mainline until the end of 2007.
Recently 7802 Sadly Failed her boiler Examination in feb 2011 and it is unknown what is going to happen to her either she is going to be repaired or overhauled so as to return to action asap. If 7802 is overhauled it is hoped 7802 can return to the mainline after having OTMR fitted.
Bradley Manor currently has a 4000 gallon tender rather than the 3500 gallon tender that the class used. the owners of 7802 are currently building a 3500 gallon tender for 7802 to replace the rather worn out 4000 Gallon tender.
GWR 7800 Class
The Great Western Railway 7800 Class or Manor Class is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive. They were designed as a lighter version of the GWR Grange Class, giving them a wider Route Availability. Like the 'Granges', the 'Manors' used parts from the GWR 4300 Class Moguls but just on the first batch...
4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
. Built by the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
at its Swindon Works
Swindon Works
Swindon railway works were built by the Great Western Railway in 1841 in Swindon in the English county of Wiltshire.-History:In 1835 Parliament approved the construction of a railway between London and Bristol. Its Chief Engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel.From 1836, Brunel had been buying...
in January 1938 it had an operating life of 27 years being withdrawn in November 1965. Designed by Charles Collett
Charles Collett
Charles Benjamin Collett was chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway from 1922 to 1941. He designed the GWR's 4-6-0 Castle and King Class express passenger locomotives.-Career:...
, it is one of nine of the class to make it into preservation and is currently based on the Severn Valley Railway
Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...
.
Service
After leaving SwindonSwindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
it was sent to Old Oak Common TMD
Old Oak Common TMD
Old Oak Common TMD is situated to the west of London, in Old Oak Common. The Traction Maintenance Depot is the main facility for the storage and servicing of locomotives and multiple-units which utilise Paddington Station. The depot codes are 'OC' for the diesel depot, and 'OO' for the carriage shed...
being transferred to Bristol Bath Road TMD
Bristol Bath Road TMD
Bristol Bath Road TMD was a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Bristol.Originally built for the Bristol and Exeter Railway, it was rebuilt in 1934 by the Great Western Railway. The depot was rebuilt again in the early 1960's as its role changed from maintaining steam locomotives to...
in 1939. Like most of its class it eventually ended up on the Cambrian section, arriving at Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
in 1946 where it stayed until its final transfer to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
in 1964. Withdrawn from service in November 1965 it was sent to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in July 1966.
Preservation
It was rescued from Barry in 1979 by the 'Erlestoke Manor Fund' based at the Severn Valley RailwaySevern Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...
originally as spare parts for 7812 Erlestoke Manor
GWR 7800 Class 7812 Erlestoke Manor
GWR 78xx Class 7812 Erlestoke Manor is a steam locomotive that serviced the Great Western Railway. It was built at Swindon in January 1939. First shed allocation Bristol, Bath Road. August 1950 shed allocation Newton Abbot. March 1959 shed allocation Plymouth Laira. Transferred to Oswestry May...
. However the owners had a change of heart and in 1983 the decision was taken to return 7802 to steam. This was accomplished in 1993 and since then has given excellent service on the Severn Valley Railway
Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...
, West Somerset Railway
West Somerset Railway
The West Somerset Railway is a railway line that originally linked and in Somerset, England.It opened in 1862 and was extended from Watchet to by the Minehead Railway in 1874. Although just a single track, improvements were needed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the...
and on various mainline excursions.
Bradley Manor was withdrawn for overhaul in August 2000, and to help speed up the process it was given the boiler of preserved classmate Erlestoke Manor which was already partially restored. The work on Bradley Manor continued with it first moving under its own steam on 12 March 2002 and entering service for the Severn Valley Railway later in the year. It completed over 9,000 miles during the 2000 season with almost continuous daily service.
The summer of 2003 saw Bradley Manor haul a number of trains in August under the name Torbay Express
Torbay Express
The Torbay Express is a named passenger train operating in the United Kingdom.-Great Western Railway:Historically, the Torbay Express name was applied to services operated by the Great Western Railway from London Paddington to Torquay and Paignton....
. Promoted by Past-Time Rail
Past-Time Rail
-History:Past-Time Rail ran railtours for over 40 years but in June of 2009 the went bankrupt and they sold all of their tours to a company called Pathfinder Tours....
, the itinery was Bristol Temple Meads to Kingswear
Kingswear
Kingswear is a village and civil parish in the South Hams area of the English county of Devon. The village is located on the east bank of the tidal River Dart, close to the river's mouth and opposite the small town of Dartmouth...
and return. The originally planned four trains were so popular a fifth was added in September. Bradley Manor developed a hot axle box on the first run on 10 August and so was unable to haul the next two outings which saw 5051 Earl Bathurst
GWR 4073 Class 5051 Earl Bathurst
Earl Bathurst is a Castle class locomotive. It still works, and is run by the Didcot Railway Centre.It was originally built as Drysllwyn Castle in May 1936. Its first shed allocation was Swansea Landore. Renamed Earl Bathurst in August 1937; the name coming from a de-named GWR Dukedog Class. It...
step in. However Bradley Manor returned for the 31 August and 7 September trips. On commenting about the success of the Torbay Express, Past-Time Rail director Andy Staite said that "Bradley Manor was the 'right' motive power for the line - Newton Abbot shed had 'Manors' in steam days and they were a familiar sight on the South Devon Coast route."
The engine also made an appearance at the beginning of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
In April 2007 new Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
standards were introduced requiring all preserved steam locomotives to be fitted with On-train monitoring recorders (OTMR) before they could run on the mainline. So halfway through its latest mainline certificate the owners decided the cost of returning 7812 Erlestoke Manor to steam and fitting OTMR to 7802 was just too much. Bradley Manor did receive a stay of execution and could run mainline until the end of 2007.
Recently 7802 Sadly Failed her boiler Examination in feb 2011 and it is unknown what is going to happen to her either she is going to be repaired or overhauled so as to return to action asap. If 7802 is overhauled it is hoped 7802 can return to the mainline after having OTMR fitted.
Bradley Manor currently has a 4000 gallon tender rather than the 3500 gallon tender that the class used. the owners of 7802 are currently building a 3500 gallon tender for 7802 to replace the rather worn out 4000 Gallon tender.
Allocations
The location of 7802 Bradley Manor on particular dates.| First shed | Old Oak Common Old Oak Common TMD Old Oak Common TMD is situated to the west of London, in Old Oak Common. The Traction Maintenance Depot is the main facility for the storage and servicing of locomotives and multiple-units which utilise Paddington Station. The depot codes are 'OC' for the diesel depot, and 'OO' for the carriage shed... |
| Aug 1939 | Bristol Bath Road |
| April 1946 | Machynlleth Machynlleth Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official... |
| February 1954 | Shrewsbury Shrewsbury Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council... |
| Last Shed | Shrewsbury |
| Withdrawn | November 1965 |
External links
- The Erlestoke Manor Fund More information on the loco and its history.
- Severn Valley Railway Official Site