Back home and due to appear with the "big boys" at the Silver Jubilee Gala at end of March 2001. Should be in service until early July, then away on hire, and back on 8 September for the remainder of the year.
Updated: 17 March 2001
(extracted from the WSR Stock Book 5th Edition and reproduced here with the permission of the author, Keith Smith)
In 1930, the Great Western Railway had need to replace many ageing pannier tanks and, as a result, the 54XX Class was introduced. Such was their success that a similar series was introduced in 1932 after an experimental conversion of No 2062. The new series, the 64Xx Class, totalled forty locomotives, Nos 6400-39, and were built at Swindon In four Lots: No 277 in 1932, No 294 in 1934, No 300 in 1935, finishing with No 305 In 1937. Built to the official diagram R62, the 64XX's had smaller wheels than the 54XX's and were all fitted for auto train working.
The example of these C.B. Collett-designed locomotives on the WSR is No 6412. This was built to Lot to 294 at Swindon and completed in November 1934 at a cost of £2,393, and initially allocated to Landore (Swansea) shed, followed by Ebbw Vale in August 1956. Indeed, No 6412 spent the first 29 years of its life working in S9uth Wales, only moving away for brief periods for overhaul during this time.
In July 1963 No 6412 was sent to work on former Southern Railway territory, working from Exmouth Junction (Exeter) shed. The Western Region, which had taken over many of the former Southern lines in the area, used a small fleet of 64XX's to work auto trains on the Seaton Junction to Seaton branch. In December 1963, the locomotive is believed to have moved further east to Yeovil, where it worked on auto train services between Yeovil Town, Pen Mill and Junction stations. From there, the pannier tank moved on to Gloucester shed in July 1964, and was withdrawn from there in November of that year. Up to December 28 1963, when records ceased to be maintained, No 6412 had amassed a total of 609,566 miles.
No 6412 was sold to the Dart Valley Railway Company, who were in the process of purchasing the former Great Western branch from Totnes to Ashburton in Devon. The locomotive arrived on the DVR from Exmouth Junction under its own steam, accompanied by No 6430, on June 5 1966.
The locomotive became a regular sight on passenger services, including auto trains, following the reopening of the DVR in 1969. In late 1972, the 0-6-OPT was transferred to the Paignton to Kingswear line, which had just been purchased by the DVR, where it became one of the first locomotives to work services (again including auto trains) on the line in preservation.
No 6412 performed regularly on a variety of duties, but in late 1975 was deemed "surplus to requirements" by the DVR and put up for sale. The purchaser was the West Somerset Railway Association Stock Fund. The locomotive successfully arrived at Taunton during the early hours of March 25 1976, having travelled from Newton Abbot under its own steam hauling ex-WR auto trailer No 238 (which was on loan to the WSR from the DVR). The locomotive played a prominent role at the formal reopening of the WSR at Easter 1976, working three out of eight trains on the opening day (March 28).
The pannier tank became an important member of the WSR steam fleet, working an estimated 11,559 miles between 1976 and 1978. During this period, Southern Television made a series of programmes for children called The Flockton Flyer, and No 6412 became the star. It carried special nameplates bearing the title, which were fixed to each of the centre splashers and over the smokebox door.
At the end of 1978, No 6412 was withdrawn from service for overhaul. Spread over a period of five years, volunteers from the WSRA Locomotive Department carried out a full rebuild, with the exception of the boiler, which was seat away for specialist attention. The locomotive was formally recommissioned in November 10 1984, just in time to celebrate its half-century. Between 1984 and 1993, the '64' became a regular and popular member of the steam fleet, and - by the time of its withdrawal again for overhaul in January 1993 - had run a record total of 38,430 miles in service on the WSR (subsequently exceeded by No 88 in 1994).
No 6412's latest overhaul by the WSRA was started at Minehead, but continued at Williton, where a new restoration base has been established. It returned to steam in 1998.
After some use on the line, the loco went on to visit other preserved lines. After a very successful visit to the North Norfolk Railway, the Pannier returned to the West Somerset on 9 September 1998. Following a further short visit to star at the Dean Forest Railway's Gala of 26 and 27 September, the loco spent the rest of the year on the WSR, although it did spend Christmas on the Spa Valley Railway in Kent!