Shannon (locomotive)

Shannon
Shannon at Dicot 2009
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder George England and Co. Build date 1857
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-0WT  • UIC 1'B Driver dia. 2 ft 11 in (0.889 m) Loco weight 15 long tons (175,600 lb or 79.7 t) Boiler pressure 120 psi (0.83 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 9 in × 12 in (229 mm × 305 mm)
Career Locale Great Britain Withdrawn 1945 Disposition Currently preserved at Didcot

Shannon is an English steam locomotive, built in 1857 George England and Co. for the Sandy and Potton Railway and now preserved at the Didcot Railway Centre.

History

The locomotive was built in 1857 by George England and Co. of New Cross for the Sandy and Potton Railway, at a cost of £800. In 1862 it was sold to the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) for shunting at Crewe Works and numbered 1104. The LNWR also briefly tried it out on the Cromford and High Peak Railway. It was renumbered 1863 in 1872 and given the name ‘Shannon’.

Shannon at Wantage Road

In 1878 it was sold to the Wantage Tramway for £365 8s 1d where it became No 5, known on the tramway as 'Jane'. After closure of the tramway in 1945 it was purchased for £100 by the Great Western Railway and the name 'Shannon' was reapplied. It was preserved as a static exhibit on Wantage Road railway station until that closed in 1964. In 1965 it was stored on premises of the Atomic Energy Authority but in 1969 it was moved to the Didcot Railway Centre, where it was finally steamed and operated again in October 1969.

No. 5 'Shannon' is part of the UK National Collection of railway locomotives (Object No.1978-7013). In 1975 it took part in the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in steam but had to be retired soon afterwards as cracks were discovered in the firebox.

See also

List of rolling stock items in the UK National Collection