Dinmore Manor clocks up 100,000 miles in preservation

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ON AUGUST 7, WR 4-6-0 No. 7820 Dinmore Manor, ran its 100,000th mile in preservation at the West Somerset Railway, where it is on hire for the summer season.

At a fuel consumption rate of circa 30 miles to the ton of coal, that represents over 3300 tons of coal and equates to the equivalent of 2439 round trips of the West Somerset Railway where it has recorded the majority of the miles in preservation.

Dinmore Hall carrying its ‘100,000 miles in preservation’ headboard at Minehead. DMLL

Dinmore Manor was the first of the BR-built class members, entering service on November 20, 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.

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However, it is known it had racked up 421,268 miles by January 13, 1964, the remainder up until withdrawal on November 6, 1965 being unrecorded.

To mark the occasion, many members of its owning group, Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd, made the journey to Minehead in order to ride behind it with a specially commissioned ‘100,000 miles in preservation’ headboard.

The locomotive is currently based on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.

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The other locomotive owned by Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd that has steamed in preservation, Collett 2-8-0 No. 3850, racked up 80,000 miles in her first ticket and once her heavy general overhaul at Toddington is complete, it too will be looking to join its stablemate in recording 100,000 miles in preservation.

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