The complete steam news magazine

The Great Western Society’s First locomotive

The 14XX class was an updated version of the 517 class, which originally dated back to the 1860s and 1870s and had many variants, although they were substantially modified as the years passed. Large scale withdrawal of the 517 class was under way by the late 1920s and their replacement would be the 48XX class, introduced in 1932. Built at Swindon in February 1936 as part of Lot 287,
Diagram M, the last lot of Collett 48XX class 0-4-2 tanks to be built, the engine was originally numbered 4866. Lot 287 had whistle shields fitted from new, although they were subsequently changed for a larger and more efficient version. No 4866’s build cost was recorded as £2247, of which the boiler was £484. Originally fitted with boiler No 8056, it would carry four different boilers during its 31 years of railway ownership.

Works overhauls all took place at either Swindon or Newton Abbot. During a general overhaul at Swindon in spring 1946, new cylinders were fitted and it is likely that footsteps were fitted on the firemen’s side of the bunker at the same time. On its release to traffic, it was noted on Swindon shed on 7 April 1946, with its stencilled home shed shown incorrectly as LA (Laira). 

No 4866 was recorded as renumbered to 1466 on 7 November 1946. The present boiler C8094, type SU with top feed, was fitted during a heavy general overhaul at Swindon Works in September/October 1956, when it was recorded as receiving major firebox repairs with a new copper backplate, copper tubeplate and RH and LH 1⁄2 copper wrappers, together with new steel full length sides, 387 steel and 285 copper stays and a complete retube.

Boiler C8094 had been built at Swindon in June 1935, being fitted to No 4859 when new and subsequently to Nos 1442 and 1464 before being fitted to No 1466.
The locomotive was repainted in unlined black with the first BR emblem, the livery it would remain in until withdrawal. Its last major overhaul was a heavy intermediate at Newton Abbot works in January/February 1961 when its total mileage since new was recorded as 648,642 miles.

In service
Official records show No 1466 allocated to West Country sheds all its life. First allocated to Newton Abbot in March 1936, it moved between there, Ashburton and Exeter for the next few years, until being reallocated to St Blazey in November 1939, presumably to work the Fowey branch.

Throughout 1940 it was at St Blazey, Moretonhampstead and Ashburton. From July 1941 until May 1961 it was shared between Newton Abbot, Moretonhampstead and Ashburton apart from a month at Exeter in October 1945.  Up until now most of its working life had been spent on the South Devon branches, including Totnes to Ashburton, Newton Abbot to Moreton-hampstead and Churston to Brixham.

It worked last day trains on the Ashburton branch on 2 November 1958 (with No 1470) and then on the Morehampstead line on 28 February 1959.
With the reduced amount of work available following closure of the South Devon lines, No 1466 was transferred to Exeter on 10 May 1961, where it would be often seen on the Exe Valley trains, although it was also noted on the Hemyock branch in August 1961 and the Tiverton branch on 14 July 1962.

The Exe Valley line shut on 7 October 1963 and No 1466 was finally transferred to Taunton on the same day. It probably worked the Tiverton branch during the short time it was at Taunton, along with Nos 1442 and 1450 also now preserved.
No 1466 was officially withdrawn on 28 December 1963 with a total recorded mileage of 728,230.

Preservation beckons
The 14s were very spritely engines, given the chance, and have been clocked at speeds in excess of 60mph. I can recall in the mid-1950s, a 14XX and autotrailer used to work a train around teatime on a Saturday from Reading to Maidenhead, where it would leave the main line to go onto the Bourne End branch. This used to really rattle along the up relief, with the hanging straps in the auto swaying to and fro, and I suspect this was getting up to around the 60mph mark.

The first moves to preserve No 1466 began in 1961 when Jon Barlow had a letter published in the August issue of The Railway Magazine inviting donations for the preservation of a 14XX locomotive. The story is well known that the Great Western Society started out with four schoolboys deciding that a Great Western auto train should be preserved, hence the letter from Jon. So was born the 48XX Preservation Society and an inaugural meeting was held on 4 May 1962. With its aims taking on a wider remit, it would initially become the Great Western Preservation Society, eventually becoming the Great Western Society in June 1963.

Fundraising continued during 1962 and 1963, until a shortlist of locomotives that had included Nos 1442, 1444, 1450 and 1466 was reduced to just Nos 1450 and 1466.

No 1450 was perhaps considered favourite but as it was unlikely to be available for about another year, it was felt safer to go for No 1466 now that funding was available.

So at the society’s AGM in February 1964, the proposal to purchase No 1466 was carried and it was duly purchased for £750, including delivery in steam to its new home at Totnes Quay, where it arrived from Taunton on 18 March 1964.

It was first steamed under GWS ownership in April 1964. Auto coach No 231 would be purchased later in November 1964 for £300 to complete the original aim of the Society. The first society open day was held at Totnes on 17 October 1964, with No 1466 and 0-6-0PT No 1363 giving rides in Dreadnought coach No 3299. No 1466 was repainted green while at Totnes, not an easy task without covered accommodation. Several more open days were held at Totnes during 1965 and then in January 1966, No 1466 moved to Buckfastleigh.

