The West Somerset Railway has announced that they have hired in GWR 5101 steam locomotive No. 5199 ahead of being able to run steam services again in 2021.
5199 moved from the Llangollen Railway to the West Somerset Railway on the 17th December 2020 and the hire contract lasts until 31st December 2021. The agreement has been completed between group Chairman Richard Pumphrey alongside WSR PLC Chairman Jonathan Jones Pratt and Acting WSR CME Andy Forster.
For 25 years, the West Somerset Railway has played host to ‘sister’ locomotive No. 3160, which was restored at Minehead but has since left the railway for overhaul at the South Devon Railway.
GWR locomotive 5199 was completed at Swindon Works in December 1934 to the design of C B Collett as a rebuild of the 3101 class by Churchward. 5199 spent most of its life working in Birmingham on commuter trains before moving to Gloucester in the early 1960s. It didn’t spend long there before being withdrawn and sent to Woodhams Scrapyard at Barry.
After spending 22 years at Woodhams Scrapyard, the locomotive was purchased by the Great Western Steam Locomotive Group and was moved to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway in 1985. The Llangollen Railway welcomed the locomotive in 1988.
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