South Devon Railway sells GWR Steam Locomotive No. 3803

Ex-GWR 2884 2-8-0 No. 3803 has been sold by the South Devon Railway, with the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company purchasing the 1939-built locomotive for an undisclosed fee.

The sale of 3803 also includes the frames of 1918-built 2873, a GWR 28XX 2-8-0 class.

Proceeds from the sale of 3803 will go towards the restoration and overhaul of the railway's homefleet.

Collett's 2884 class was a development of Churchward's 28XX Cass, which were the first locomotives to haul 2000 tons, no mean feat in those days.

After covering 726,770, GWR 3803 was withdrawn in 1963 and was sent to Woodham's Scrapyard in Barry. Thankfully, the locomotive was saved in 1983 and was delivered to Buckfastleigh, where, after an extensive overhaul, she returned to steam in 2005.

3803 had relatively low usage on the South Devon Railway, but spent a number of years on hire to the Battlefield Line, in Shackerstone.

Commenting, the SDR's general manager, Ernest Elsworth-Wilson, said: “This is very much the right thing for us to do. When 3803 was bought from Barry scrapyard, she was destined for service on the steeply graded Paignton to Kingswear line, when both lines were under the same Dart Valley Railway ownership. So, she is going to the line she was originally intend for, which is very good news indeed. In the meantime, we have earmarked the proceeds from her sale for a number of projects that will see more of our home fleet returned to steam.”

John Jones, managing director of the Dartmouth Steam Railway, said: “We are delighted to have secured 3803 which we are looking forward to returning to steam in the not too distant future. It has been well looked after and is ideally suited to our line: it will make light work of even our heaviest trains. Given that it was purchased with the aim of working here, to a great extent the locomotive is finally coming home!”

The SDR's former general manager, Richard Elliott, who was instrumental in the purchase of 3803 and 2873 from Barry scrapyard, added: “3803 will now get to work on the line for which she was intended, and our members will be able to enjoy seeing her working hard for her living. We're pleased that the funds realised will be applied to important capital projects on the SDR.”