BODMIN & WENFORD RAILWAY
LSWR (SR) Beattie
Well Tank 2-4-0 WT No 30587
This locomotive was one of a class of 85 which was designed
by Joseph Hamilton Beattie, the Mechanical Engineer of the London & South
Western Railway from 1st July 1850, who was succeeded in the same position from
23rd November 1871 by his son William George Beattie. They were called Standard
Well Tanks and were designed in consultation with Charles Beyer, of Beyer
Peacock Co. who built them at their works at Gorton, Manchester. The design was
based on the three locos of the "Nile" class built in 1859 and incorporated many
improvements. They were built between 1872 and 1876.
This loco, No. 298, cost £2570 when built in June 1874 and worked passenger trains in the London suburban area. It was fitted with 5ft 6in coupled wheels, 3ft 6in leading wheels and had a boiler pressure of 130 Ib/sg in. It possessed a tall, copper capped chimney and a large brass dome. After a few years a weatherboard was fitted to the rear to offer the crew some protection. In 1889 the boiler was replaced, a square cab was fitted and it was sent to Exeter for working the Exmouth branch and also the lines to Sidmouth, Seaton and Chard.
In June 1895 it arrived at Wadebridge to replace un-rebuilt 248. In June 1898 it was placed on the Duplicate List and became 0298. By 1900 it was in Dark Green Goods livery. In October 1901 it was given a general overhaul and repair. The loco received a new boiler at Eastleigh in December 1921 and in October 1925 was repainted in SR unlined black Goods livery.
It visited Eastleigh again for a complete strip down and replacement of worn out parts at a cost of £735 re-entering service in May 1933 as 3298. On formation of British Railways it became 30587 in July 1948. It left Cornwall briefly in May 1955 to work a special train from Andover Junction to Bulford Camp. It was withdrawn from service in December 1962 and went with 30585 to Eastleigh from where they were used to work two special trains to branch lines in the London area. The loco was selected for preservation by the National Railway Museum and was observed in store at Fratton shed, Portsmouth on 26 July 1963. It was towed from there on 12 September 1964 and went on shed at Basingstoke for a few days before proceeding to Woking where it developed a hot-box and remained at the station for a while before proceeding to Stratford Works for storage arriving in September. It was noted inside No.2 Paint Shop on 15 November 1964. At an unknown date it was towed to Brighton and placed inside the Pullman Works at Preston Park as part of the Reserve Collection. It arrived, on loan, at the Dart Valley Railway at Buckfastleigh numbered 3298 on 22nd April 1978. It was removed on 2 December 2001 and taken to the Flour Mill Workshops in the Forest of Dean for restoration to working order and arrived at Bodmin numbered 30587 on 12 November 2002.