Sale of GWRPG Prairie 4110 finalised

The West Somerset Railway (WSR) based in Minehead beckons our GWR Prairie 4110 into its fold to join their own fleet of GWR locomotives including Prairie 4160.

4110 was purchased in 1979 and ‘flagship’ locomotive when the group was formed by Bob Gorringe and interested members. Unfortunately it has had to be relinquished to mainly help the restoration and retube of our Pannier 9682 plus funding a few smaller projects.

Seven offers were received, but WSR’s Chief Mechanical Engineer Andrew Forster and his director’s submitted the most attractive bid and the best prospect for a speedy return to steam for 4110. They had researched its history and viewed it at Tyseley Works to ensure it met their requirements to join their own fleet. Some mechanical work has been done on the loco’ at Swindon and also within the Tyseley workshops, but there is still many thousands of hours work to complete it.

Further to a visit to Minehead to talk to Andrew Forster about the sale, we saw that WSR have two projects in their ample workshops, of which one needs to be completed by the end of 2015. Then 4110 will be first priority, but no date has been set for its first entry into the steaming world of WSR’s twenty mile long railway, but we will be waiting in anticipation.

Personally we all hope it will be finished in time for past Chairman Bob Gorringe to see it steam again.



Mike Gorringe Director and acting Chairman

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