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On 7th August 2017, our flagship locomotive 7820 Dinmore Manor reached a total of 100,000 miles since restoration and return to steam in her “second career”.

Below is the article that may appear in the Railway Press

Dinmore Manor breaks the 100,000 miles in preservation barrier.

Few steam locomotives have passed the 100,000 miles in preservation barrier, a select club which Dinmore Manor joined on 7th of August. Although based on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, the milestone was passed on the West Somerset Railway where she is currently on hire for the summer season.  At a fuel consumption rate of around 30 miles to the ton of coal, that represents over 3,300 tons of coal and equates to the equivalent of 2,439 round trips of the West Somerset Railway where she has recorded the majority of the miles in preservation.

Dinmore Manor was the first of the British Railways built members of the class, entering service on 20th November 1950. BR failed to keep mileage records for locomotives up until the end of steam, so Dinmore Manor’s final mileage in BR ownership is uncertain, however it is known that she had racked up 421,268 miles by 13th January 1964, the remainder up until her withdrawal on 6th November 1965 being unrecorded.  It is clear from this that she has already covered half a million miles mark in total service.

To mark the occasion, a number of members of her owning group, Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd, made the journey to Minehead in order to ride behind her with a specially commissioned “100,000 Miles in Preservation” headboard.

The other locomotive owned by Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd that has steamed in preservation, Collett 2-8-0, 3850, racked up 80,000 miles in her first ticket and once her heavy general overhaul at Toddington is complete, she too will be looking to join her stable-mate in recording 100,000 miles in preservation. 

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Pictured at Bishops Lydeard, a gleaming Dinmore Manor waits for the off.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAProudly displaying the headboard

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Former company directors, John Sparks and Andrew Butler came along and enjoyed the day

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As did long-time supporters Robin Eames and John Simms

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Ralph (one of our regular working volunteers) has definitely done more than 100,000 miles!!!

 

Here are a couple of shots of the loco arriving in Minehead  (photos by Fiona Haigh)

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