Beautiful in black: 5526 at its home base, Buckfastleigh, on the South Devon Railway (Photo by Alan Harris)  

Small Great Western '4575' class 2-6-2T no 5526 - better known as a 'small Prairie' - is visiting the GWR for a couple of weeks from this weekend. The locomotive is finished in British Railways standard black livery and it is hoped that it will be operational this coming Bank Holiday weekend, 2nd to 4th May.

Other locomotives rostered will be 7903 Foremarke Hall and 0-6-2T 'Taffy' tank no. 5619 . On Sunday this means that there will be three British Railways-liveried Western Region steam locomotives in operation. 5526 and 5619 will be operating service trains while Foremarke Hall will be working its 60th birthday celebration Elegant Excursions luncheon train.

5526 is being loaned to the GWR by the South Devon Railway, in lieu of sister engine no. 5542, which is slightly over-running an intermediate overhaul at Buckfastleigh. 5542 should be back at Toddington in time for the Cotswold Festival of Steam at the end of the month.

Built in 1928, no. 5526 put in many successful years of service for the Great Western Railway and British Railways in the West Country, before being withdrawn in 1962 from Westbury shed. It then spent many years languishing at Barry scrap yard before being rescued in 1985.  The engine was overhauled partly at Swindon and completed at the South Devon Railway by the 'Project 5526 Group'.  The GWR is grateful to the South Devon Railway and the Group for allowing their locomotive to pay a visit to the Cotswolds.