DINMORE MANOR LOCOMOTIVE LIMITED
We are a group of approximately 500 members and we own four standard
gauge railway steam locomotives designed by the Great Western
Railway. We are a private company limited by shares and all our
Members are shareholders.
Our origins go back to 1983/4 when two groups were created to assist
the then recently re-opened West Somerset Railway (WSR) by providing
steam motive power for use on the line between Bishops Lydeard and
Minehead. In 1990 the two groups joined together as Dinmore Manor
Locomotive Ltd.
Since 1995, when our first restoration was completed, two of our
locomotives have been in service on the WSR and we expect the other two
to follow in due course, once restoration work has been
completed. All four engines have come to us in scrapyard
condition and we restore them to working order using a combination of
our own volunteer labour and paid contract work. The funds needed
to do this are raised from money subscribed by, our shareholders, from
hire earnings generated by our engines and from donations and legacies.
All our own input, whether administrative or practical, is given on a
voluntary basis and all monies raised are applied to the purchase,
restoration and overhaul of engines and support facilities.
Our two restored locomotives are GWR 2-8-0 No.3850 and BR (WR) 4-6-0 No.7820 “Dinmore Manor”.
‘2800’ and ‘2884’ Class 2-8-0s No.2874, 3845 and 3850
Were built in 1918, 1942 and 1942 respectively to a design of 1902/3 by
G J Churchward, the renowned GWR Chief Mechanical Engineer. These
engines proved so successful in service that they were still being
built 40 years later. Although designed primarily for heavy goods
traffic, 3850 has already proved her worth on the WSR by being able to
work the heaviest passenger trains over the line unassisted. 3850
is currently in service and has run reliably for more than 43,000 miles
since entering traffic in May 2006.
‘7800’ Class 4-6-0 No.7820 “Dinmore Manor”
Was built in 1950 by British Railways as a continuation of a design
introduced by the GWR in 1938. “Dinmore Manor” fits
perfectly the GWR/BR(W) image which the WSR has recreated and handles
trains of up to 9 coaches. Restoration was completed in 1995 and
“Dinmore Manor” was in use continually from then until
2004, during which time the engine covered nearly 80,000 miles.
THE FUTURE
Dinmore Manor is currently under overhaul, which is expected to be
completed in 2012. We aim to keep 3850 in service until 2016 when
boiler life is due to expire. In the meantime, we are in the process of
obtaining missing parts for our two newly bought and unrestored
engines, Nos.2874 and 3845. Our first step will be to secure a full set
of parts for at least one of these engines, with the longer term goal
of eventually having all the parts we need to return both to working
order. It is too early to say which of these two engines we will
return to steam first as this will depend on the outcome of further
detailed examination. We plan initially to repair the best boiler from
either 2874 or 3845 and exchange it for the one currently in use on
3850, when its overhaul becomes due in 2016, and thus to allow 3850 to
continue in service. Subsequently, the boiler currently on 3850 will be
repaired and used on one of the two unrestored 2-8-0’s to create
a third working engine. Restoration of the fourth loco will be a longer
term project.
FURTHER INFORMATION
We are always pleased to discuss our group and its plans with
interested parties willing to assist and support our objectives of
restoring and operating railway steam locomotives. Our members
provide voluntary support either in practical terms by helping at
members’ working parties and/or by assisting in the financing of
projects. If you would like to know more about us, please
contact:-
Robin George (Chairman) 1 Laurel Terrace, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4AF, or
Martin Ginger (Treasurer) Chestnuts, Copthorne Common Rd, Copthorne, West Sussex, RH10 3LA,
E-mail:
‘dinmoremanor@hotmail.co.uk’ Phone: Mike Solloway 07958 069 270 For all three contacts please quote
“WS”
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