The Erlestoke Manor Fund has released an update after 7812 Erlestoke Manor was absent from the recent WSR Autumn Steam Gala.

The loco was absent because the loco was awaiting inspection and steam testing after a fix was implemented for a washout plug thread defect.

Thankfully, the repair was successful and the loco entered traffic on the 21st October.

Unfortunately, on the 22nd October, 7812 suffered from a piston failure whilst working out of Bishops Lydeard, which means it is now out of service.

Operational and mechanical investigations are underway to find the cause of this failure, and repairs have already commenced.

The loco has now moved to Minehead. More information will be released at a later date.