7325 TO MAKE WAY FOR HINTON MANOR WHEN OVERHAUL STARTS
Unique Collett ‘43XX’ No. 7325 is to leave The Engine House at Highley later this year when it moves to the Severn Valley Railway’s workshops at Bridgnorth for overhaul.
SVR Works Manager Neil Taylor told Steam Railway that the Great Western 2-6-0 may leave The Engine House around October/ November, but that its overhaul was unlikely to start “until after next year”, owing to the number of locomotives currently under overhaul at Bridgnorth.
He also confirmed that, once its overhaul starts, No. 7325 could return to steam in two years and that its repairs could cost around £400,000, based on an evaluation conducted in 2014.
Mr Taylor said: “No. 7325 is certainly mechanically one of the better locomotives in The Engine House, and we wanted a bit of a break from doing basket cases; No. 75069 spent the best part of 30 years outside and was in a worse state than when it was at Barry! The ‘Mogul’s’ tender might be a bit of a challenge though.”
Mr Taylor was unable to give an exact date for when No. 7325 would leave Highley as the locomotive is currently licensed to hold weddings, but confirmed that it would be the next locomotive to depart from The Engine House. The ‘Mogul’s’ place will be taken by the SVR Charitable Trust’s out-of-ticket ‘78XX’ No. 7819 Hinton Manor, which returned to the railway on August 21 after having spent the last decade on static display in the McArthurGlen designer outlet shopping centre in Swindon.
After a couple of weeks on display at Kidderminster, the ‘Manor’ will move into storage in the carriage and wagon works for replacement of its fittings, which were removed when the locomotive was dispatched for display . Trust Chairman Hugh McQuade confirmed that the Trust plans to overhaul Hinton Manor, but that “while the trust is helping to raise funds towards the restoration of Hagley Hall, we won’t be launching an appeal for Hinton Manor.” According to Mr McQuade, it could be three years before No. 7819’s overhaul begins, and it is expected to cost around £600,000, although the trust
already has a set of new tyres for the locomotive.
The return of Hinton Manor to the SVR was prompted by the arrival of former National Collection ‘28XX’ No. 2818 at STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway on August 21 (see story above).
The ‘Manor’ last steamed in 1994, and in 2004, ownership of the locomotive was transferred from the Hinton Manor Fund to the SVR Charitable Trust. It moved to Swindon in 2008 where it took the place of ‘Hall’ No. 4930 Hagley Hall, which is currently under overhaul.