At this time the thoughts were that the society’s stock would be used on the as yet unopened Dart Valley Railway (now the South Devon Railway) but as time went on it was felt that the society would have to relinquish too much control of its stock once the Dart Valley was up and running.

Meanwhile, with no further space available at Totnes since 4-6-0 No 6998 Burton Agnes Hall and several coaches had arrived, another depot had been set up at Taplow for 2-6-2T No 6106 and coaches Nos 9112/9118.

The need for a larger depot to house the society’s growing collection, the impending closure of Taplow goods yard and the lack of progress with the DVR would result in a final move to Didcot.  And so Nos 1466 and 6998, together with coaches Nos 231, 3299, 5952 and a BR BG carrying stores and spares, moved under their own steam to Didcot on 2 December 1967.  One of the first tasks after arrival was to letter No 1466’s tanks ‘Great Western’.

Main line running
Twice in 1968, on 15 April and 21 September, No 1466 and auto No 231 operated on the Cholsey-Wallingford branch, but the British Railways ban on steam running that became effective later in 1968 meant that steamings would now have to be concentrated at Didcot, although No 1466 did visit Wallingford in steam for Carnival Day on 21 June 1969.

No 1466 was steamed for the first public open day held at Didcot on 10 May 1969 giving rides in No 231 on No 5 Road, repeated again at the next event on 20 September. A new ashpan was fitted in March 1970 but No 1466 suffered an internal steam pipe collapse during an hydraulic boiler test in April 1970 which put it out of action for several months, although this did not prevent it being displayed out of steam in May at Abingdon for its Carnival and in June at Wallingford for its Carnival. 

Back on the main line
By 1973 with the BR steam ban now lifted, the Marlow and Maidenhead Railway Passenger Association had got BR to agree to a celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Bourne End to Marlow branch, which had opened in July 1873. So the Association had chartered two steam trains from the society, one to operate with No 1466 and Autocoaches Nos 190 and 231 on the Marlow branch, and one using BR Mk1 coaches topped and tailed by Nos 6106 and 6998 on the section from Maidenhead to Bourne End. The date was set for Sunday 15 July. 

But when No 1466 was inspected by the BR boiler inspector, the steel firebox stays were pronounced unsuitable for service due to wastage. I still think this was a bit harsh, when the locomotive would only be in service for just the one day, particularly as it had  received a hydraulic boiler test after retubing not so many months (and steamings) previous. Nevertheless the Dart Valley Railway was approached for its help and this resulted in No 1450 coming up from Devon, to replace No 1466.

Another overhaul
No 1466 did manage to get to Maidenhead when a few days earlier on the 13 July, it was used with coaches Nos 1111 and 7371 for a filming by ATV which was making a series on the life of King Edward VII, the stock being moved there by BR diesel.
So No 1466 was now stopped pending a full overhaul, which commenced in 1979, the boiler, cab and tanks having been removed earlier. The boiler was retubed and all the firebox steel side stays and the crown stays were replaced. The boiler was also ultrasonic tested which showed thinning in several areas and these were built up with weld.

The rear section of the main frames was badly wasted so it was replaced, the rear dragbox rebuilt and about 80 per cent of the bunker also replaced. The side tanks also received attention with some lower sections replaced. The driving axleboxes were refurbished and new bearings fitted to the trailing radial axle. The valve spindles were refurbished, coupling rod bearings remetalled and new cladding sheets fitted.

After a repaint into post-war livery, it was back in traffic by August 1981. On 7 September 1983, the Western Region held a farewell do at Didcot for the retiring BR chairman, Peter Parker, and No 1466 together with coach No 231 brought the chairman across from Didcot station.  As this entailed working on BR, No 1466 had to have its wheelsets ultrasonically tested. 

In June 1984, the engine visited  the Kent and East Sussex Railway, and in January 1985 it was used for a Blue Peter filming and spent part of the 1986 summer on the Llangollen Railway.

It received some new boiler tubes early in 1989 but was withdrawn again for a full overhaul in autumn 1989. This commenced in spring 1990, the boiler was lifted and ultrasonically tested but apart from retubing, only attention to the foundation ring rivets and firebox seam rivets was required. This time it was repainted in BR lined green, re-entering traffic in September 1993. 

Back on its travels in 1995, it visited the Chinnor and Princes Risborough, the Dean Forest, the Severn Valley and the South Devon railways. Then in 1997, it was stopped for firebox repairs, the driving wheel tyres were turned and a spare trailing wheelset fitted. It also received a new chimney as the existing one was very thin. It was back in steam for Easter 1999, repainted in plain green with a roundel and renumbered as No 4866. A new ashpan was fitted in summer 2000 and it continued in service until stopped again later that year due to the condition of the foundation ring. And now it awaits its turn in the overhaul queue, for its third major overhaul in society ownership. It really is quite amazing to think that the society has now owned 1466 at the time of writing for no less than 45 years.