GWR 4900 Class 4953 Pitchford Hall

Infobox Locomotive
name=4953 "Pitchford Hall"
powertype=Steam
gauge=RailGauge|sg


caption=
railroad=
officialname=
railroadclass=4900 'Hall' Class
builddate=August 1929
roadnumber=
currentowner=
disposition=
retiredate=May 1963

No. 4953 "Pitchford Hall" is a 4-6-0 Hall class steam locomotive built by the Great Western Railway (GWR) at Swindon Works in August 1929 for a cost of £4375.

The locomotive worked from a wide variety of sheds all over the GWR network until withdrawal by British Railways in May 1963. It covered 1,344,464 miles over that period.

"Pitchford Hall" was acquired by Dai Woodham's scrapyard in Barry, South Wales in October 1963 and there it stayed, being stripped of components, until purchase by its current owner in 1984.

Preservation

Eventually 4953 was moved to Tyseley Locomotive Works where a full mainline standard restoration was carried out; the loco moving under its own power for the first time in February 2004. It made its first public appearance in 42 years at the Crewe Great Gathering in September 2005, being seen by over 40,000 people in three days. "Pitchford Hall" obtained its mainline certification in December 2005 after making the required light and loaded test runs from Birmingham to stnlnk|Stratford-upon-Avon and back.

The locomotive currently carries a "transitional" livery of the 1948 period with "G W" lettering on the tender, unlined with a smokebox number plate.

In February 2007, "Pitchford Hall" performed at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway's Winter Steam Gala, and on the 19 May 2007 performed in tandem with 4965 "Rood Ashton Hall" on a trip to Bristol from their Tyseley base.The loco also took part in the 2007 season "Harringworth Viaduct Shuttles" and a series of shuttle trains from Birmingham to Kidderminster in conjunction with the Severn Valley Railway's Autumn Gala in place of 4965 "Rood Ashton Hall" which failed due to a flue tube problem.

As of January 18 2008, "Pitchford Hall" is located at the Great Central Railway after a performance at the Winter Steam Gala and subsequent photo-charters thereafter, Its next appointment is on September 14th On the Shakespeare Express.

The locomotive is maintained by the Pitchford Hall Engine Society.

External links

* [http://www.vintagetrains.co.uk Tyseley (Vintage Trains) website ]
* [http://www.4953pitchfordhall.com Pitchford Hall Engine Society]
* [http://4953pitchfordhallenginesociety-membersonly.fotopic.net/get_password.php?id=310481&ref=gall Pitchford Hall Society fotopic site (password protected)]