West Somerset chief buys pannier tank and auto-trailer from Bodmin
PANNIER TANK No. 6435 and Hawksworth auto-trailer Third
No. 232 will now call the West Somerset Railway home, after they were purchased by WSR chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt.
The purchase of both vehicles comes just weeks after the Bodmin Railway announced that it was considering selling both the pannier and autocoach, as well as other items of rolling stock to cover a shortfall in its finances (SR554). Jones-Pratt – who also owns ‘Hall’ No. 4936 Kinlet Hall and Hawksworth ‘94XX’ No. 9466 – announced the purchase in late January.
No. 6435’s presence on the WSR will recall the time when classmate No. 6412 was based there, from 1976 until it was sold in autumn 2008 to the South Devon Railway by the WSR Association, as it was considered under-powered for the WSR’s trains. Jones-Pratt told Steam Railway: “6412 was sold by the WSRA at a time of poor decision-making; the engine has been missed for many years. We have talked about having our own ‘64’ again for a long time. No. 6435 will be running at the WSR and is ideal for us; we are finding running smaller engines suits our running costs. We can’t wait to have her; she can cope with load six, which deals with most of our trains, especially from the Minehead end of running. She will be very much part of the furniture and available for visits outside of the WSR.” He added that “a plan is being formed” to bring the locomotive to the WSR for overhaul, having last steamed in 2022.
Jones-Pratt also said that the autocoach “will form part of a new commercial offering on the WSR as well as galas. My gala team is very happy with this news as you can imagine!”
Meanwhile, Jones-Pratt’s other pannier – No. 9466 – will be available for the 2024 season, and is currently receiving attention to its crown stays at Williton. “She is still main line certified and it’s our intention to maintain that competence with the locomotive. She will operate through to November 2025 and then go for overhaul at Williton,” he confirmed.