2409 King George
2409 ‘King George’. A Hunslet standard ‘15-inch’ saddle tank locomotive built in 1942. The only steam locomotive to have been owned within the GWR, it entered service in 2000 following a lengthy overhaul at Toddington. The loco has now been sold to the Great Western Society at Didcot where its overhaul will be completed.
- 0-6-0T
- Hunslet Engine Company, Leeds. ‘15-inch’ refers to the stroke of the locomotive's inside cylinders.
- 1942
- 36 Tons
- 1,200 gallons
- Shunting on industrial railway systems. King George was delivered new to Linby Colliery, Nottinghamshire, in 1942, subsequently moving to other collieries. It was eventually sold for scrap in 1980 but was rescued and moved to Toddington in 1981. Painted red, the locomotive was restored at Toddington. King George distinguished itself by becoming the first steam locomotive for over 30 years to reach Cheltenham Race Course, shortly after track laying was completed, in February 2001.