Large Prairie No 4160

No 4160 was part of the final batch of 20 locomotives built at Swindon works during 1948/9 and although never carrying GWR livery was finished in plain green and lettered BRITISH RAILWAYS in GWR style Egyptian - Serif shaded capitals

Her first shed allocation was (the still standing) Barry shed where she was frequently seen on passenger services to Merthyr and Treherbert and helping out on excursion trains a regular feature of South Wales Traffic at that time.

By September1953 4160 had moved to Merthyr but was actually based at the sub shed of Rhymney, from there she worked the local traffic down the valleys to Caerphilly and Cardiff.

In May 1958 she was on the move again this time to Cardiff (Radyr) where in addition to passenger train duties she started to appear on goods duties to Newport and Pontypool Road.

With the arrival of diesels forcing many of the class to be scrapped, 4160 ended her days at Severn Tunnel junction after being transferred there in October 1964, while there she took on the not so glamorous work of banking and the car ferry service to Pilning.

Barry scrapyard was her next stop arriving there in August 1965, the story from then on is a familiar one with the loco departing in August 1974.  After nine years in the sea air she was the 60^th engine to leave for a better life.

Next stop was the Birmingham Railway Museum, Tyseley where after a clean up she was put for sale, the Plym Valley being successful in their bid to give her a brighter future.  Unfortunately it was not to be as after an appearance at the Plymouth Exhibition centre in 1981 she was to move to the former Marsh Mills station site where along with other ex Barry locos 3802 and 7229 nothing happened.

So the owning group moved 4160 to the West Somerset Railway where she received a much overdue restoration and  entered traffic in August 1993 where she looked stunning in BR lined black

At the West Somerset she proved to be a capable machine, 4160 is unique among the surviving large prairies as she has a two row Malesco superheater 

She bowed out of traffic in June 2003.

Overhaul took place at the South Devon Railway premises of Buckfastleigh. The boiler being returned to steam at Crewe which after being re-united with the rest of the engine saw her re-enter traffic in August 2006.  An appearance on the South Devon Railway followed by the Bodmin & Wenford and then the Mid Hants Autumn Gala with 4936 Kinlet Hall.

Unfortunately she disgraced herself by running a hot axlebox on the rear Radial Axlebox

Repairs are now complete and she is forecast to move to the Gloucester & Warwickshire for the winter season 

Principal Dimensions

Shed Allocations