Also attending the weekend is LSWR T3 4-4-0 No. 563
Great Western Railway No. 813 was built to perform shunting and local freight work for the Port Talbot Railway in South Wales.
It was displaced by the GWR’s 57xx Class 0-6-0 pannier tanks, with five being sold to South Wales collieries whilst 813 was acquired by Robert Stephenson and Company in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which refurbished it and sold it to a colliery service near Newcastle.
When Britain’s coal mines were nationalised, 813 passed into the fleet of the National Coal Board, and was the only surviving locomotive from the Port Talbot Railway.
With the decline of the coal mines, 813 was withdrawn from service but was saved from scrap by the GWR 813 Trust.
During the weekend, on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th, 813 will work demonstration freight trains with wagons owned by the Trust. On Sunday, the 19th, it will operate some passenger trains between Minehead and Blue Anchor.
The other steam locomotives appearing at the weekend are London and South Western Railway T3 Class No. 563, GWR Castle Class No. 5029
Nunney Castle, GWR Manor Class No. 7828
Odney Manor, and GWR Mogul No. 9351, which will all be operating trains between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead.
At Bishops Lydeard, the Taunton Model Railway Group’s club room will be open for visitors, whilst at Washford, visitors can view progress on the Heritage Carriages Project.
